CENTENARY COLLEGE WINS 1ST EVER METRO TEAM TITLE, KING'S REILLY WINS THIRD CHAMPIONSHIP AND WILL MAKE THIRD TRIP TO D-III NATIONAL TOURNEY

TOURNAMENT WEB SITE

WILKES-BARRE – Centenary College captured the school's first-ever Metropolitan Conference Championship Sunday afternoon holding off defending champion The College of New Jersey at Scandlon Gymnasium.

Centenary collected 104 points with TCNJ taking second with 92 total points. Rounding out the team scoring were York (70), Delaware Valley (66.5), Elizabethtown (50), Wilkes (46.5), New York University (46), King's (28.5), Hunter (22.5), and Scranton (12.5).

The 10 weight class winners plus the eight wild card at-large selections will now head to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament at the Lacrosse Center in Lacrosse, Wisconsin on March 11 and 12.

King's senior Mike Reilly claimed his third Metropolitan crown at 174-pounds with an injury default over Elizabethtown's sophomore Julian Meaney. The match was tied at 4-4 in the first period when Meaney was taken to the mat and unable to continue. Reilly also won the 2008 and 2009 crowns and now stands 30-1 heading into the NCAA Championship tournament.

At 125-pounds, TCNJ's freshman Steve Godine capped his impressive tournament with a 3-1 overtime decision against third-seeded William Bentley of Elizabethtown. Godine was also named co-rookie of the year for his performance.

At 133-pounds, the nation's top wrestler and defending Metro champion Centenary's Will Livingston lived up to his laurels with a 10-3 decision over TCNJ's Dan Herr. It marked the second straight meeting between the two for the crown.

York's top-seeded sophomore Chris Albright used a 5-2 decision over second-seeded David Alsieux of Centenary for his first Metro crown at the 141-pound class.  

Wilkes junior Anthony Dattolo captured the 149-pound title with a tough 1-0 decision over Centenary's John Stillo. Dattolo used one pin and two decisions on way to the championship after finishing second in last year's event.

Delaware Valley senior 157-pounder Jesse Arrington took home the crown with three wins by decision, including an 11-8 decision over third-seeded freshman Chris Burdge from Centenary in the championship match.

In a match featuring the two top seeds at 165-pounds, TCNJ's senior Justin Bonitatis used a late take down to score an 11-9 win over NYU's senior Matt Magill.

In another match pitting the two top seeds at 184-pounds, York junior Alex Martocello scored an upset decision 11-8 over top-seeded Mike Denver of TCNJ. With the win, Martocello also was named the conference most outstanding wrestler.

In one of the two weight classes with three nationally ranked wrestlers, 197 proved to be a battle of the top two seeds as Centenary's junior Tim Lutke took a 5-2 decision over Delaware Valley's freshman Aaron Karns.

In the tournament's final bout, Centenary's sophomore Joseph Zitone scored an upset victory over top-seeded James Laughlin of York by a 12-6 decision.

See the tournament website link at top to view full brackets and results.

Championship Finals:

(Weight-by-Weight)

125: Steve Godine (TCNJ) dec. William Bentley (Etown), 3-1

133: Will Livingston (Cent) dec. Dan Herr (TCNJ), 10-3

141: Chris Albright (York) dec. David Alsieux (Cent), 5-2

149: Anthony Dattolo (Wilkes) dec. John Stillo (Cent), 1-0

157: Jesse Harrington (Del Val) dec. Chris Burdge (Cent), 11-8

165: Justin Bonitatis (TCNJ) dec. Matt Magill (NYU), 11-9

174: Mike Reilly (King's) injury default Julian Meaney (Etown)

184: Alex Martocello (York) dec. Mike Denver (TCNJ), 11-8

197: Tim Lutke (Cent) dec. Aaron Karns (Del Val), 5-2

285: Joseph Zitone (Cent) dec. James Laughlin (York), 12-6

* The winner of each weight class earns an automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Division III Tournament.

2011 Metropolitan Conference Most Outstanding Wrestler:
Alex Martocello, York

2011 Metropolitan Conference Co-Rookie of the Year:
Chris Burdge, Centenary and Steve Godine, TCNJ

2011 Metropolitan Conference Coach of the Year:
John Garriques, Centenary

2011 Metropolitan Conference Assistant Coach of the Year:
Matt Kessler, Centenary

Alternates:
Alternate 1 - Eduardo Delgado, Hunter, 157
Alternate 2 - Matt Ulrich, Delaware Valley, 141
Alternate 3 - Will Bentley, Elizabethtown, 125

NCAA Division III National Championships
March 10-11, 2011 @  La Crosse Center
Hosted by: The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
NCAA Tournament Website:  http://www.ncaa.com/championships/wrestling/d3