March 15, 2006 - Broncs Face Seeds at Nationals

March 15, 2006   
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Wrestling
Broncs Face Seeds at Nationals

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—All five Rider University wrestlers have drawn top-10 seeds in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Division I Nationals, which begins Thursday.

Sophomore Zack Cunliffe (Farmingdale/Howell), the Colonial Athletic Association champion at 133 pounds, will face the fifth seed, Christopher Fleeger of Purdue. Cunliffe brings a 24-8 record with him on his first trip to Nationals.

Sophomore Doug Umbehauer (Shamong/Lenape), a CAA runner-up, will face the second seeded 174 pound wrestler, Jake Herbert of Northwestern. Umbehauer makes his first trip to Nationals with a 20-6 record.

Senior Joe Maroney (Bensalem, PA), the CAA runner-up, will face the third seed at 184, Ben Wissel of Purdue. Maroney is 20-15 overall, 13-9 at 184 pounds, and makes is first trip to Nationals.

Sophomore TJ Morrison (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff), who won a bout at Nationals last year as a freshman, will face the seventh seed at 197, Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell.

Freshman Mike Kessler (Randallstown, Md./Owings Mills), who placed third in the CAA Championships, will face the ninth seed at 149 pounds, Tyler Turner of Wisconsin. Kessler was upset in the semi-finals at the CAAs but was selected for Nationals as an alternate.

Each weight class has from 30 to 36 wrestlers. The top eight finishers in each weight class earn All-America honors. Rider has come home from Nationals with 11 All-Americans since 1980.

-RU-