Tomcats win 21st PAC Championship

Posted February 16, 2015Communications and Marketing Department

GREENVILLE, Pa.—For the 21st time, the Thiel Tomcats are the champions of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). Four Tomcats won individual titles Friday, leading Thiel to the team title at the 56th annual PAC Wrestling Championships, which took place at Washington & Jefferson College.

Thiel won the team championship with 106.5 points. W&J finished second with 93.5 points while Waynesburg finished third with 93 points. It was Thiel's first team title since 2012.

"It was an exciting night of wrestling," said Thiel 12th-year head coach Craig Thurber. "It was a total team effort and I'm very proud of the guys that competed, all the guys in the practice room and our coaches."

Thurber was named the PAC Coach of the Year Friday while Jordan Powell (Hadley, Pa./Commodore Perry) (174) was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Powell was one of four Tomcats to win individual titles Friday. He defeated Waynesburg's Ryan Shank 4-0 in the first round before pinning W&J's Sonnieboy Blanco in 5:51 to win his third career PAC title. A senior, Powell won conference titles in 2013 (165) and 2014 (174).

Nick Sutton (Butler, Pa./Butler) (141), Marco Crivelli (Clinton, Pa./Hopewell) (184) and Jerrold Roosa (Randolph, N.Y./Randolph Central) (197) also won individual titles for the Tomcats. Sutton earned a major decision (13-4) over Waynesburg's D.J. Grindle in the second round. He won the 141-pound title with a 10-7 decision over W&J's Dan Pommerer.

Crivelli pinned W&J's William Oberschelp (5:41) in the first round before going on to win an 8-4 decision over Waynesburg's Patrick Jennings for the individual championship. Roosa eked out a 2-0 win over Waynesburg's Genarro Bonaventura before claiming the 197-pound crown with a 6-1 decision over W&J's Zeke Stroupe.

Thiel will take part in the 2015 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championships on Sunday, March 1. The regional championships will take place at the Sollenberger Sports Center in Grantham, Pa. and will be hosted by Messiah College.


About Thiel College

Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.



Thiel College
75 College Ave
Greenville, PA 16125
1-800-248-4435