WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - The Pennsylvania College of Technology Athletics Department has announced the return of collegiate wrestling to the campus for the 2010-2011 wrestling season. This will be the first time wrestling has been offered at Penn College; it was an offering for the Williamsport Area Community College from 1968-1983.  

For this inaugural season, the Wildcats will compete in a condensed season schedule. The team will compete under the auspices of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) and the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). Next season, the school anticipates membership in the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC), which includes the member branch campuses of Penn State University. 

Schuyler Frey has been named head coach of the program.  Frey is a 1979 graduate of Warrior Run Area High School where he placed third in the sectional tournament. Frey is well known throughout the region for his service in coaching and wrestling administration. He is the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling Area 10 Chairman, the Pennsylvania State Championship Tournament Director, former president of the Susquehanna Valley Wrestling League and has worked with former wrestler Ken Chertow. 

Frey has assembled a talented and experience staff to aid him and the program. David Livermore, first year assistant coach, graduated from Williamsport Area High School in 1979, where he wrestled. He went on to wrestle at Penn State Altoona where he wrestled for the Cougars winning a Commonwealth Campus Athletic Conference championship in 1980.  He would go on to wrestle at the University Park campus as a walk-on.

Former Williamsport Millionaire stand-out Brian Nasdeo will be working with the team as a volunteer. Brian graduated from Williamsport Area in 1994 as a four-year starter and a three time state tournament qualifier. From there, he wrestled at Drexel University in the 142 lb weight class and was named Freshman of the Year. Nasdeo has previously served as the ninth grade wrestling team coach at Williamsport Area and currently is the varsity wrestling assistant coach for the Millionaires. 

Also volunteering with the Wildcats is Colin Branton. Colin is a wrestling alumnus from Penn Argyl High School. He continued his career at Juniata College where he was a four year starter at the 125 lbs. weight class. In the past several years, Colin has been involved in coaching the South Williamsport Elementary Wrestling program and helping to coach the South Williamsport High School wrestling team. 

Steve Saratowski, the program’s strength and conditioning coach, is a 1980 graduate of Cortland State University in Cortland, New York with a degree in Physical Education. He is certified by the National Federation of Professional Trainers, the National Gym Association, and The Cooper Clinic for Fitness Research in Dallas, Texas and as a Speed and Explosives Coach by Speed to Win in Roswell, Georgia. Saratowski works locally with several football and baseball teams and has trained five state wrestling championship tournament qualifiers and a national junior wrestling champion among his numerous clients.

The Wildcats will have a solid schedule of competitions for 2010-11 that includes preliminary matches with Bucknell University (Jan. 23), Lycoming College (Jan. 27), Lock Haven University (Feb. 9) and Bloomsburg University (Feb. 18). 

The squad will also compete at the USCAA Dual and Individual Tournament on Feb. 4 and 5 at Penn State- DuBois.  Plans have also been made for entry into the NCWA Pa. State Tournament at Williamson Trade. Wrestlers who qualify there will be eligible for the NCWA Mid-East Conference Championships on Feb. 26 at Lafayette College and could continue on to the NCWA National Championships March 10-12, 2011 at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Additional competitions through attendance at various open tournaments are anticipated. 

In addition, Coach Frey has plans to promote wrestling to the community.  “We’re planning a number of events, this season, to promote the return of the program” Coach Frey stated, “Eventually we’ll be organizing a wrestling club and some tournaments to reach out into the community to promote and grow wrestling in the area. The District 4 area has a long and glowing tradition of wrestling and we hope to tap into that success for our program. As our plans are finalized, we’ll be announcing to the public our schedule of events and we hope the community as well as the student body will support our program. Our first event will be as host to the Bucknell University coaching staff who will be holding a Bison Wrestling Clinic for school-aged wrestlers on Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Bardo Gymnasium.”

Parents interested in information on the camp can click on the Clinics, Camps & Tournaments link on the Penn College Athletics site (www.pct.edu/athletics  ) or contact Tom Carr (tom.carr@bucknell.edu  ) for detailed information.  Registration the day of the clinic is also an option.

With Frey and his staff at the helm and a campus that has eagerly waited for this day, Penn College Wrestling is ready to go and sure to make a strong showing this year.  You can catch up on all the latest news and updates online at www.pct.edu/athletics  .