The Baldwin Wallace University Wrestling Team Finishes Second at the 2006 Ohio
Athletic Conference Tourney and Has Two Champions
BEREA, OHIO -- The host Baldwin Wallace University wrestling team had two individual champions and placed second at the 2006 Ohio Athletic Conference Wrestling Tournament Championship today (February 18, 2006) in the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium at BW in Berea, Ohio.
Heidelberg won its first-ever OAC team title with 99 points and the Yellow Jackets, wrestling at full strength for the first time this season, finished second with 62.5 points. Ohio Northern University was third with 52.5 points and was followed by Wilmington College in fourth with 44 points, Muskingum College in fifth with 34 points and defending champion John Carroll University and Mount Union College tied for sixth place with 33 points each.
The Yellow Jackets were led by senior Division III All-American Devin Carman (Ashtabula/ Geneva) who won his second straight OAC title and wrestled in his third straight OAC title match, and senior 285-pounder Bryan Kmetz (Brunswick) won his first OAC title after being the OAC runner-up the past two years. By virtue of their OAC titles, Carman and Kmetz earn automatic berths to the 2006 NCAA Division III National Tournament on March 3-4 at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, N.J.
Carman won his title with a perfect 3-0 record as he defeated Adam Lange of Mt. Union in his first match, 8-2, beat Chris Bailey of ONU in the semifinals, 7-2, and dominated Heidelberg’s Ryan Fogliano 9-3 in the title match. A year ago, Carman finished eighth at the NCAA Division III National Tournament to earn Division III All-America acclaim. Carman is now 9-0 overall and 71-15 in his career.
Kmetz won his title with a perfect 2-0 mark. He received a first round bye as the top seed and then beat Heidelberg’s Rob Brubeck 13-5 in the semifinals and then defeated OAC arch-nemisis Derek Ankney of OAC and Cleveland cross-town rival John Carroll University 4-2 in the championship match. Ankney and Kmetz met for the third straight time in the OAC title match. Ankney won the title in 2004 and 2005 but Kmetz won today and also pinned Ankney in December at the Rochester Institute of Technology Tournament en route to winning RIT Most Valuable Wrestler honors. Kmetz is now 23-2 this season and 72-13 in his career.
In addition to Carman and Kmetz, senior 174-pounder Sterling Sebek (Columbus, Georgia/ Brookstone) placed third and freshman 133-pounder Chris Hamed (Stow/ Woodridge), junior 141-pounder Jared Selover (Wapakoneta) and sophomore 184-pounder Jeremy Feador (North Olmsted) each placed fourth.
Heidelberg, led by 2006 OAC Coach of the Year Jason Miller, also won its first-ever OAC regular season title with a perfect 6-0 dual match record. Individually, Mt. Union senior 149-pounder Sean Connelly was tabbed as the John Summa Most Valuable Wrestler.
FOR MORE INFORMATION on the OAC Wrestling Tournament, please either call BW Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple at 440-826-2327, FAX him at 440-826-2329 or e-mail him at kruple@bw.edu or call OAC Media Relations Director Julie Work at 330-963-0444, FAX her at 330-963-0459 or e-mail her at jwork@oac.org. You also can visit the OAC Wrestling Championship Web site by logging onto www.bw.edu/athletics/wr/sched/05oacchamp.