So when Bellefonte junior high coach Tom Alterio announced the mat assignment for a bout between Zach Horan and Cameron Throckmorton during the Pennsylvania Amateur Wrestling Federation state freestyle tournament, teenagers and adults wandered to an auxiliary gym.

Once the three-time PIAA Class AAA placewinners shook hands, more than 200 people gathered around the mat.

Never mind this was May 22.

Some of the state’s most talented — and dedicated — high school wrestlers flocked to Bellefonte High School on Saturday. Many of the same wrestlers will return for today’s Greco- Roman tournament.

Besides different styles, camaraderie that extends beyond school borders and warmer outdoor temperatures, the scene resembled March, when Pennsylvania holds its folkstyle regional and state tournaments. Wrestling’s primary goal is to beat the best, and, well, many of the state’s best are spending the weekend in Bellefonte.

Wrestlers who perform well this weekend qualify for the prestigious national freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments. The July event attracts the nation’s best to Fargo, N.D.

“It’s the best competition in the nation,” said Spencer Myers, a PIAA Class AAA champion from Selinsgrove. “Kids from all over the country are there. It’s just more competition to get me ready for next year.”

Next year, in Myers’ case, begins in August when he arrives in College Park, Md., to begin competing for coach Kerry McCoy’s University of Maryland team. Myers, a senior who also won a PIAA football title and recently qualified for next weekend’s state track meet, represents the kind of athlete competing in Bellefonte. He views freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments as primers for NCAA Division I wrestling.

“A lot of the coaches look at not only the folkstyle side of it, but they look at how kids do in these other styles of wrestling,” Myers said. “There’s folkstyle. But the Olympics aren’t that and this helps you with positioning. I went out to Fargo last year and went 0-2 in Greco. It makes you a better all-around wrestler.”

Off to college

Cox’s Dorsay picks Maryland

Cox’s Ben Dorsay, a three-time state wrestling champion with 163 career victories, has signed with Maryland.

Dorsay finished with a 163-14 record and collected 114 pins. He won three Group AAA state titles, including this past season at 145 pounds. Among his other accomplishments: Beast of the East champion; Outstanding Wrestler in the National High School Division of the Virginia Duals; champion and Outstanding Wrestler at the U.S. Marine Corps Ultimate Challenge; Asics All-American.

—- — The Valley’s two state wrestling champions, Selinsgrove’s Spencer Myers and Line Mountain’s Zain Retherford, added another honor to their stellar seasons when they were named to the 25th annual ASICS All-America Wrestling Team.

Thirteen wrestlers from Pennsylvania are among the 42 honored as All-Americans. Myers, the 215-pound PIAA champ in Class AAA, is one of a record eight Keystone state wrestlers on the first team, while Retherford, the Class AA champ at 103, is a third-team selection.

The All-American team is selected by a national panel of wrestling experts and is the only national all-star team which wrestlers enrolled in all four high school grades are eligible. Members of the first team, as well as the ASICS Wrestler of the Year, will be honored before the finals at the Junior Nationals in July in Fargo, N.D.

Myers, who finished a stellar season unbeaten at 44-0, won his first PIAA title after finishing as the runner-up a year ago. Myers, bound for Maryland in the fall, is part of a talented first team that combined to win 30 state or national prep titles, along with eight Junior National and Cadet National titles.

Other Pennsylvania wrestlers joining Myers on the first team are Nick Roberts of North Star (103), Josh Dziewa of Council Rock South (135), Josh Kindig of Blue Mountain (140), Andrew Alton of Central Mountain (145), Dylan Alton of Central Mountain (152), Marshall Peppleman of Central Dauphin (160) and Michael McMullan of Wyoming Seminary (285).

Retherford, who suffered just one loss in his first season of varsity wrestling, won the state title at 103 pounds. A third-team selection, Retherford is the only freshman on any of the top three teams. He actually beat Roberts, the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the country and a first-team All-American, in the state semifinals back in March.

Retherford is part of the third team that features 27 state titleists, one Junior National and seven Cadet National title winners.

5/7/2010
InterMat Staff

InterMat has released its recruiting class rankings for 2010.

Iowa, on the strength of six Top 100 recruits, five of which are ranked inside the Top 30, sits atop the rankings. Fellow Big Ten Conference programs Penn State, Northwestern, and Minnesota are next in the rankings with five Top 100 wrestlers each.

1. Iowa

2. Penn State

3. Northwestern

4. Minnesota

5. Iowa State

6. Nebraska

7. Indiana

8. Cornell

9. Arizona State

10. Maryland

Top 100 Recruits: No. 41 Spencer Myers (Selinsgrove, MD), No. 43 Ben Dorsay (Cox, VA), No. 46 Frank Goodwin (Arundel, MD), No. 72 Mark Hartenstine (Easton, PA)

Commentary: Out goes a senior class that produced three NCAA All-Americans, including the program’s first ever three-time All-American in Hudson Taylor. In comes a group of four Top 100 recruits to provide a much needed compliment to the overall roster for head coach Kerry McCoy. The Terrapins seek to build upon a school-record of 19 dual meet victories, as well as consecutive seasons with multiple All-Americans and a top 20 finish at the NCAA tournament.

Knox, a Kinesiology major, has a 3.475 GPA and was an NCAA qualifier. The Baltimore native went 21-13 this season as the team’s starter at 125 pounds in helping the Terps to a school-record 19 regular-season wins. Knox finished third at the ACC Championship to automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Taylor, an Interactive Performance Arts major, had a 3.22 major and finished fourth at the NCAA Championships. He became the school’s first three-time All-American and leaves the program as Maryland’s all-time winningest wrestler in addition to being the all-time pins leader.

A Pennington, N.J., native, Taylor’s 42 wins in 2009-10 tied for the most in the nation. His 24 pins, a Maryland single-season record, led the nation.

In all, 74 individuals representing 45 schools are being honored on this year’s All-Academic Team.

To qualify for the All-Academic team, a wrestler must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, and either been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule – and must have competed in at least 60 percent of said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic team is to have a 3.0 GPA and been an NCAA All-American.

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A number of individual awards for community service, athletics achievement and academic success were also presented at the brunch that was co-sponsored by the M Club and the Terrapin Club.

M Club Awards
* Talbot T. Speer Award (leadership, scholarship and all-around ability) – Hudson Taylor, Wrestling

ICA Community Service Awards (Student-athletes who excelled in public service to the community) -Charles Golden and Hudson Taylor.

ACC Community Service Awards - Richard DiPietro

Academic Achievement Awards (junior or senior from each team with highest cumulative GPA, minimum 3.0) -  Owen Duffy

Click here for a full recap of the brunch

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