Match Results
 
GREENVILLE, Pa. (Feb. 1) – The annual Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown between the wrestlers from Waynesburg University and Thiel College has become one of the most heated battles in the Midwest Region of NCAA Division III and Wednesday's installment to the rivalry was no different. Members of both teams scored impressive upsets and the match came down to the heavyweight bout. Yellow Jacket sophomore Brandon Fedorka gritted out a 1-0 victory that tied the match at 17-17, but a pin by senior Garett Johnston at 157 pounds gave the Jackets an 18-17 victory on tie-breaker criteria.
 
With the win, Waynesburg closed out its season with a five-straight dual victories and a 10-8 overall record. The Jackets also clinched their third 2-0 PAC record during Ron Headlee's four years as head coach. The Tomcats fell to 6-6 overall and 1-1 in conference competition.
 
Things did not start well for the visitors as junior Alex Crown, who came into the match ranked 10^th in the country according to d3wrestle.com, suffered a surprising 3-0 setback at the hands of freshman Shayduan Velez-Lara. A major decision victory at 133 built Thiel's lead up to 7-0, but a pair of Jacket freshmen were poised to get their team back into the contest.
 
Freshman 141-pounder Aaron Mills started the comeback with a 4-0 win over Sean Byham, and fellow first-year grappler Chris Milligan took down Thiel's Shawn King 10-5. Trailing 7-6, Johnston continued his outstanding senior season by sticking Ryan Carson in 2:44 for the crucial pin. After Waynesburg jumped ahead 12-7, sophomore Sam Lombardo picked up a 7-6 upset win over Thiel senior Matt Lowry, who was listed in the d3wrestle.com rankings.
 
Training 15-7, the Tomcats fired back with decision wins at 174 and 184 pounds and a major decision victory at 197 pounds. Those wins, combined with a penalty point taken by Waynesburg at 184, gave the Tomcats a 17-14 lead going into the heavyweight bout, where Fedorka squared off with Thiel's Will Ringer. After a scoreless first period, Fedorka rode Ringer out for the entire two minutes of the second. The Waynesburg sophomore finally popped out for an escape late in the third period to score the 1-0 win that tied the match at 17-17.
 
After both teams picked up five individual wins, Johnston's pin gave Waynesburg the win by way of Criteria 2, which is most wins by fall.
 
After a thrilling battle in Greenville, Waynesburg and Thiel will meet up again and join Washington & Jefferson at the annual PAC Championships, which will be hosted by W&J. The event is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10.