AMCC WRESTLING TEAMS PREP FOR NCAA REGIONALS

All five AMCC wrestling teams will be traveling to three different sites this weekend to participate in the 2024 Southest, Central and Mideast Regionals, both which are two-day NCAA Championships qualifiers. Preliminary matches begin at 11 a.m. on Friday, while the championship rounds kick off at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Penn State Behrend will be going to the Southeast Regional in Williamsports, PA, hosted by Lycoming College at the Keiper Recreation Center. Alfred State College, Penn College of Technology, and Pitt-Bradford will head to the Mideast Regional in Rochester, NY, hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Rounding out the field is Hiram College, which will be traveling to the Central Regional in Ada, OH on the campus of Ohio Northern University.

The Alfred State Pioneers are coming off a great season and will be looking for their first NCAA qualifiers since transitioning from the junior college ranks. The team won the AMCC regular season championship, then seven individuals won their respective weight class, including Sean Malenfant who took home the 184 title and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler and AMCC Wrestler of the Year. Malenfant is ranked fourth in the region, while Zack Levey is looking to become an NCAA qualifier for the second time in his career.

The Behrend Lions will be sending a full lineup and three all-conference wrestlers to regionals. Peyton Hearn, the AMCC Champion at 149, continues to rank first in the Southeast Regionals at that weight class. Hearn has an overall record of 23-4 and leads the team with nine dual wins and seven technical falls. Martin Ohlsson enters the weekend as the AMCC Champion and First Team All-AMCC selection at 157. Ohlsson has registered 15 wins and is ranked second on the team with eight pins. Wrestling at 197, Matthew Caldwell landed on the All-AMCC Second Team. Caldwell boasts a 14-11 record and has seven pins, good for third on the team. Ja'Shad Bumpers will compete at 125, Cole Neil will represent the Lions at 133 and Jake Brown is . at 141. At 165, Behrend will rely on Lane Dellaquila and Ryan Gildersleeve at 174. Matthew Melchior is set at 197 and Eric Morales completes the lineup at 285.

Penn College will have four wrestlers ranked among the top eight in their respective weight classes when the action gets underway Friday morning. Junior Noah Hunt is ranked third at 141 pounds in the Feb. 26 final regular-season regional ranking of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Also, Travis Green is fifth at 165, Kaden Ware is sixth at 133 and TJ Martin is seventh at 149. Martin, Green and Ware lead the squad with 30-plus wins each, while Hunt and freshman 285-pounder Nicholai Brotzman are right behind with 28 wins a piece. Brotzman is among the Division III leaders with 20 pins. Also representing the college will be freshman Luke Heimbach at 125, sophomore  at 157, freshman Cavin Napoletano at 174, senior Andy Muzike at 184 and senior Gabriel Kennedy-Citeroni at 197.