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2019 NCAA Championships
March 21-23 // Pittsburgh, Pa. // PPG Paints Arena

Quick Notes

• Clarion wrestling will send multiple NCAA qualifiers for the fourth year in a row, as Greg Bulsak and Evan Delong will compete at the NCAA Division I Championships in Pittsburgh, Pa.
  • After sending no qualifiers to the NCAA Championships in his first season as head coach, Keith Ferraro has now sent 10 qualifiers over the last four years
• The Golden Eagles finished the 2018-19 season with a 7-7 dual match record, including a 4-2 mark in EWL competition
  • Clarion has finished with a .500 or better dual record in each of the last two years, the first time they have done so since 1994-95
  • The Golden Eagles battled their way to a winning record in conference and a .500 record in dual matches despite losing as many as five starters to injury at any one time during the year
• Redshirt senior Evan Delong will make his first ever appearance in the NCAA Championships, facing off with Penn State's Vincenzo Joseph in the first round of the 165-pound bracket
  • Delong earned his spot by taking third at the EWL Championships, beating nationally-ranked Colston DiBlasi (George Mason) in the third place match
  • Delong previously missed out on qualifying for NCAA's as a sophomore and junior in 2016 and 2017, taking third in both when the conference sent only two automatic qualifiers
• Redshirt sophomore Greg Bulsak will make his second straight appearance at the NCAA Championships, and will face off with Stanford's Nathan Traxler in the 197-pound bracket
  • Bulsak was a fixture in the national rankings for the entirety of the season and earned an at-large bid to the championships after posting a 17-6 record, including a 2-3 record against wrestlers in the field
  • Bulsak took sixth at the Cliff Keen Invitational in December after falling to Traxler in the consolation bracket
• Clarion enters this week's championships having lost three previous NCAA qualifiers to injury over the course of the last year and change; Brock Zacherl, Taylor Ortz and Jake Gromacki have all lost seasons to injury after qualifying for NCAA's over the last two years
• This is the first time the NCAA Championships has been hosted in Pittsburgh since 1957, making it the first time the Golden Eagles have ever competed in a championship hosted there and the closest championship (geographically) for Clarion

How to Follow Along

• The 2019 NCAA Division I Championships will be carried by the ESPN family of networks, once again airing "Every Mat, Every Match" via ESPNU and ESPN3.  The championship round on Saturday night will air on ESPN starting at 7 p.m. 
• Results will be available on brackets through Trackwrestling, as well as on the "NCAA DI Wrestling Championship" app available for smartphones
• Follow @ClarionEagles and @WrestlingCUP on Twitter, as well as @clariongoldeneagles on Instagram, for updates as the Golden Eagles progress through the week.

The Match
Clarion wrestlers will compete with the best in the country at the 2019 NCAA Division I Championships, hosted this year at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Proud History
Clarion wrestling enjoys a long, proud history, both on the regional and national levels.  The Golden Eagles have produced eight national champions and 46 All-Americans throughout history.  Two of those national champions were recognized on the NWCA/NCAA 75th Anniversity All-Time Collegiate Team in 2005 - Kurt Angle (1988-92) and Wade Schalles (1971-74). 
 
In addition, former head coach Bob Bubb was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005 after a 26-year coaching career that ended in 1992 with 322 career dual wins and a seven individual national champions.  Bubb also served as the Secretary Rules Editor of NCAA wrestling from 1989-2011, Executive Director of the NWCA from 1995-99, and Chair of the NCAA Wrestling Committee from 1987-89.
 
"The Little Giants of Wrestling"
Clarion wrestling first rose to national prominence in the early 1970's, when the Golden Eagles combined for five individual titles in two years.  Gary Barton and Wade Schalles won individual titles in 1972, while the trio of Schalles, Don Rohn and Bill Simpson all won in 1973. 
 
Barton's title in 1972 was significant in that he entered the bracket as an unseeded entry and proceeded to defeat the #1, #2, #4 and #5 seeded entries in the 134-pound bracket to claim the national championship.  Rohn's national championship came when he was a true freshman.

About the Coach
Clarion is under the direction of fifth-year head coach Keith Ferraro, who took over full-time duties during the 2014-15 season.  Before that he served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under head coach Troy Letters.

The Golden Eagle program has made tremendous strides under Ferraro's tutelage, with perhaps no more telling figure than the number of NCAA qualifiers the Golden Eagles have produced.  The team that Ferraro took over in 2014-15 went 1-16 in dual matches and sent no wrestlers to the NCAA Championships.  The Golden Eagles have produced multiple NCAA qualifiers in every year since then, including four in 2017-18, tied for the most in a single season since the Golden Eagles sent five wrestlers to the 2004 Championships.

Repeat Performance
Greg Bulsak returns to the NCAA Championships as a redshirt sophomore after reaching the 184-pound bracket during his redshirt freshman season in 2017-18.  The 2018 EWL Freshman of the Year, Bulsak spent most of the year ranked in the top-16 of the Intermat and FloWrestling polls.

> Bulsak holds a 2-3 record against opponents from this year's 197-pound field, including victories over Rider's Ethan Laird and Virginia Tech's Tom Sleigh.  The latter came at the Cliff Keen Invitational in December, where Bulsak took sixth place after falling to Eric Schultz (Nebraska) and Nathan Traxler (Stanford).

> Last year, Bulsak went 0-2 at the NCAA Championships in a pair of close bouts at 184 pounds.  He started with third-seeded Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) and came close to tilting him in the third period, but ultimately fell by 5-1 decision.  In his consolation match, he and Brown's Christian LaFragola were tied at 6-6 in the third period, but LaFragola escaped with three seconds remaining for the 7-6 decision.

"Delong" and Winding Road
It's been five years of hard work and struggle, but earlier this year Evan Delong finally punched his ticket to the biggest tournament in college wrestling when he clinched a spot to the NCAA Championships.  Delong earned one of the EWL's three automatic bids at 165 pounds, taking third place with a win over George Mason's Colston DiBlasi in the third-place match.  

> Delong previously came up just short of qualification in 2016 and 2017.  He took third at the EWL Championships in both instances, but fell to the runners-up and was not eligible for true second places matches.

> Delong redshirted in 2017-18 and competed at 174 pounds, posting a record of 18-5 that included winning the 174-pound bracket at the Wolfpack Open hosted by North Carolina State as well as the Cleveland State Open.

M*A*S*H* Unit
At various times during the season the Golden Eagles have had to deal with untimely injuries to starters in their lineup.  In January the team announced that three-time national qualifier and nationally-ranked 149-pounder Brock Zacherl, as well as 2018 national qualifier Taylor Ortz, would both miss the remainder of the season due to injuries sustained at the Cliff Keen Invitational in December.  Another 2017 national qualifier, Jake Gromacki, missed the entire season due to an injury sustained during the 2017-18 regular season.  In addition, other wrestlers have missed various stretches due to injury over the course of the year.

Golden Eagles in the Rankings
Throughout the season, Greg Bulsak has been ecognized in the national rankings.  Bulsak (197) currently checks in at 15th according to FloWrestling and 17th according to Intermat.

> On March 14, the NCAA released the third of four coaches' panels rankings for the 2018-19.  The final rankings will be one of the tools used in the official selection process for the NCAA Championships in March.  Bulsak was ranked 22nd in that poll.

> Also on March 14, the NCAA released its second round of RPI rankings, another tool in the selection process.  Here's where some of the Golden Eagles stood on that front:
> Greg Bulsak (197) - 32nd
> Evan Delong (165) - 27th

Ready for #MACtion
It was announced on March 5 that Clarion, along with the other seven members of the EWL, will leave the conference to become affiliate members of the Mid-American Conference starting in 2019-20.  

With 15 teams in 2019-20, the MAC will be the second-largest NCAA Division I wrestling conference in the country.  Current MAC wrestling membership includes Buffalo, Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Ohio, along with affiliate members Missouri, Old Dominion and SIU-Edwardsville.

> During the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, the MAC was represented with 34 wrestlers.  Annually, the MAC is a consistent leader in Division I Wrestling in sending wrestlers to the NCAA Wrestling Championships – 2017 – 45 wrestlers - 3rd most in NCAA; 2016 – 45 wrestlers – 3rd most in NCAA; 2015 – 38 wrestlers – 3rd most in NCAA.

The Last Time Clarion...

Had an All-American	2013 - James Fleming (157)
Had Multiple All-Americans	2012 - Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (165), James Fleming (157)
Had an All-American at 165	2012 - Bekzod Abdurakhmonov
Had an All-American at 197	1996* - Bryan Stout
Had a National Champion	1996 - Sheldon Thomas (118)
Had Multiple National Champions	1973 - Don Rohn (134), Wade Schalles (158), Bill Simpson (167)

* - 190-pound weight class changed to 197 pounds in 1998-99 season

Golden Eagles Send Two More to EWL HOF
Bekzod Abdurakhmonov and Jack Davis will be among the eight honorees at this year's EWL Hall of Fame presentation, set to take place before the start of the championship rounds on Saturday night.

Abdurakhmonov wrestled two seasons at Clarion (2010-12) after transferring from Colby Community College (Kan.), and in that span established himself as one of the top Golden Eagles in recent memory with a 74-17 overall record.  As a senior in 2012, he posted a 36-5 record at 165 pounds, including a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships as well as EWL and PSAC Championships.  Abdurakhmonov went 5-1 at the national tournament in St. Louis, losing only to eventual national champion David Taylor in the semifinal round.  He went on to represent his home country of Uzbekistan in international competition, culminating in a trip to the Olympics in 2016.

Jack Davis made a strong contribution to the Clarion wrestling program as an athlete, assistant coach and head coach. As Bob Bubb's assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 1976-92, he helped the Eagles win eight PSAC and one EWL title, post 19 Division I All-Americans and eight top-20 NCAA Division I Tournament finishes.  As head wrestling coach for five seasons from 1993-97, he led his teams to two EWL and one PSAC title, coached eight Division I All-Americans, including 1996 national champion Sheldon Thomas (118).


ESPN Streaming - Direct Links for Day-by-Day, Mat-by-Mat Coverage
 

DAY	MON	DATE	TIME(ET)	ROUND	Link
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	12:00 PM	First Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492099/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	11:00 AM	Quarterfinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492102/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	7:00 PM	Second Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3491856/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	8:00 PM	Semifinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3491855/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Sat	Mar	3/23/2019	7:00 PM	Championship	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3491857/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Sat	Mar	3/23/2019	11:00 AM	Medal Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492100/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	12:00 PM	Mat 1, First Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492303/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	12:00 PM	Mat 2, First Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492246/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	12:00 PM	Mat 3, First Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492279/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	12:00 PM	Mat 4, First Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492253/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	12:00 PM	Mat 5, First Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492259/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	12:00 PM	Mat 6, First Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492268/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	12:00 PM	Mat 7, First Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492252/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	12:00 PM	Mat 8, First Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492306/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	12:00 PM	Scoreboard - First Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492258/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	7:00 PM	Mat 1, Second Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492243/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	7:00 PM	Mat 2, Second Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492256/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	7:00 PM	Mat 3, Second Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492245/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	7:00 PM	Mat 4, Second Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492263/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	7:00 PM	Mat 5, Second Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492255/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	7:00 PM	Mat 6, Second Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492301/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	7:00 PM	Mat 7, Second Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492264/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	7:00 PM	Mat 8, Second Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492260/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Thu	Mar	3/21/2019	7:00 PM	Scoreboard - Second Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492277/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	11:00 AM	Mat 1, Quarterfinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492265/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	11:00 AM	Mat 2, Quarterfinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492266/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	11:00 AM	Mat 3, Quarterfinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492273/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	11:00 AM	Mat 4, Quarterfinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492292/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	11:00 AM	Mat 5, Quarterfinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492285/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	11:00 AM	Mat 6, Quarterfinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492278/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	11:00 AM	Mat 7, Quarterfinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492312/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	11:00 AM	Mat 8, Quarterfinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492307/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	11:00 AM	Scoreboard - Quarterfinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492287/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	8:00 PM	Mat 1, Semifinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492345/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	8:00 PM	Mat 2, Semifinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492267/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	8:00 PM	Mat 3, Semifinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492350/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	8:00 PM	Mat 4, Semifinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492339/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	8:00 PM	Mat 5, Semifinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492332/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	8:00 PM	Mat 6, Semifinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492325/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Fri	Mar	3/22/2019	8:00 PM	Scoreboard - Semifinals	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492324/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Sat	Mar	3/23/2019	11:00 AM	Mat 1, Medal Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492333/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Sat	Mar	3/23/2019	11:00 AM	Mat 2, Medal Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492346/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Sat	Mar	3/23/2019	11:00 AM	Mat 3, Medal Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492352/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Sat	Mar	3/23/2019	11:00 AM	Scoreboard - Medal Round	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492347/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Sat	Mar	3/23/2019	7:00 PM	Off The Mat	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492356/ncaa-wrestling-championship
Sat	Mar	3/23/2019	10:00 PM	Trophy Ceremony	http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3492355/ncaa-wrestling-championship