March 8, 2008

MORGAN WINS SECOND STRAIGHT DIVISION III NATIONAL TITLE

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA -- King's College wrestling standout David Morgan (Scranton/West Scranton) won his second straight NCAA Division III National Tournament championship Saturday in Cedar Rapids. Iowa.

The second-seeded Morgan (28-1) earned his title with a 3-1 overtime victory over fourth-seeded Jacob Helvey (31-4) of Wartburg College of Iowa.  The two wrestled to a scoreless first period tie, then each would escape respectively in the second and third periods to end regulation tied at 1-1.

With 0:20 left in overtime, Morgan would shoot in for a takedown and Helvey blocked the attempt and a scramble ensued. Morgan would then quickly scoot behind Helvey for the winning score.

It was an emotional victory for Morgan, whose mother Mary Ellen passed away just over a year ago, only days after winning his first NCAA title last season.

"I want to dedicate this match to my mother," Morgan said following his championship victory. "She hated wrestling but she was my best friend and she always supported me. Mom was there out on the mat with me tonight and without her being there I am not sure I could have won.

"This is an awesome feeling to win again and it is a lot different than the first. Helvey was really physical and it was not the type of match I expected. I thought at one point he might have broken my nose. In overtime, I sort of took a desperation takedown at the end and he blocked it but got his hip up and I was able to get in behind him. This is such a great feeling, I am really at a loss for words."

Morgan reached the 133-pound final for the second straight year with a hard-fought 3-2 decision over sixth-seeded Nicholas Nothern (29-9) of Cornell College.

Morgan had faced Helvey twice before, posting victories over the Wartburg two-time all-American by a fall in 3:40 in the 2006 Desert Duals and a 5-2 decisions in the 2007 NCAA Division III national tournament semi-finals.

Helvey reached the finals by upsetting top-seeded Adam Johnson of North Central 4-2 in overtime in the other semi-final bout. Johnson had dealt Morgan his only loss of the year with a 4-3 decision during the Las Vegas Desert Duals in December.

Morgan, a junior, has now secured all-American honors for the third straight year, placing sixth in 2006 prior to winning his first national title a year ago. He joins Larry Danko and Mitch Marcks as the only three-time all-Americans in King's history. Danko was an all-American in 1988, 1989- and 1900, while Marcks earned the honor in 2002, 2003, and 2004.


Day One Recap..........

March 7, 2009

KING'S MORGAN REACHES NCAA SEMI-FINALS, REILLY ELIMINATED AFTER GOING 1-2

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA -- King's College wrestling standout David Morgan reached the semi-finals and remains in contention to defend his national title, while freshman Mike Reilly advanced to the quarterfinals before losing  his next two and was eliminated on the first day of the NCAA Division III national championships today in Cedar Rapids Iowa.

At 133-pounds, Morgan received a first-round bye to advance to the quarterfinals. There, he defeated old rival Ray Sarinelli of the College of New Jersey 9-3 to reach the semi-finals. It marked the fourth time Morgan has defeated Sarinelli over the last two years, including the championship match of the 2007 and 2008 Metropolitan Conference championships.

Morgan will next face sixth-seeded Nicholas Nothern (29-8) of Cornell College who stunned third-seeded Travis Lang of Augsburg College in the quarterfinals 3-1 in overtime.  Lang, a mid-year transfer from Division I University of Minnesota, was regarded as a top title contender and came into the match with a 35-2 mark.  Top-seeded Adam Johnson of North Central, who handed Morgan his only loss of the year (4-3) in December, also reached the semi-finals and stands at 47-2 on the year.

At 174-pounds, Reilly won his first match with an 11-7 decision over sixth-seeded Phil Moenkedick of Concordia-Moorhead University. Reilly, however, would fall in the quarterfinals to third-seeded Kyle Vanderhyde (20-2) of Olivet College by a 14-7 count.  Reilly was then eliminated by Kyle Kehrli of Cornell College 11-6 in the consolation bracket, concluding his rookie campaign with a fine 21-4 mark.