Beasts of the East: Cyclones Now Wrestling Champs

They’ve clawed, scratched, and fought every stretch of the way this season.

The Centenary Cyclones wrestling team kicked off the 2012-13 campaign ranked eighth in Division III, made it all the way to No. 3 by mid-season, but then dropped back to No. 6 before the East Regional Championships in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania this weekend.

But they weren’t there just to wrestle. They were there to win.

And so the nationally-ranked squad, led by two All-American grapplers, made their way through the competition, earning the title, according to the college’s athletic department.

Three third-place finishes and two first-place victories gave the squad enough points to top a 17-team field. Centenary notched 109.5 points, besting Delaware Valley and Wilkes University, with 108 and 106.5 points, respectively.

Those two All-Americans, Chris Burdge (157 lbs.) and J.D. Zitone (285 lbs.) won first place in their categories, while Zach Huxford (133 lbs.), Cory Vernon (141 lbs.), and Owen Vernon (165 lbs.) all placed third and earned spots in the Division III NCAA Championship Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 15.

The championship is the first for Centenary under the new style of regional tournaments, the college said.