Conrad earns Academic All-MAC honors

2016 Jul 8

Juniors Nolan Barger (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield Area) and Seth Lansberry (Klingerstown, Pa./Line Mountain) and sophomore Brandon Conrad (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg Area) each found a spot on the Wrestling Academic All-Middle Atlantic Conference team, the conference office in Annville, Pa., announced on Tuesday, June 21. The Academic All-MAC teams recognize the top student-athletes in each sport, as it equally weighs academic success (with a minimum GPA of 3.2 required in the spring 2016 semester) and athletic success. The MAC sports information directors nominate and vote for the Academic All-MAC teams.

The college's Male Athlete of the Year, Barger earned NCAA All-American honors for the second straight year, placing third at 165 pounds at the NCAA Championships. He capped his junior year with a 36-2 record, which pushed his career mark to 101-22 and made him one of six wrestlers in school history to reach 100 career wins. The business marketing and finance major started the year ranked second in both the d3wrestle.com and NWCA individual rankings and never left that spot, all while rolling up 31 straight wins to start the season, the second-longest winning streak in program history. He also notched tournament championships at the Ohio Northern Invitational, the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Budd Whitehill National Duals. He finished second at the NCAA Mideast Regional to earn his second national qualifier. He was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team and was a NWCA Scholar All-American.

Lansberry, an ecology major, went 38-5 and earned his first career All-American honors by placing fourth at the NCAA Division III Championships at 149 pounds. He won the first three tournaments of his career, winning titles at Ohio Northern Invitational, Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Championships and John Summa Invitational. He entered the season ranked 10th nationally for the first time in his career after going 31-6 as a sophomore when an injury ended his season. One of six wrestlers in school history with 100 wins, Lansberry went 35-10 as a freshman, setting the Lycoming freshman record for wins, and he placed fifth at NCAA Mideast Regional and added a 31-6 mark as a sophomore. He earned the college's Sol "Woody" Wolf award as the most improved junior athlete.

Conrad, who earned Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American and First Team Academic All-District honors, enjoyed a breakthrough 36-13 season in which he finished sixth at the NCAA Mideast Regional. The 174-pounder finished second on the team with 36 wins and 10 falls while leading the squad with 18 wins by decision. A chemistry major, Conrad placed third at the ONU Invitational, second at the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Championships, fourth at the MAC Championships and fourth at the John Summa Invitational while also going undefeated at the Budd Whitehill National Duals. Conrad earned NWCA Scholar All-American honors.

Lycoming finished 13th at the NCAA Division III Championships under 23rd-year head coach Roger Crebs, the program's highest finish at the tournament since placing fifth in 2000. The team was led by Barger, who finished third at 165 pounds, and Lansberry, who finished fourth at 149 pounds to become the school's 62nd and 63rd All-Americans. The Warriors also finished 14-7 in dual meets and reached as high as 23rd in the NWCA Coaches' Poll.