Van Valen Finishes 5th at ECWC Championships

George Van Valen (Ithaca) finished 5th at the 2017 Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Championships on Saturday. The Pioneers finished 7th in the team competition.

Van Valen fell in a tight 5-4 contest to Nick Greenquist in his opening match. He rebounded by pinning Alex Mongillo and defeating Bryce Reed (Oswego) 17-0. In the consolation semis, he was tripped up 6-0 by Jake Ashcraft. Van Valen claimed 5th after a medical forfeit victory over Lantze Lange (Oneonta).

The only other Pioneer to register a victory was Joshua O'Neil (Jasper Troupsburg). O'Neil was 1-2 in the 157 lb. weight class. He defeated Kyle Torre (Oswego) 11-5 in a consolation match.

The Pioneers are back in action on Monday when they host Penn College. The first match is slated to begin at 7 p.m.