Six former WPIAL wrestlers, three from Franklin Regional, earn All-American honors
Six former WPIAL wrestlers earned first-team All-American honors Friday, including a trio of Franklin Regional graduates.
Iowa junior Spencer Lee, Arizona State senior Josh Shields and Iowa senior Michael Kemerer are the former FR wrestlers honored. Pitt sophomore Micky Phillippi, Ohio State senior Luke Pletcher and Penn State senior Vincenzo Joseph were also chosen.
In a normal season, All-American status is determined on the mat. The top eight finishers at the NCAA championships earn the honor. This season wasn’t normal, of course, as the tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak. Stepping into the void, the National Wrestling Coaches Association picked the teams based on “overall body of work through the conference championships.”
Lee, a two-time national champion, won the Danny Hodge Trophy as the nation’s top college wrestler, going 18-0. He was the top seed at 125 for NCAAs.
Shields (22-5), a three-time All-American, was seeded sixth at 165 for the national tournament.
Kemerer (15-1) returned after missing last season with a knee injury and earned the second seed at 174 pounds. He’s a three-time All-American.
Phillippi (25-1), a Derry grad, was seeded fourth at 133 pounds. It’s his first All-American award.
Pletcher (26-1), a Latrobe native, was the No. 1 seed at 141 pounds. He’s a three-time All-American.
Joseph, a Central Catholic product, went 15-1 at 165 pounds. He’s a two-time national champion and a four-time All-American.
A pair of South Park teammates were named second-team All-Americans. Junior Jake Wentzel went 18-7 at 165 pounds for Pitt, and junior Greg Bursak went 27-5 at 197 for Clarion.
Latrobe native Ethan Smith (19-13) was a second-team choice as a 165-pound junior at Ohio State. Bethel Park grad Nino Bonaccorsi made the second team after going 23-5 at 184 pounds as a Pitt sophomore.
Bucknell sophomore Zach Hartman, a Belle Vernon grad, made honorable mention. He went 27-8 at 165 pounds.
— Jonathan Bombulie
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.