WILKES-BARRE (PA) – Kordell Rush and Tim Ambacher captured Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) titles at 125 and 141 pounds respectively while eight other Delaware Valley University wrestlers placed in the top six as the Aggies took second in the five-team championship.
 
DelVal racked up 130 points to trail only 11^th-ranked Messiah, which won the conference crown with 152.5 points. It was the 12^th MAC runner-up finish in the storied history of the Aggie program to go along with 15 conference championships. Wilkes University (121.5 points), Lycoming College (114.5 points) and King's College (45 points) rounded out the team standings.
 
For Rush and Ambacher, who are listed in the latest d3wrestle.com rankings, it was their first MAC championships. Rush, a sophomore who is listed a contender in the rankings, was the top seed and he had a bye into the semifinals. There, he faced Sean Redington of Messiah and pinned him in 4:46 to advance to the finals. Rush then cruised to a 13-1 major decision over second-seeded Kyle Trout of Wilkes to improve to 13-7 on the season.
 
Ambacher, a returning national qualifier who is ranked 10^th nationally, was seeded second behind former national champion Matthew Grossman of Wilkes as the two were destined for another battle (they went 1-1 against each other last season). The senior had a quarterfinal bye before pinning Josiah McClarren of Lycoming and defeating Jacob Taylor of King's to reach the finals. A first-period takedown then proved to be the difference as Ambacher earned a 3-2 decision over Grossman for the MAC crown and a 15-5 record on the season.
 
DelVal had two runners-up in 133-pounder Brenden Velez and heavyweight Marc Isaac. It was the highest finish at the MACs for Velez, a two-time NCAA qualifier. The top seed reached the finals with a 17-0 technical fall over Connor Hurley of Lycoming and a 2-1 decision over Dylan O'Connor of Wilkes. Velez was then edged by Jake Dimarsico of Wilkes.
 
Isaac, an all-conference defensive lineman on the Aggies' NCAA Elite Eight team, competed at his first MAC championship and the senior reached the finals with a first-period pin over Kyle Osterhout of King's and a 4-2, overtime triumph over second-seeded Ralph Bernardo of King's. Isaac then met top-seeded and eighth-ranked Garrett Wesneski of Lycoming and dropped a 7-0 decision.
 
Anthony Snyder (157), Eliias Vega (174), Nicholas Bord (184) and Carlos Martinez (197) all took third for the Aggies while Chris Richardson (165) and Oscar Daniels (285) each took sixth.
 
Snyder reached the championship quarterfinals before falling into the consolation bracket. He then won three matches, including one by injury default in the consolation finals. Vega had to wrestle one of his teammates in the quarterfinals and pinned him before dropping into the consolation bracket. He earned another pin and then an 8-2 decision over John Ritter of Wilkes.
 
Bord and Martinez are both mid-semester transfers for DelVal. Bord, who had competed in three matches last weekend, reached the semifinals before losing to the eventual champion in his weight class. He then picked up one win by decision and then pinned Bradley Miccio of Lycoming with 57 seconds in the consolation finals. Martinez hit the mat for the first time as an Aggie and earned a pin prior to falling in the quarterfinals. He then notched four wins, two by pins, in the consolation bracket, including a 9-0 shutout of Nasser McCummings of Wilkes in the placement match.
 
Richardson and Daniels, both freshmen, placed in their first conference tournament. Richardson had a bye and then an overtime win in the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual champion. Daniels had a win before falling to Wesneski in the quarterfinals. He then picked up two wins in consolations.
 
DelVal will travel to upstate New York next weekend for a pair of dual meets. The Aggies will open with SUNY Cortland on Friday, January 26 (7 p.m.) before battling third-ranked Ithaca College the next morning at 11 a.m.