Exeter grad Kramer starring for Ursinus
Alex Kramer has competed in three tournaments for the Ursinus wrestling team thus far and he’s won two of them. And, in the one tourney that he lost, he was beaten in the finals by the No. 1 wrestler in the country in his weight class.
Kramer, an Exeter Township grad, captured the 149 pound title at the Petrofes Invitational in Grantham on Dec. 3. He defeated Kyle Ferguson of Mount Union 5-0 in the title match. Ferguson had dropped just four points in his first four matches.
On Nov. 12, he captured the title at the Ursinus Fall Brawl in Collegeville, going 5-0 and winning the title with a 3-1 victory over Jack Stanton-- Taddeo of Navy Prep School.
Kramer kicked off the season by losing the title match at the Messiah Invitational in Grantham 5-0 to Lycoming’s Seth Lansberry. In the first two rounds, he had beaten a pair of wrestlers who entered the tourney with a combined 35-1 record. He leads the Bears with a 15-2 record and is ranked 10th in Division III in the nation by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
“Alex is 15 away from one hundred career victories which is a very hard thing to do,” coach Bill Racich said. “My staff and I totally expect him to compete for a national title in March after he wins the East Region Championships.”
The coach said he could talk all day about his wrestler.
“Alex is a perfect student-athlete and one heck of a wrestler,” Racich said. “And, he’s a team captain, a three-time NCAA Scholar All-American and lead singer in the college Baritones group.”
JENNIFER ECK (EXETER)>> The 5-foot-7 sophomore guard is averaging 7.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in nine games with seven starts for the Lebanon Valley women’s basketball team which is 5-4 overall and 3-1 in MAC Commonwealth play. She also has 15 assists and a team-high 19 steals for the Dutchwomen. Eck had a careerhigh 13 points in a 74-63 victory over Misericordia on Nov. 26 and she had 12 points in a 55-49 setback to Stevenson on Dec. 7. She played in 21
games off the bench as a freshman.
TRENT GROFF (EXETER) >> The freshman helped the West Chester men’s swim team easily defeat Ursinus and Albright in the final meet before the holiday break on Dec. 10 in West Chester, the Golden Rams totaling 1,035 points.
Groff captured the 100 freestyle in 47.17 and was a member of the winning 400 free relay in 3:03.42. He also finished third in the 100 butterf ly (51.07) and fourth in the 50 freestyle (21.77). And he helped the No. 2 relay team finish second in the 200 free relay (1:26.96), the 200 medley relay (1:33.31) and the 800 free relay (7:00.31). The No. 1 relay team won all three.
KYLIE HERMAN (GOVERNOR MIFFLIN) >> The 5-foot-7 freshman guard played 10 minutes for the Widener women’s basketball team in a 93-73 loss to Rowan on Dec. 13 and had eight points, three steals, two rebounds and two assists. She was 2-for- 4 from the field and 4-for-6 from the free throw line. Herman had a college career nine points in an 81-73 victory over Bryn Athyn on Nov. 18. The Pride is 3- 4 overall and 1-3 in MAC Commonwealth play. MARQUIS MARSHALL (BERKS CATHOLIC) >> The 6-foot-5 senior from Reading tied his career high with 34 points but his Albright men’s basketball team dropped an 86-85 decision to Lycoming on Dec. 13. He hit 6-of-10 from 3-point range after going 4-for-18 in his first seven games. Marshall, who has scored in double figures in 22 of the 24 games he’s played the last two seasons, had 33 points in a 75-70 loss to Delaware Valley earlier in the season. He leads the 5-3 Lions in scoring (24.1), rebounding (8.8) and blocked shots (14).
Junior Mike Miller (Berks Catholic) and junior Reid Hoff (Governor Mifflin) are also starters on the team – Miller averaging 13.5 points with 20 assists and Hoff averaging 2.9 points and 4.8 rebounds.
GEMINI CABRERA (BERKS CATHOLIC) >> The 5-foot-7 freshman is third in scoring on the 2-7 Cedar Crest basketball team with a 10.0 average. She has started all seven games and is second in rebounding (7.1) and has 12 steals and 10 assists. Cabrera, from Reading, scored a college career high 18 points in a 79-71 loss to Wilson on Nov. 22. She had a team-high 12 points with nine rebounds in a 77- 49 setback to Valley Forge on Dec. 5. Her freshman sister Venus has played in the last four games with three starts and is averaging 3.8 points and 4.0 rebounds.
NICHOLAS VIVIAN (BOYERTOWN) >> The versatile junior captured the 200 IM (2:17.26) but his Cabrini men’s swim team dropped a 95-90 dual meet decision to Penn State-Altoona on Dec. 2. He also finished fourth in the 500 freestyle (5:37.47). Vivian finished second in the 1000 freestyle (11:53.37) and third in the 100 breaststroke (1:14.28) in a 93-89 loss to Marywood on Nov. 13. And, he swam a leg on the winning 800 free relay (7:51.42) in a 142-86 loss to Albright on Nov. 12.
JOSH GIORGIO (SCHUYLKILL VALLEY) >> The sophomore is competing in tournaments again for the Air Force wrestling team. He’s 8-8 at 141 pounds with four pins, the fastest in 1:58, two major decisions and a technical fall. As a freshman, Giorgio was 11-8 with three pins, a technical fall and a major decision as an open competitor. He finished third in the U.S. Collegiate Championships. Last summer, he earned his parachutist badge and he completed Expeditionary Survival and Escape Training.
G RYAN (KUTZTOWN) >> The junior is one of the top distance freestylers not only on the No. 4-ranked Michigan women’s swim team but in the Big Ten Conference. Ryan, who competed in three events at the U.S. Olympic Trials last year and is a five-time All-American honorable mention, set a school and Big Ten record when she captured the 500 freestyle in 4:34.28 at Georgia’s UGA Invitational on Dec. 2 in Athens, Ga. The time earned her an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
HUNTER GIMBOR (BRANDYWINE HEIGHTS)>> The freshman made his debut with the York wrestling team in the Roger Williams Invitational Nov. 12 in Bristol, R.I. and he finished third in the 165-pound class. Gimbor won his first two matches with a pin and a decision before being pinned by the top seed and eventual champion Colin Navickas of Stevens Tech in the third round. He came back to win three straight in the consolation bracket to earn a spot in the third place match where he scored a 4-3 decision over Arthur Aeberli of Coast Guard Academy.
AARON WILDONGER (TWIN VALLEY) >> The freshman has posted a 4-3 record at 125 pounds including a 0-1 record in dual meets for the Millersville wrestling team. Wildonger has won two matches by fall and one on a major decision and he kicked off his college career by finishing sixth at the Washington & Jefferson Invitational Nov. 12 in Washington. He’s one of four wrestlers competing at that weight for the Marauders.