Championship Weekend - Part One

It's the first of two big winter weekends for the Centennial Conference - and isn't it fitting that we have snow in the Mid-Atlantic Region - with the swimming and wrestling championships set for Franklin & Marshall and Ursinus. We also have the basketball regular season finales that will determine the playoff brackets ... but that's for another post.

Swimming
The 16th annual championships get underway today at F&M's Kunkel Aquatic Center at 11:30 a.m. with the morning trials with the evening finals set for 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday trials begin at 10 a.m. and finals start at 6 p.m. Admission is $15 for an all-sessions pass, while individual session prices for $3 for trials and $5 for finals. Can't make the trip to Lancaster? You can watch all the action on your computer courtesy of Franklin & Marshall and B2 Networks. It is a pay-per-view broadcast with an $8 per day charge or an all-sessions pass for $19.99. Just want to check out the results? Follow along with the real-time results page.

Friday's "Who To Watch" -- Gettysburg's Keira Heath and F&M's Derek Nowak in the 500 free; Washington's Megan Morse and F&M's Matt Jaffee in the 200 IM; Gettysburg's Maggie Mulderrig could lead a 1-2-3 Bullet sweep in the 50 free, while F&M's Phil Rehders and Washington's Colin Soper will duel for the men's 50 free gold. Psyche Sheet

Wrestling
The 16th annual Centennial championship begins Saturday at 10 a.m. at Ursinus' Helfferich Hall. The five-time champion Bears will look to extend their streak but will face a strong challenge from #16 Merchant Marine and Stevens. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youth 13-18, and students with ID and youth 12 and under are admitted free. The Mariners won the dual-meet title - usually indicative of tournament success, as the CC dual champion has won every title since 2001.

"Who to Watch" -- 125-Ursinus' Steve Kingsland is 17-0; 133-Ursinus' Dan Glover (14-5), Washington and Lee's David Shubick (16-8) and USMMA's Philip Greene (14-7); 141-Muhlenberg's Billy Hall (25-4) and USMMA's James Beshada (25-10); 149-Gettysburg's Matt Shank (29-6), Muhlenberg's Rob Kein (25-5) and USMMA's Dan Twito (23-6); 157-Gettysburg's Andrew Goldstein (22-2, pictured), Stevens' Charles Favia (26-4) and USMMA's Scott Lowe (26-9); 165-USMMA's Vincent Renaut (24-3) and Gettysburg's Patrick Doherty (21-9); 174-Stevens' Brandon MacWhinnie (22-3), the 2008 Centennial Wrestler of the Year; 184-Hopkins' Eric Fishel (23-6) and Ursinus' Nate Murren (25-7); 197-USMMA's Eric Vincent (26-4) and Hopkins' Tyler Schmidt (21-3); 285-Ursinus' Matt Williams (29-8) and Muhlenberg's Joe Tartar (23-8). Individual Records