Three Presidents Ranked In Preseason By D3Wrestle.com
WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Washington & Jefferson College junior 149/157-pounder Josh Etzel (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) will enter the 2012-13 season as the highest-ranked wrestler in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference according to D3Wrestle.com’s preseason national rankings.
Etzel is the sixth-ranked wrestler at 149 pounds. Waynesburg University senior Alex Crown was the only other wrestler ranked among the national top 10 in the No. 10 spot at 133 pounds.
In addition to Etzel, senior 197-pounder Robbie Mies (Boonsboro, Md./Williamsport) and junior 165-pounder David Dibenedetto (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) were chosen as honorable-mention selections in their respective weight classes.
Last year, Etzel became the first W&J wrestler to earn an invitation to the NCAA Tournament since 2003 after winning the NCAA Midwest Regional. He also claimed a PAC title and finished the season with a 24-5 record. The 2011-12 National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Scholar All-American owns a 31-6 career record heading into his junior season.
Mies sat out last season, but returns this winter looking to become only the 11th wrestler in school history to win three PAC championships. He posted a 40-15 record with 27 falls during his first two collegiate seasons. Mies is three falls shy of moving into fifth place on the W&J career fall rankings.
Dibenedetto has compiled nearly identical records during his first two seasons, finishing 25-14 last year with nine falls after a 24-14 rookie campaign (8 falls). He earned the 165-pound title at last year’s Baldwin-Wallace John Summa Tournament.
Washington & Jefferson is coached by second-year Head Coach Tommy Prairie. The Presidents open their season Nov. 3 at the King’s Monarch Invitational.
