NCAA East Regional Website

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Bream Gymnasium will be a busy venue this Saturday when 17 wrestling teams stroll through the doors for the NCAA Division III East Regional. The event will be the only opportunity individuals will have to earn a place in the NCAA Championships in two weeks.
 
Participating teams include Centenary College, Delaware Valley College, Gettysburg College, Hunter University, Johns Hopkins University, King's College, McDaniel College, Merchant Marine Academy, Mount Saint Vincent College, Muhlenberg College, New York University, University of Scranton, Stevens Institute of Technology, The College of New Jersey, Ursinus College, Washington & Lee University, and Wilkes University.
 
Ticket prices for the event are $5 for adults, $4 for students (with ID) and senior citizens, and $3 for children ages 2-12.
 
Preliminary and first rounds are set to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday morning. The event will carry on throughout the day with the championship taking place in the evening. The top three place-winners in each weight class will advance to the NCAA Division III Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, March 15-16.
 
The tournament field includes six nationally-ranked teams and 20 nationally-ranked wrestlers. Centenary (6th), Wilkes (7th), and Delaware Valley (8th) each rank among the top 10, while TCNJ (16th), NYU (17th), and Ursinus (23rd) are also among the top 25. Centenary leads all schools with five nationally-ranked grapplers in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III poll.
 
Returning All-Americans competing this weekend include sophomore Paul Bewak (125) from Johns Hopkins, senior Charlie Frankel (125) from Delaware Valley, junior Chris Burdge (157) from Centenary, senior Joe Favia (165) from Stevens, senior John Darling (165) from TCNJ, and senior Joe Zitone (285) from Centenary.
 
Gettysburg jumped on the chance to host the event and will look to take advantage of the friendly confines as it aims to send representatives to the national stage.
 
“This is the first year for this qualification format and it's great to have the chance to be one of the first schools to host,” said Head Coach Andy Vogel. “The guys can sleep in their own beds and don't have to travel overnight before the biggest tournament of the year so far. The team performed well when we hosted the conference tournament last year, so I'm hoping for a similar performance at the regional.”
 
Gettysburg will field its best lineup this weekend, including 2012 national qualifiers sophomore Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) and senior Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep). Thomson is ranked eighth at 174 pounds and he is coming off his first Centennial Conference title. He is 27-2 on the year and has won his last 11 matches. Poplaski was the conference champ at heavyweight last season, but the senior has been hampered by injuries this winter.
 
Other top contenders for the Bullets include juniors Matt Spano (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) at 141 and Jared Leon (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) at 184. Spano is a two-time place-winner at the conference meet and has turned in his third consecutive 20-win season. Leon was the conference runner-up at 174 pounds a season ago and will look to qualify for nationals for the first time. Poplaski, Spano, and Leon all sat out last weekend's conference tournament in preparation for regionals.
 
When Gettysburg hosted the Centennial Conference Championship last season, five Bullets earned top-four status. Vogel is hoping the home mats will have the same type of effect on his team this weekend.
 
“We've been preparing for this event all season and have focused our training the past two weeks,” said Vogel. “This is where they have the chance to extend their season, so they are definitely motivated to do that. If they are able to stay mentally sharp, trust their training, and be ready from the opening whistle, it can be a great weekend for them.”