HIRAM, Ohio (Feb. 14) -- The Thiel College Wrestling team placed second at the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championships Saturday from Hiram College. Saint Vincent collected the team title with 118.5 points to the Tomcats' 100. 

Jonathan Bissell (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) claimed the 157-pound championship while Joey King (Cooperstown, Pa./Maplewood) brought home the crown at heavyweight. Head Coach Craig Thurber collected his conference-record 10th PAC Coach of the Year honor.

Bissell, who competed at 149 in the regular season, was the top seed at 157 and earned a bye into the semifinals. He notched an 18-3 technical fall over Jackson Bowers (Hiram) before pinning (1:21) Ryan Yocum (Saint Vincent) in the championship to claim the title.

Bissell, a freshman, now sits at 25-5 with 18 pins and a pair of tech. falls as he gears up for the Region 4 Championships.

At heavyweight, King made lite work of Rylan Hughes (Hiram) in his opening bout with a 17-second pin. He followed it up with a 14-second pin of Boastas Kwabiah (Waynesburg) to reach the semifinals. King earned a hard fought 2-0 decision over Zach Kuneff (Bethany) in the semis before cruising past top seed Jonah McCoy (Saint Vincent) with a 15-2 major decision in the final.

King, who claimed the 197-pound PAC Title last season, is Thiel's first PAC champion across multiple weight classes since Evan Whiteside claimed champions at 125 in 2022 and 2023 as well as 133 in 2024.

King improves to an unblemished 7-0 on the year with four pins.

Anthony Ceriani (Brookville, Pa./Brookville Area) pulled off perhaps the upset of the tournament with a 5-4 double-OT decision over top-seeded Jiovanni DeChicchis (W&J) at 165 to reach the finals. Ceriani came up just short, falling by a 7-3 decision to Logan Bechtold (Saint Vincent) in the championship. 

Zachery Ward (Girard, Ohio/Girard), the top seed at 184, collected a pin in his first bout and avenged a regular season loss to AJ Tomaino (Waynesburg) with a 6-3 decision in the semifinals. Ward ultimately placed second, dropping the championship bout to Jack Viti (W&J) by an 11-0 major decision. George Green (Hicksville, Ohio/Hicksville) placed fourth at 184.

Logan Ventura (Jeannette, Pa./Penn Trafford) took second at 141. He took down Brayden Barbao (Waynesburg) with a pin (4:09) in the quarterfinal and Brett Klim (Saint Vincent) with a 2-1 sudden-victory decision in the semis before dropping the championship bout to Tyler Debnar (Saint Vincent) by a 9-0 major decision.

Mequan Maxwell (Sharon, Pa./Sharon), the third seed at 149, was the runner up to Anthony Orlandini. Maxwell had an 18-2 tech. fall (4:07) over JT Hollyfield (Waynesburg) in the quarterfinals along with a 6-2 decision over No. 2 seed Bryce Rodriguez-Uram (W&J) in the semis.

Jacob Potts (Oakdale, Pa./South Fayette) had a strong showing at 157, claiming third-place as the No. 5 seed with a 17-3 major decision over De'Mier Hamilton (W&J). At 125, EJ McCarthy (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) earned a third-place finish with a 9-6 decision over Holden DuBois (W&J). Deshonn Valentine (Somerset, Pa./Somerset Area) placed third at 133 as he had a pair of wins on the day while Leyton Zacherl (Stoneboro, Pa./Lakeview) took fourth at 133.

The Mat Cats return to action Feb. 27-28 for the NCAA Region IV Championships hosted by Ohio Northern. More information on the Regional will be posted once it is made available.