GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Thiel College wrestling team is set to compete in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Wrestling Championships, hosted by Waynesburg University at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse, this Saturday.
First-round matches are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students. Students from PAC institutions will be admitted for free with a valid college ID.
Thiel currently owns 22 PAC titles, trailing only past league member John Carroll (23) for most PAC titles in conference history. Thiel's last PAC title was in 2016.
The Tomcats return junior Jake Alberts (Ellwood City, Pa./Lincoln) who won at 133 pounds in the most recent PAC Championship in 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the PAC did not hold its annual wrestling championship event in 2021.
The PAC Championships feature double-elimination brackets, with each school having the opportunity to enter up to two student-athletes in each of the 10 weight classes. The seeding for each program's top wrestler in the 10 weight classes was determined by a vote of the league's coaches, and wrestlers from the same team competing in each class will be placed on opposite sides of the bracket. First-round byes will be placed randomly throughout the brackets, as necessary.
Thiel features six wrestlers that are the top seed in their respective weight class, the most for any PAC school this year. Thiel's top seeds include: Evan Whiteside (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) at 125 pounds, Hunter E. Thompson (Titusville, Pa./Titusville) at 133 pounds, Hunter Martz (Hawthorn, Pa./Redbank Valley) at 141 pounds, Logan Long (North Bend, Pa./Central Mountain) at 149 pounds, Peyton Hearn (Conneaut, Pa./Conneaut Area) at 157 pounds, and Frank Gill (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) at 174 pounds.
Thiel went 7-0 overall and 2-0 in PAC matches during the regular season.
"We have an extremely talented and hard-working group," said Craig Thurber, the Rod E. Wilt '86 Head Coach for Thiel Wrestling. "We have a nice group of upperclassmen that provide leadership and wisdom.
"We have actually been preparing for this year's championships since the last time we had a conference tournament," said Thurber, who has been selected as the PAC Coach of the Year eight times. "Last year was a great year for our guys to get a lot of practice and to get to know each other and our staff."
Thiel, along with Washington & Jefferson and Waynesburg, will represent the PAC at this year's NCAA Division III Southeast Regional Championships, which will take place Feb. 25-26 at Lycoming College.
*Portions contributed by the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC)
