MAC 100 Wrestling Century Teams

ANNVILLE, Pa. – Six former outstanding wrestlers from Gettysburg College were recently named to the Middle Atlantic Conference All-Century Team as voted on by the fans and announced on Tuesday, March 12.
 
In conjunction with the 100^th anniversary of the MAC, the Middle Atlantic Conference is recognizing some of the top student-athletes by holding an online vote to select Century Teams in each sport from different eras.
 
Gettysburg's wrestling team was one of the most dominant programs in the early decades of the MAC and it was well-represented on the All-Century Team. Henry Schwartz '42, Joe Bavaro '66, and Scott Higgins '67 were named to the 10-man team representing the era from 1912 to 1974. Craig Helmuth '78, Bob Ortenzio '79 and George Maier '79 were among the 11 names representing competitors from 1975 to 1984.
 
Schwartz was a two-time MAC champ at 136 pounds. He was named MAC Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1942 after claiming his second consecutive title and leading Gettysburg to a runner-up showing in the team standings. His eight falls in 1941-42 stood as a school record for 18 years.
 
Bavaro is arguably one of the top student-athletes to ever don the Orange and Blue. Competing at 147 and 152 pounds, he was a two-time national champion at the College Division level, while finishing runner-up at the University Division Championships twice. Bavaro claimed a pair of conference titles and was the MAC Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1965. Over his last two seasons, Bavaro compiled a remarkable 50-2 record with his only losses coming in the NCAA University Division finals.
 
Higgins placed in the top four at the conference meet twice and was the College Division national runner-up at 145 pounds in 1966. As a senior, he was 14-1 before suffering a dislocated shoulder and missing both the conference and national tournaments.
 
Helmuth followed in Bavaro's footsteps as the second national champion in school history, capturing the 126-pound title as a freshman in 1974-75. He was a three-time All-American overall, finishing runner-up in 1976 and fifth in 1978. Helmuth claimed three conference titles and helped Gettysburg win the team championship in 1976. He was 90-11-1 during his career.
 
Ortenzio was a three-time All-American and three-time MAC champion at 118 pounds. He finished as high as third at the national meet in 1979, the same year he was tabbed MAC Most Outstanding Wrestler. Ortenzio turned in an impressive 28-2-1 record during his senior campaign and finished his career with a record of 90-17-3.
 
Maier rounds out Gettysburg's selections. Competing at 190 pounds, Maier qualified for nationals in each of his final three campaigns. He finished in the top three at the MAC Championships three consecutive years, culminating in the conference title in 1979.
 
Gettysburg claimed 10 Middle Atlantic Conference team titles from 1938 to 1976. The program left the conference in 1993 to begin competing in the Centennial Conference.