LANCASTER, Pa. – Ursinus College wrestling freshman Collin Wickramaratna took home some major hardware on Thursday, garnering Centennial Conference rookie of the year recognition after his dominating performance at the conference tournament.
Wickramaratna is the first Ursinus grappler to collect the conference's top freshman honor since Derek Arnold in 2014. The lone rookie to win gold at the CC championship, Wickramaratna pinned Merchant Marine's Jace Garza in the semifinals before dispatching fellow first-year Akhil Vega of Stevens, 9-1, in the title bout.
At 24-5 with five pins and eight major decisions, Wickramaratna is in the midst of one of the finest freshman seasons in school history. He was won his last 12 bouts and should carry a high seed into next weekend's NCAA East Regional championship at Brockport State, where he will contend for a spot in the NCAA championships.
Wickramaratna was also named to the All-Sportsmanship Team, the only CC champion to also collect that honor.