March 16, 2006

PITTSBURGH - Whether you are a freshman or a senior, appearing in the NCAA tournament for the first time can be overwhelmingly exciting. You would never be able to guess that this is freshman Joey Ecklof's and senior Mike Ciotti's first NCAA appearances considering their outstanding performances and competitive drive that they have shown throughout the entire 2005-06 season.

Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) has faced tough competition throughout the entire season, beginning in early season tournaments and continuing through to the EWL tournament. Ecklof finished the season with an overall winning record of 19-12 and a record of 7-5 in dual matches. He tied teammate Justin Nestor with a season-high four falls and recorded three major decisions as well. He also competed in the Cornell Body Bar where he took second place.

Ecklof's regular season competition has fully prepared him for the strong competitors he will be facing in the NCAA Championships. His record against NCAA qualifiers is 5-8 after facing top wrestlers such as Gregor Gillispie of Edinboro, David Jauregui of West Virginia, Josh Medina of Lock Haven and J Jaggers of Ohio State. Not only was Ecklof up against challenging competition, but he defeated some NCAA qualifiers as well including Ryan Hurley of Cleveland State twice, Darren McKnight of Michigan State with a fall at the 6:59 mark and Trevor Chinn of Lehigh by a 8-3 decision.

Ciotti (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) topped off his senior season by placing second at EWLs, earning his first NCAA tournament appearance as well. Ciotti began the season by competing in the Cornell Body Bar, Las Vegas Invitational and Southern Scuffle where he competed against a few NCAA qualifiers, winning one of the matches against Oregon State's Bobby Pfennings on a 2-0 decision. Not only did he defeat Pfennings at the Cornell Body Bar, but he finished in second place. Ciotti's solid season did not stop there.

He finished the regular season with a winning overall record and dual match record at 16-9 and 9-3 respectively. Ciotti also faced NCAA qualifiers in some of his dual matches including Edinboro's No. 1 Shawn Bunch and Missouri's Tyler McCormick. He was victorious against Cleveland State's David Armstrong who is a NCAA qualifier as well.

Both wrestlers have been consistent on the wrestling mat all season long. Being a senior, Ciotti could not have asked for more by receiving his first bid to the NCAA tournament, but same goes for Ecklof who can only build on the experience he will gain from competing in his first national tournament. Both wrestlers have nothing to lose going into Nationals this weekend, but will gain more then they could have imagined by competing at that level.