Waynesburg wins PAC Wrestling title 2/11/2017 7:10:23 PM Results WASHINGTON, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – After capturing individual titles in five of 10 weight classes, Waynesburg University won the 2016-2017 Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Wrestling Championship Saturday afternoon. The league championships were held at Washington & Jefferson College’s Henry Memorial Center. Waynesburg led the four-team field with 119 points. Host W&J was the runner-up with 81.5 points. Thiel College, the two-time defending PAC champions, finished third with 78.50 points. Thomas More College, in its first season sponsoring wrestling, finished fourth with 59.50 points. The league championship was Waynesburg’s fifth. With the addition of Thomas More, a PAC member since 2005, there were four teams vying for the league title since the departure of John Carroll University and Hiram College at the conclusion of the 1988-1989 season. Waynesburg sophomore heavyweight Jake Evans (Elizabeth, Pa. / Elizabeth Forward) was voted the league's Most Outstanding Wrestler, while Waynesburg ninth-year head coach Ron Headlee was voted the PAC’s Coach of the Year. The Coach of the Year award was Headlee’s fifth. Thomas More, led by first-year assistant coaches Aaron Banko and Richard Dowdley, Jr., were voted the winners of the PAC’s Team Sportsmanship Award. Evans needed just two minutes, 49 seconds to post three wins by fall and secure his second-straight conference title. The top seed at heavyweight, Evans pinned W&J senior Nick Kumburis (Cedar Grove, N.J. / Cedar Grove), the number two seed, in 1:40 in the title match. Waynesburg senior Ryan Shank (South Charleston, W.Va. / George Washington), the top seed at 184 pounds, earned a 6-3 decision over Thomas More first-year Avery Jones (Amelia, Ohio / Glen Este), the number three seed, in the title match. It was Shank’s second-straight PAC title. W&J senior Sonnieboy Blanco (Burlington, N.J. / Burlington City), the top seed at 174 pounds, finished the day 3-0 to earn his second-straight conference title. He posted a 13-5 major decision over Thomas More first-year Andrew Taylor (Cincinnati, Ohio / Elder), the number two seed, in the championship bout. Thiel senior Chris Nuss (West Homestead, Pa / Central Catholic), the top seed at 165 pounds, wrestled to his second-straight league championship after securing a 3-2 decision over Waynesburg freshman Dan Verhovsek (Johnstown, Pa. / Richland) in the title match. Thomas More first-year John Shirkey (Erlanger, Ky. / LaSalle (Ohio)), the top seed at 133 pounds, became the Saints’ first-ever PAC wrestling champion after posting a 3-0 record Saturday. He won by fall (6:08) over Thiel sophomore Justin Walter (Hermitage, Pa. / Hickory), the number two seed, in the championship bout. All four programs are scheduled to represent the PAC at this year’s NCAA Division III Regional Championships. Thomas More will participate in the Midwest Regional Championships on Friday-Saturday, 24-25 at Manchester University. Thiel, W&J and Waynesburg will compete in the Mideast Regional Championships at York College of Pennsylvania on Saturday-Sunday, February 25-26.