Mark Perry Wins Second NCAA Crown; Hudson Taylor Places Third in NCAA’s

MASON CAPTURES NATIONAL TITLE, JOE STANZIONE WINS NINE IN A ROW TO TAKE THIRD PLACE

Mark Perry joins former Blair wrestlers Steve Mocco (Iowa, Oklahoma State) and Mark Lieberman (Lehigh) as a two-time NCAA champion. Perry defeated Eric Tannenbaum of the University of Michigan 5-2 in the 165 lb. finals on March 22 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis to become Iowa’s 14th two-time NCAA champion. Hudson Taylor of Maryland had a fine tournament and defeated last year’s champion Josh Glenn of American to capture third place at 197 lbs.

Also wrestling well in St. Louis were Rollie Peterkin of Penn who lost in the All-American round at 125 lbs.; Peterkin will look to place high next year. UVA’s Ross Gitomer, also a 125 pounder, lost two close matches and is already training hard for next year’s NCAA’s.

Adam Frey of Cornell and Kellen Russell of Michigan both had fine outings at 141 lbs. and missed becoming All-Americans by a hairsbreadth. Chris Stout of American wrestled well at 157 lbs. for Coach Mark Cody, and freshman Eric Medina joined his teammate Hudson Taylor in St. Louis at 149 lbs. for the University of Maryland Terps. Maryland is improving at a good clip and should be ready for next year’s national tournament.

MASON/STANZIONE/PELTIER SHINE AT HIGH SCHOOL NATIONALS:

March 28-30,Virginia Beach Convention Center
Mario Mason defeated Vince Ramos of Illinois to win the 145 lb. title…but it was Joe Stanzione who stole the show in Virginia Beach. Stanzione gets the Iron Horse award for winning nine straight bouts to take third place at 125 lbs. Cory Peltier, who is headed to Maryland next year, nearly missed the finals but picked up a fifth place trophy at 171 lbs.

“Mario was healthy and wrestled well. He dominated his weight class and I am pleased with his and the overall performance of the Blair wrestlers. Joe Stanzione showed what he is made of as he lost a close first-round match but then rattled off nine wins in a row to capture third place. Moreover, Cory Peltier defeated several nationally ranked opponents including Cody Yohn of Colorado to earn All-American honors at 171 lbs.,” said Jeff Buxton, Blair Head Coach. “Steve Hanzlik (189 lbs.) and Kyle Hanson (HWT) had nice tournaments and gained invaluable experience. This tournament pushed Kyle to wrestle freestyle this spring and that’s a good thing.”

Also wrestling for Blair in Virginia Beach was Matt Tadich who won the 112 lb. title in the freshman division.

Adam Frey’s New Opponent:
Adam Frey, Blair class of 2005, is blogging about his bout with cancer. You can view his blog at www.adamfrey.us. The Blair family is with you Adam and we know you can beat this. Please visit Adam’s website/blog to view Adam’s inspirational articles and to post a message for Adam. Adam is an inspiration to all of us.

Please direct all questions and comments to buxtoj@blair.edu.