Live Results | PSAC Championship Central
 
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Fresh off an impressive upset victory over No. 11 Seton Hill, the Kutztown University wrestling team heads to Lock Haven on Saturday, Dec. 10, for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships at Thomas Fieldhouse, looking to improve upon its seventh-place showing in 2015.
 
The PSAC Championships will begin on Saturday at 10 a.m. with first and second round action, followed by consolation matches. The Championship round, consisting of the first, third and fifth place matches, will begin at approximately 6:30 p.m.
 
Edinboro, one of four Division I teams competing on Saturday, has won the PSAC Championships in each of the last five years and 10 of the last 11. Kutztown and 10 other PSAC teams will look to dethrone the defending champions this weekend. KU placed fourth last season among Division II programs.
 
Despite KU only finishing seventh in 2015, it had three wrestlers place in the top-five in their respective weight classes. The lone returner of the three place-winners is redshirt-senior Ryan Krecker (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area (Campbell)), who won three matches and placed fifth at 165 pounds.
 
Other returning Golden Bears who competed at last year's PSAC Championships and will take the mat on Saturday are junior Austin Petril (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby (Ursinus)) and redshirt-junior Ryan Appleby (Belvidere, N.J./Belvidere). Petril won his first round match last season at 125 pounds before falling in his next two, while Appleby went 1-2 at 285. Appleby heads into the PSAC Championships as the sixth-ranked wrestler in Division II at heavyweight.
 
Petril ranked third on the team last season with 18 victories, while Appleby earned his first trip to nationals with a second-place showing at the Super Region 1 Championships. He posted 16 victories on the season.
 
Kutztown (1-1) has several grapplers off to strong starts this season. Petril has started off the season with a 4-1 mark, while Lucas Miller (Perkiomenville, Pa./Boyertown Area) (133) and Chad Haegele (Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood) (149) each have recorded three wins on the young season. Haegele recently pulled off a huge upset win over Ty Lydic of Seton Hill, the third-ranked wrestler at 149 pounds and a returning national qualifier.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Joe Balboni (Springfield, N.J./Jonathan Dayton (Old Dominion)) (174) and redshirt-junior Collin Schildt (Thurmont, Md./Catoctin) (184) are two other KU wrestlers to keep an eye on this weekend as they have both had great success at the collegiate level during their respective careers. Both wrestlers were a victory away from going to nationals last season.
 
Balboni posted a 13-8 record last season, including a fifth-place outing at the NCAA Super Region 1 Championships. He is expected to be among the contenders at 174 pounds on Saturday. Schildt posted a 14-9 record a season ago and finished fourth at Regionals at 184 pounds.
 
Kutztown Projected Lineup
 
125         Austin Petril (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby (Ursinus)) (4-1)
133         Lucas Miller (Perkiomenville, Pa./Boyertown Area) (3-3)
141         Matt Benvenuto (Stanhope, N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) (2-2)
149         Chad Haegele (Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood) (3-2)
157         James Meyer (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) (1-4)
165         Ryan Krecker (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area (Campbell)) (0-1)
174         Joe Balboni (Springfield, N.J./Jonathan Dayton (Old Dominion)) (1-1)
184         Collin Schildt (Thurmont, Md./Catoctin) (1-1)
197         Christian Jenco (Mahwah, N.J./Bergen Catholic) (0-2)
285         Ryan Appleby (Belvidere, N.J./Belvidere) (2-3)