LANCASTER, Pa. – The Ursinus College wrestling team was slotted second in the Centennial Conference preseason poll released Wednesday morning by the league office. The poll was conducted by the conference's eight head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own teams.
Two-time defending CC champion Stevens the maximum of seven first-place votes and collected 49 points to top the projection, with Ursinus collecting the other first-place ballot and 43 points. Merchant Marine (35) was third, followed by Gettysburg (30), McDaniel (26), Johns Hopkins (16), Washington and Lee (13), and Muhlenberg (12).
Ursinus brings back the majority of its lineup from a squad that placed third at the NCAA East Regional championship a year ago, including a pair of NCAA qualifiers in senior Derek Arnold and junior Christopher Tan. Arnold was characteristically dominant in 2015-16, going 32-1 in the 149-pound class before dropping his two matches at the national championships. Arnold, a two-time CC champion who took fourth at the NCAA championships in 2015 to earn All-American status, will move up to the 157-pound class for his senior season, which he enters with a career record of 107-12.
Tan, meanwhile, went 27-6 in a breakout sophomore campaign at 125.
Seniors Alex Kramer (157) and Corey Markovitch (174) are each coming off strong seasons and fifth-place showings in their respective brackets at the East Regional. Kramer went 29-7 a year ago, with Markovitch compiling a 17-7 mark. Sophomore Zebulin Pfeiffer was 16-15 in the 285-pound class.
Kramer, Markovitch, and Tan were also named NWCA Scholar All-Americans last season.
After leading the Bears to a 14-3 dual record in 2015-16, Ursinus head coach Bill Racich upped his career win total to 513, good for sixth in NCAA history (all divisions) and second only to Pitt-Johnstown's Pat Pecora among active coaches. Racich needs just three more wins to move into the top five in NCAA history.
The wrestling team opens the 2016-17 campaign at the Messiah Invitational on Saturday, November 5.