RUSAK CLAIMS TITLE AT WRESTLING TOURNAMENT

Old Dominion University senior Jeff Rusak of Reading, Pa., won the 174 lb. weight class in the prestigious Mat Town U.S.A. Invitational Nov. 24, pacing the Monarch wrestling team to a sixth-place finish overall.

Rusak took top honors by rolling through the 174 lb. bracket, recording pins over Pittsburgh's Matt Catulio and Ohio's Travis Smith in his first two matches. The senior then finished off the day with a dominating 23-10 victory over Ed Pawlak of Lock Haven and hard-fought 3-2 win in the championship match against Ryan Lange of Purdue.

Rusak, ranked ninth nationally, is currently 7-0 this season with five pins. His career record is currently 107-17.

Also faring well for the Monarchs were newcomers Chris Buckner of Chesapeake, and Ben Summerlin of Lynchburg. Buckner claimed fifth place at 125 with a medical forfeit win over Lock Haven's Trap McCormack, and Summerlin finished fourth at 165 when he was edged in overtime by Penn State's Doc Vecchio in the third place bout.