Feb. 23, 2008

By Michael Seem

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS — Senior Ben Plowman went 2-0 and earned his third consecutive conference championship as Ohio Northern finished third at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships hosted by John Carroll University in the DeCarlo Varsity Center on Saturday.

Plowman entered as the first seed at 174 pounds and left a champion. Plowman earned a 8-0 major decision over fifth seed Chris Farrington after a first round bye to earn a spot in the championship round. Plowman beat third seed Steven Bagnowski 4-2 for the championship and a perfect 8-0 record in OAC competition.

With the OAC Championship, Plowman advances to the NCAA Championships March 7-8 at Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Plowman won the 174-pound title as a junior last year and the 184-pound crown as a sophomore in 2006. Junior and No. 7-ranked David Penny finished second at 125 pounds going 2-1 on the day. Penny earned a 9-1 major decision over Mike Halko in the first round and a 6-1 decision over No. 4-seed Eliei Naoum.

Penny took on No. 2-seed Jared Hoxie of Heidelberg in the championship round but lost 7-3. Penny finishes 27-7 on the season and 6-1 in conference action.

Penny received the league's lone at-large bid to the NCAA Championships and will join Plowman for the second consecutive year.

Freshman Luke Miller also had a second-place finish going 2-1 at 157 pounds. Miller earned decisions over Robert Creatore and third seed Joe Incorvia before losing a close 3-2 decision to first seed Pat Minner in the championship. Miller earned a team leading 33 wins this season and went 5-3 in the OAC.

Sophomore Jeff Penny earned a major decision and a 2-1 record at 133 pounds to finish third. Penny started with a 12-2 major decision over Donell Nelson before losing in the semifinals to first seed Adam Pizzuro 6-2.

Penny then beat No. 3-seed Brian Bucher 10-9 to capture third place. Penny finishes the year with a 6-3 OAC record.

Freshman Jeff Sommers earned a 10-1 major decision over Mark Sedziol and a 3-0 decision over Rayshawn Eatmon to finish fourth at 149 pounds.

Ohio Northern finished third with 48.5 points. Heidelberg won with 99.5 points and John Carroll came in second with 88.5 points.

A tape delay viewing of the OAC finals can be seen Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on Sports Time Ohio.

Ohio Northern Individual Results
(# = seed in weight class)
125 - 2nd
#1 David Penny maj. dec. Mike Halko (Musk), 9-1
#1 David Penny dec. #4 Elie Naoum (JCU), 6-1
#1 David Penny lost dec. #2 Jared Hoxie (Heid), 7-3
133 - 3rd
#4 Jeff Penny maj. dec. Donell Nelson (Musk), 12-2
#4 Jeff Penny lost. dec. #1 Adam Pizzuro (JCU), 6-2
#4 Jeff Penny dec. #3 Brian Bucher (BW), 10-9
149 - 4th
#4 Jeff Sommers maj. dec. Mark Sedziol (Wilm), 10-1
Jeff Sommers lost maj. dec. #1 Dan Mizener (JCU), 11-3
Jeff Sommers lost dec. #3 Sean Dreger (MTU), 7-3
157 - 2nd
#2 Luke Miller dec. Robert Creatore (MTU), 9-2
#2 Luke Miller dec. #3 Joe Incorvaia (BW), 5-0
#2 Luke Miller lost dec. #1 Pat Minner (Musk), 3-2
165
#2 AJ Coleman dec. Adam Harris (Musk), 9-6
#2 AJ Coleman lost dec. #3 Aaron Jonhenry (Heid), 4-2
#2 AJ Coleman lost pin #4 Anthony Muscaro (Wilm), 6:17
174 - 1st
#1 Ben Plowman maj. dec. #5 Chris Farrington (Musk), 8-0
#1 Ben Plowman dec. #3 Steve Bagnowski (JCU), 4-2
184
Drew Swick lost pin #2 Nick Allerding (MTU), 5:50
Drew Swick dec. Nicholas Haddad (Musk), 12-7
Drew Swick lost maj. dec. #4 Ed Bizorik (Heid), 10-0
197
#6 Drew Michel lost dec. #3 Jon Waggy (Wilm), 12-6
#6 Drew Michel lost pin Robert Weisenberger (Musk), 4:30
285
#3 Joe Fisher maj. dec. Arion Brister (BW), 10-1
#3 Joe Fisher lost dec. #2 Ryan Bowers (Heid), 6-2
#3 Joe Fisher lost dec. #5 Paul Jefferis (Musk), 4-3