Greck’s Runner-Up Placement Highlights Marauders’ Day

Millersville, Pa. - Senior 141-pound Mike Greck (Nazareth/Nazareth) ran through the 44th ESU Open championship bracket with four decisions and captured a runner-up finish Saturday afternoon. Freshman Daniel Cox (Eagleville / Methacton) also placed for the Marauders, taking sixth at 197 pounds.

17 Marauders took to the mats in their first competition of the season. Greck, returning from last year's season-ending injury, was sharp from the opening bout. He scored an 8-1 decision against Rider's Nick Papa in the opening round and then won three more matches to reach the final. There, he squared off against Delaware Valley's Zac Andrews, who had recorded three pins in his trip to the championship round. Andrews denied Greck his first tournament title with a 16-6 major decision.

The runner-up finish was the highest place of Greck's career and his first place-winning performance since taking sixth at the PSAC Championships as a freshman.

Cox took the more unconventional route to place. He fell to Bloomsburg's Edward Lock 10-4 in the opening round, but won his next two matches by 7-0 and 6-0 decisions. He then pinned Jeff Furbish of the College of New Jersey in 1:35 before falling to eventual fourth-place finisher, Dan Seidenberg of Rutgers, 5-0. Cox was edged by Virginia Tech's Bobby LaVelle 3-2 in the fifth-place bout.

Despite not earning a place, redshirt Zach Pincus (Wellington, Fla. / Wellington) turned in a fine showing at 149 pounds. In a loaded weight class, Pincus won his first two matches by major decision before falling to Lehigh's Kyle Rosser. In the consolation bracket, Pincus won two more matches before being bounced by Maryland's Ben Dorsay--the eventual third-place winner.

2010 NCAA Championships qualifier Shane Smith (Pennsburg / Upper Perkiomen) opened his season with a 9-3 win over Colin Walsh of Gloucester County College in the first round but fell to Rutgers' Greg Zannetti in the second. He battled through the consolation bracket, though, winning three matches before falling to Army's Michael Gorman, who won finished in fourth. Smith scored one pin on the day.

Heavyweight Bradley Ladd (Dallastown/Dallastown also performed well in his Marauder debut. The junior transfer pinned Kutztown's Justin Grant at 4:10 in the first round and scored a 2-1 decision over Lock Haven's Cody Mason in round two. After falling 2-1 in a tie breaker to eventual third-place winner Zeal McGrew, Ladd scored one more pin before his day ended in the consolation bracket.

The ESU Open was Millersville's only tune-up before the PSAC Championships on Dec. 4. This year's championships are hosted by Bloomsburg University.