The Plymouth State University Wrestling team held their team banquet on Saturday March 31st in the Centre Lodge.
Many student athletes were honored for their contributions to the teams 2006-2007 season on this night after a season where the PSU men’s wrestling team finished 8-12 and finished seventh in the New England Conference Championships. Many wrestlers were rewarded for their outstanding efforts as ten awards were given during the evening, including the Captain’s Award, Most Improved, MVP, Rookie of the Year and the vaunted Panther Award, with Academic All-American Senior Matt Friend being bestowed with this honor.
The two Coach’s Awards were received by juniors Landon Nelson and Chris Greenwood for their dedication to the overall team effort. Nelson placed first in the PSU Invitational and the University of Southern Maine Tournament in his weight class and Greenwood was having his best season to date before his season was cut short due to injury. First-year Don Connolly and junior Ryan Schieding received the two Captain’s Awards for their hard work during the season.
Taking home the team’s Most Improved Award was sophomore Shawn Mosley, who recorded several key wins for the squad this season. First-year Jared Laganas was awarded the Most Pins honor and first-year Josh St. Ours took home the Most Wins Trophy. The Rookie of the Year award went to Fred Wilkinson, an All-New England selection who placed fifth in the 125lb weight class. The MVP for the night went to junior Shaun Wilbert, who placed first in the 285lb weight class and was PSU’s representative in the Division III National Championships.
Other honors for the night included a special recognition for senior Bill Wilbert, who missed the entire season to injury, but was influential in helping the development of many younger team members during the season. Friend was honored with the Panther Award, as was previously mentioned for his four-year dedication to the team and his academic excellence, as well as his accomplishments on the mat. Also, a special recognition was given to coach Jason Holder. Holder has said that he is stepping down as head coach in order to pursue other career opportunities and the team honored his four-year tenure during the festivities.
Despite the loss of Friend and Holder, the future of the PSU wrestling team is looking bright, according to the coaching staff. Eleven wrestlers will be returning along with the night’s award winners.