PSU Wrestling captures Ted Reese Invitational at USM
GORHAM, Maine - Plymouth State University had five wrestlers reach the finals and finished with seven place-winners Saturday afternoon, and the Panthers narrowly captured the championship of the Ted Reese Invitational, hosted by the University of Southern Maine.
The Panthers ended up with 91 points in the team scoring, edging American International College (90.5) by one-half point. Trinity College finished third with 84.5, followed by Southern Maine (79) and Western New England College (74.5).Three club teams also participated: MIT (62 points), RPI (31) and UNH (12.5).
Sophomore Josh Huber (Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet)
led the way for the Panthers, winning three straight bouts to
capture the championship at 125 pounds. He improved his season
record to a team-best 10-3. Huber
(right) defeated teammate Fred
Wilkinson (Quogue, N.Y./Riverhead) in the final, making
Wilkinson one of four Panthers who finished runner-up.
Wilkinson won two bouts before his loss to Huber and is now 7-2 on
the season.
Three Panther freshmen finished second in their respective weight class, each winning twice before falling in the finals -- Femi Wheeler (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) at 149 pounds, Seth Carter (Hudson, N.H./Alvirne) at 165, and Jesse Bilodeau (Brandon, Vt.) at 174. Carter now has a 7-4 record on the season, and Wheeler and Bilodeau are both 7-5.
The other place-winners for PSU were junior Eric Larcomb (Jefferson, N.H.), who placed third at 197 pounds, and classmate Rob Phillips (Brick, N.J.), who was fourth at 184 pounds.
Plymouth State will be off from competition for final exams and the holidays, returning to action on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, at the Williams College Invitational. PSU head coach Tommy Prairie will make his first return visit since graduating from Williams in 2005, where he was a three-time First Team All-American.
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