PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Fightingscot82]

Perhaps Cal State Sacramento can restart wrestling.

[iupgroundhog]

I'll put this here since all 4 D1 Wrestling programs come from the 2 triads, PennWest and Commonwealth. The MAC conference championship gives the best overall indication of where the 4 programs stand.

Lock Haven failed in its bid to win their 4th of the last 5 conference championships, getting edged out by Rider 102-100. Second place (out of 12 schools) isn't bad but is a little disappointing for LHU. They had 2 individual champions. Both came into the tournament as 2nd seeds. Their lone #1 seed unfortunately was concussed in the semifinals and had to default down to 6th place, medically forfeiting the semi and 2 consolation bouts. He was dominating at the time of the concussion. Had that not happened, LHU would have repeated as conference champs. LHU qualified 3 wrestlers for the NCAA tournament. It's possible the wrestler who got a concussion will be selected for one of the 42 at-large bids given by the NCAA for the national tournament.

Edinboro is much improved this year, coming in 4th as a team. Boro also qualified 3 wrestlers for the nationals.

Bloomsburg is also improved under their new coach. Bloom rose from the MAC cellar to place 10th overall and qualify 2 wrestlers for nationals. That is a positive showing for a program which had nowhere to go but up.

Unfortunately, Clarion took a dive this year. the Golden Eagles finished the MAC's in 12th and last place. They did not qualify any wrestlers for the NCAA tournament.

The 4 PSAC schools have a legendary combined history in the sport of college wrestling but it's a difficult task to maintain a D1 Wrestling program. Of the 4, LHU has a lot of support. It's good to see Edinboro rebound and Bloom making progress. Clarion, which seemed to be rising the last couple of years, will look to regain that momentum going into 2026-27.

Note: The MAC loses a member next year as Northern Illinois will join the PAC-12 in wrestling. NIU is also moving to the Mountain West in football.

Final MAC Tournament Standings

1 Rider 102.0 2 Lock Haven 100.0 3 SIU Edwardsville 88.0 4 Edinboro 83.0 5 Northern Illinois 75.5 6 Central Michigan 65.5 7 Ohio 64.5 8 George Mason 61.5 9 Kent St 43.0 10 Bloomsburg 39.5 11 Buffalo 24.5 12 Clarion 22.0

[Ship69]

He made the cover of SI and he was from Mansfield, PA!

Played his college ball at Maryland, where his team famously lost a 103-100 overtime game to a David Thompson-led North Carolina State team in 1974. It's considered one of the classic college games of all time. In that era, the ACC only got one bid to the NCAA tournament, so the defeat eliminated Maryland, which probably was the second-best team in the country.

[iupgroundhog]

I actually saw McMillen play in high school in a state playoff game at the Farm Show Arena in 1968. I was attending Ship at the time and went to the game with a couple of friends because we were interested in seeing McMillen. Middletown at the time was a good basketball school and played in the former Capital Area Conference where my old HS, Mechanicsburg, competed against them.

McMillen lived up to his billing; he wasn't a great leaper, but he was agile for such a tall kid and had a good shooting touch. Middletown's strategy was to sag in on McMillen and double him when they could, taking the chance that Mansfield couldn't beat them from outside. McMillen got 20 points, but he didn't get it easily, and the Middletown gamble paid off. One of Mansfield's guards (can't recall whom) was noted as a pretty effective outside shooter, but he had an off game. It should be pointed out that one of the players doubling up on McMillen was Dave Twardzik. Twardzik wasn't as publicized as McMillen at the time, but he was an outstanding player who went on to an NBA career with Portland. Middletown won the game, 65-53, and went on to win the Class B state championship that year.

He made the cover of SI and he was from Mansfield, PA!

[Ship69]

FWIW, the town of Mansfield produced former basketball star and 8 term U.S. Congressman Tom McMillen. An interesting character, at 6'11", he was the #1 high school basketball player in the country coming out of Mansfield HS. After starring at Maryland, he was the 9th overall pick in the '74 NBA draft, but opted to go to Oxford for 2 years as a Rhodes Scholar. After returning, he played 11 years in the NBA. After basketball, he served 16 years in Congress. Apparently, his name also appears in the Epstein files.

I think I first heard of Mansfield because of McMillen, even though I lived about an hour from Mansfield as a kid. There was a feature article in Sports Illustrated about him when he was still in HS. At that time, that was the pinnacle of sports notoriety.

I actually saw McMillen play in high school in a state playoff game at the Farm Show Arena in 1968. I was attending Ship at the time and went to the game with a couple of friends because we were interested in seeing McMillen. Middletown at the time was a good basketball school and played in the former Capital Area Conference where my old HS, Mechanicsburg, competed against them.

McMillen lived up to his billing; he wasn't a great leaper, but he was agile for such a tall kid and had a good shooting touch. Middletown's strategy was to sag in on McMillen and double him when they could, taking the chance that Mansfield couldn't beat them from outside. McMillen got 20 points, but he didn't get it easily, and the Middletown gamble paid off. One of Mansfield's guards (can't recall whom) was noted as a pretty effective outside shooter, but he had an off game. It should be pointed out that one of the players doubling up on McMillen was Dave Twardzik. Twardzik wasn't as publicized as McMillen at the time, but he was an outstanding player who went on to an NBA career with Portland. Middletown won the game, 65-53, and went on to win the Class B state championship that year.

[Fightingscot82]

I don't think Cheyney actually competes in the PSAC any more. Ship played them this year, and it's basically like playing an OOC D3 school.

Correct. Included them for historical sense since he'd have no idea what PASSHE was. They're below D3. They play the community college circuit.

[EastStroud13]

I don't think Cheyney actually competes in the PSAC any more. Ship played them this year, and it's basically like playing an OOC D3 school.

Correct, Cheyney currently operates independent of the NCAA. They are approximately the level of a below-average D3 program. This year they managed to have their best season since withdrawing from the PSAC, hopefully they can keep building on that.

[iupgroundhog]

If you ever get to Mansfield, you'll see why you never heard of it.

FWIW, the town of Mansfield produced former basketball star and 8 term U.S. Congressman Tom McMillen. An interesting character, at 6'11", he was the #1 high school basketball player in the country coming out of Mansfield HS. After starring at Maryland, he was the 9th overall pick in the '74 NBA draft, but opted to go to Oxford for 2 years as a Rhodes Scholar. After returning, he played 11 years in the NBA. After basketball, he served 16 years in Congress. Apparently, his name also appears in the Epstein files.

I think I first heard of Mansfield because of McMillen, even though I lived about an hour from Mansfield as a kid. There was a feature article in Sports Illustrated about him when he was still in HS. At that time, that was the pinnacle of sports notoriety.

[Ship69]

Mansfield is one of the two state system universities in the PSAC without football (the other is Cheyney). They cut football back in 2006 after many years of futility and figured they'd rather lose 100 students and their tuition than have a football team. Tiny school just over the border from Elmira, NY. The only notoriety Mansfield football has is playing in the first recorded night football game.

I don't think Cheyney actually competes in the PSAC any more. Ship played them this year, and it's basically like playing an OOC D3 school.

[Ship69]

Weird. I’m 75 and have been following small college football since I played in the late 1960s - early 1970s. I’ve never heard of Mansfield or sprint football. Of course, growing up in the South probably has a lot to do with that.

If you ever get to Mansfield, you'll see why you never heard of it.

[Fightingscot82]

Weird. I’m 75 and have been following small college football since I played in the late 1960s - early 1970s. I’ve never heard of Mansfield or sprint football. Of course, growing up in the South probably has a lot to do with that.

Mansfield is one of the two state system universities in the PSAC without football (the other is Cheyney). They cut football back in 2006 after many years of futility and figured they'd rather lose 100 students and their tuition than have a football team. Tiny school just over the border from Elmira, NY. The only notoriety Mansfield football has is playing in the first recorded night football game.

[IUPNation]

Weird. I’m 75 and have been following small college football since I played in the late 1960s - early 1970s. I’ve never heard of Mansfield or sprint football. Of course, growing up in the South probably has a lot to do with that.

None of us ever heard of Harding either.

[OldBison]

Weird. I’m 75 and have been following small college football since I played in the late 1960s - early 1970s. I’ve never heard of Mansfield or sprint football. Of course, growing up in the South probably has a lot to do with that.

[Matt Burglund]

I asked AI and it said over 2,500 games, including men's and women's games. It might be right this time.

I don't think he has an exact number. He usually misses a couple men's games every year when football and basketball overlap, or a few women's games when they play at different sites than the men on the same day. But it's in that range.

Throw in that he called high school football and basketball games for about 50 years and your head starts to spin.

[iupgroundhog]

How many basketball games has he called at IUP?

I asked AI and it said over 2,500 games, including men's and women's games. It might be right this time.