When first year head coach Matt Dernlan came to Clarion from Penn State in July he promised a beefed up schedule for Golden Eagle wrestling fans.

            He kept his promise.

            Clarion travels to Lehigh on Sunday, November 20, to open the 2011-12 NCAA Division I dual meet season against two top ten ranked NCAA Division I programs.  The season will open with the Golden Eagles taking on #7 ranked Illinois at 2pm, then come right back and grapple host and #8 ranked Lehigh at 4pm.

            The matches will be wrestled in Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall, on the campus of Lehigh University. The Illinois match can be heard on WCCR-FM in Clarion at 92.7, or on the internet at redzonemedia.com with Rich Herman providing the play by play.

            “We're excited to travel to Lehigh to open the season and wrestle against some of the top competition in the country,” said Dernlan. “This is what we promised and this is what it will take to restore Clarion to its rightful place in division I wrestling.”

            Clarion returns two NCAA Division I Qualifiers, 7 starters and 10 letterwinners to the team in 2011-12. Ready to lead the Golden Eagles are junior James Fleming (West Mifflin) at 157-pounds and senior Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) at 165-pounds.

            Fleming, who has not wrestled yet this season, starts the year ranked #5 in the country by AWN and #8 by Intermat. In 2011 he posted an outstanding 31-4 overall record and was 1-2 at nationals. During the season he was EWL and PSAC individual champion, EWL “Co-OW”, and placed 4^th at Midlands. He had 11 pins and 5 tech. falls. In 2010 he posted a 28-8 record at 149-pounds, was 2^nd at EWL's, 4^th at PSAC's and was an NCAA Qualifier with an 0-2 record. He has a career record of 59-12 entering this season.

            Abdurkahmonov has opened this season with a record of 7-2 after placing third at the Oklahoma Invitaional at Brockport, N.Y. and second at the Clarion Knight Point Open.  He is currently ranked #11 by both AWN and Intermat. Last year he posted a 38-11 record and a 3-2 mark at nationals. He lost in the All-America placing round to Maryland's john Asper 4-0.  He was a PSAC Champion and placed third at EWL's last year posting 10 falls and 2 tech. falls.

            “James and Bekzod have really dedicated themselves to have an outstanding 2012 season,” said Dernlan.

            Also returning to the lineup as starters are Quintas McCorkle (Sr. Alexandria, Va.) at 285-pounds, Alex Thomas (Jr. Seaford, De.) at 197; Steven Cressley (Jr.  Punxsutawney) at 184, Joe Waltko (Jr. Alison Park) at 133 and part-time starter Trey Hicks (Jr. Amityville, N.Y.) at 125-pounds.

            McCorkle, a senior, has continued to improve throughout his career and has already started 2012 with a 6-1 record, including a title at the Oklahoma Invite, which has boosted him to a #19 ranking by AWN. Last year he was 23-13 overall, placed third at EWL's, 3^rd at PSAC's and second at the Oklahoma Invite. In 2010 he was 26-18 placing 4^th at EWL's and 5^th at PSAC's also at heavyweight.  He currently has a career record of 56-41.

            Thomas, a junior, is ready for his best season at 197. Alex has started the year with a 7-3 record and placed third last week at the Oklahoma Invite. Alex posted a 20-11 overall record last year , placed 4^th at EWL's and first at PSAC's, plus was the PSAC “OW”. Hew was also 18-14 in 2010, placed 2^nd at EWL's and was the PSAC Champion. He has a current career record of 45-28.

            Cressley, who has been a starter for two seasons, wrestled at 184 last year and returns there in 2012. He is 4-1 to start the year and placed third at the Clarion Knight Point Open. Steve was 12-22 last year,  moved down to 174 for EWL's and placed 5^th while getting a third at PSAC's at 184. In 2010 he was 17-23 overall and placed 4^th at EWL's and 6^th at PSAC's at 174.

            Waltko was 18-4 last year at 133-pounds but did not wrestle past the first week of January. A very talented 133-pounder, Joe placed second at PSAC's last year. As a freshman at 125-pounds he placed 5^th at EWL's with a record of 15-16.

            Hicks, a junior, was 2-19 last year at 125-pounds but gained valuable experience.  He was 9-13 at 125 in 2010 and placed 5^th at PSAC's.
 
           Also looking for time in the lineup this year will be veterans Cameron Moran (Sr. James City) at 149, Devin Cook (So. Bedford) and Tyler Bedelyon (Jr. Lewistown) at 141 pounds, Nick Milano (So. Erie, Cathedral Prep) at 184, Ryan Darch (R-Fr.; Batavia, N.Y.) at 174 and true freshman Mark Havers (Bradford) at 149.

            Moran, who has had some injury problems in the past, returns to the Golden Eagles to battle Havers for the starting spot at 149-pounds. Moran was 10-7 last year and placed second at the PSAC's.  He was 7-3 at 4^th at PSAC's in 2010 at 141-pounds and 7-6 in 2009 at 133-pounds.

            Havers has had a tremendous start in his freshman year with the Golden Eagles. He is 8-3 overall and placed 4^th at the Oklahoma Invite and third at the Clarion Knight Point Open at 157-pounds. He will wrestle this year at 149. Havers was a 2-time PIAA runner-up and had a career record at Bradford High of 130-10.

            Cook placed fourth for the Golden Eagles at EWL's last year with an 8-13 overall record at 133. Bedelyon, a red-shirt sophomore, has the talent to challenge at 141-pounds after wrestling unattached in all tournaments last year.

            Milano sat out last year following knee surgery and appears to be 100% healthy. He is moving up to battle at 184-pounds. Two years ago Milano posted a record of 12-19 overall and placed 4^th at EWL's.

            Darch will likely land the starting spot at 174-pounds after sitting out last year. A red-shirt freshman from Batavia, N.Y., he was second at N.Y. States as a senior at 171-pounds and had a record of 44-1.

CLARION SUNDAY LINEUP
125- Trey Hicks, 133- Joe Waltko, 141- Devin Cook/Tyler Bedelyon, 149- Mark Havers/Cameron Moran, 157- James Fleming, 165- Bekzod Abdurakhmonov, 174- Ryan Darch, 184- Steve Cressley, 197- Alex Thomas, 285- Quintas McCorkle.

#8 RANKED LEHIGH
            Lehigh placed 8^th at the 2011 NCAA Division I Nationals and featured three All-Americans and a National Champion (Zach Rey), who returns in 2012. Lehigh has 5 ranked wrestlers including #1 Zach Rey at 285, #2 Robert Hamlin at 184, #4 Brandon Hatchett at 165, #6 steve Dutton at 141 and #8 Joe Kennedy at 197.

            The Mountain Hawks, under fourth year head coach and former Pitt National champion Pat Santoro, opened their 2012 dual meet campaign on Nov. 12 with an 18-16 loss to #17 rated Pitt. The loss halted Lehigh's 26 home match winning streak.

            The Lehigh lineup will have Mason Beckman at 125, Chris Dinnien or alex Abreu at 133, Steve Dutton at 141, Kyle rosser at 149, BVrian Tanen or Shane Welsh at 157, Brandon Hatchett at 165, Nathaniel Brown at 174, Robert Hamlin at 184, Joe Kennedy at 197 and defending national champion Zach Rey at 285. Dutton (23-14) missed A-A by one match last year, Rosser was 31-15 last year, Hatchett is a returning all-American who placed 7^th last year with a record of 22-11, Hamlin placed second at the NCAA's at 184-last year with a record of 32-3. Kennedy was 22-12 last year and reached the All-America round before losing, Rey was 34-1 in winning the NCAA title last year – he was third at national sin 2010.

#7 RANKED ILLINOIS

            The Fighting Illini, under third year head coach Jim Heffernan, are off to a fast start in 2012 with a 4-0 record. Illinois has defeated North Carolina (32-9), Kent State (24-18), The Citadel (48-3) and Utah Valley (41-3).

            Last year Illinois finished 22^nd at the NCAA Nationals and posted a 6-5-1 dual meet record, but return 17 lettermen and 7 starters to what could be a powerhouse team.

            Illinois features 6 ranked wrestlers including #17 Jesse Delgado at 125, #3 B.J. Futrell at 133, #8 Eric Terrazas at 149, #17 Conrad Polz at 165,  #3 Jordan Blanton at 174 and #17 Mario Gonzales at 197. Blanton and Futrell will be wrestling on Monday aT the NWCA All-Star Match. Blanton is a 2010 All-American placing 8^th at nationals that year, while an injury shelved him in 2011. Futrell is a returning All-American after placing 8^th at nationals.

            The Illinois lineup will have Jesse Delgado at 125, Futrell at 133, Daryl Thomas or Tucker Armstrong at 141, Eric Terrazas at 149, Jackson Morse or Kyle Dooley at 157, Conrad Polz at 165, Jordan Blanton at 174, Tony Dallago at 184, Mario Gonzales or Martin Smith at 197 and Pat Walker at 285.

            CLARION NOTES: Clarion wrestles at the PSAC's at Mercyhurst on December 10 … First home dual against Edinboro on Dec. 19 at 7pm …. Other home matches are Feb. 11 vs Cleveland State , Feb. 17 against Kent State and Feb. 19 vs Lock Haven… Clarion has an 0-3 record against Lehigh and a 1-1 mark against Illinois in the all-time series . The last match against Lehigh was in 2007-08 and Lehigh won 21-15 … the other two matches were in 1996-97 (28-9) and  24-19 in 1995-96… Clarion lost to Illinois in 2004-05 37-7, and defeated Illinois 32-12 in the 1979-80 season… clarion assistant coach Troy Letters, who was a three-time All-American and NCAA Champion at Lehigh, returns to his former stomping grounds in his first year as an assistant coach… Letters wrestled at Lehigh under coach Greg Strobel and amassed a career record of 115-9 (31 falls) from 2003-2006. Troy was an NCAA runner-up as a freshman in 2003 at 165-pounds with a season record of 34-2, then won the NCAA D-I title at 165 in 2004 with a record of 36-1. He placed third at nationals in 2005 at 165-pounds with a record of 27-1 and qualified for nationals his senior year, but an injury kept him out the second half of the year and hampered him at nationals.