Fratantoni starring as senior for Muhlenberg wrestling
Jimmy Fratantoni has had a solid career with the Muhlenberg wrestling team, but the senior appears ready to take the next step.
Fratantoni, an Owen J. Roberts graduate, has 14-2 overall record and is 8-0 in dual matches at 184 pounds during the first semester. He has two pins, two technical falls and six major decisions. In his career with the Mules, he’s 45-18 with seven technical falls, a school record 14 major decisions and eight falls. One of his setbacks this season came in the title match of annual Petrofes Tournament Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in Grantham when he was beaten 7-3.
“After losing the finals at the Petrofes, Jimmy’s literally trying to get better every minute,” coach Jason McLean said. “He’s really a guy that we can rally behind and count on.”
The coach feels that Fratantoni is also helping the Mules in another area.
“Jimmy has really emerged as a leader, taking a couple of struggling freshmen under his belt and showing them how upperclassmen and standout athletes should behave.”
The coach also feels that his wrestler comes from a strong pedigree.
“He’s an assassin on top and getting better every day in the other positions,” McLean said. “He’s going to be very hard to beat this year.” JORDANWOOD(BOYERTOWN) >> The junior is ranked sixth in the 285 pound class and he showed he belongs there when No. 16 Lehigh traveled to Ames, Iowa, to battle unbeaten and fourth-ranked Iowa. The Hawkeyes won 28-14 before a crowd of 7,434, but Wood gave the Mountain Hawks their final points of the match when he scored a 13-3 major decision. On the season, Wood is 6-1 overall and 3-1 in dual matches. He has a pin in 1:24 and three major decisions. His only setback, a 12-3 decision, came in a 42-0 loss to No. 1-ranked Penn State on Dec. 2 in University Park.
RACHEL SCHAAF (THE HILL SCHOOL) >> The freshman from Phoenixville is off to a solid start with the Colgate women’s indoor track team. Schaaf finished fifth in the long jump with a personal record 16 feet, 4 ½ inch effort and was 24th in the 60 meter dash in 8.77 at the Utica Pioneer Open on Dec. 8 in Utica, N.Y. Schaaf opened the season by finishing fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 37 feet, 2 ½ inches and was sixth in a long jump with a 16 foot, 10½ inch effort.
RAE RAE TAYLOR (OWEN J. ROBERTS) >> The sophomore multi-event standout kicked off her season with the Penn State Harrisburg women’s track team at the River Hawk Opener on Nov. 30 in Selinsgrove. She finished first in the long jump (17 feet, 7 ½ inches), second in the 60 meter dash (8.24), third in the triple jump (35 feet, 8 inches) and 10th in the 60 meter hurdles (10.44). Taylor finished second in the heptathlon outdoors (4348) and third in the heptathlon indoors (3015) at the ECAC Division III Championships last season as a freshman.
JAMIE LUKAS (METHACTON) >> The King’s men’s hockey team is 1-13 overall and 1-8 in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference but the Monarchs are getting a solid effort from the 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior forward. He leads the team with six goals and has scored single goals in six out of 14 games. He had the first goal in the team’s only victory, a 2-1 triumph over Neumann on Nov. 30 in Aston. The transfer from SUNY-Brockport played in all 25 games for King’s last season and had four goals and four assists for eight points. KYLE D’AMBROSIO (POPE JOHN PAUL II) >> The junior posted a pair of personal records in his first meet of the season for the Ashland men’s indoor track team. Competing at the Tiffin Alumni Open on Dec. 1 in Tiffin, OH, D’Ambrosio finished third in the triple jump with a leap of 44 feet, 6 ¼ inches and was sixth in the long jump with a 21 foot, 4 inch effort, both career bests. At the Youngstown Icebreaker on Dec. 7 in Youngstown, OH, he was fifth in the triple jump (44 feet, 1 ½ inches) and 12th in the long jump (21 feet, 1 ½ inches).
JORDAN BARTH (PERKIOMEN SCHOOL) >> The 6-foot-1 junior forward had her firstever double-double to help the Misericordia women’s basketball team defeat Mount Aloysius 92-44 on Nov. 15 in Dallas. She had a career-high 16 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Barth is the super sub on the Mighty Macs, who are 10-0 overall and 2-0 in MAC Freedom play. In 10 games off the bench, she’s averaging 5.0 points and is tied for second on the team with 6.7 rebounds a game and has 20 assists, 19 steals and seven blocked shots. MICHAEL PRIOR (POTTSGROVE) >> The sophomore moved up on the Centennial Conference performance list after a solid performance with the Ursinus men’s swim team at the Golden Ram Classic on Dec. 8 in West Chester. Prior finished third in both the 100 and the 200 backstroke, his 100 time (52.40) is fourth on the list while his 200 time (1:53.59) currently stands third. He also helped the 200 medley relay finish third in 1:35.82 and the 800 free relay finish fifth in 7:05.92. The meet was dominated by Division II West Chester.
JEFF MONTGOMERY (PERKIOMEN VALLEY) >> The junior is off and running for the Ithaca men’s indoor track team. At the annual Ithaca vs. SUNY Cortland dual meet on Dec. 7 in Ithaca, N.Y., Montgomery finished second to a teammate out of 19 runners in the mile with a personal best time of 4:28.70, the Bombers losing the meet 64-54. He opened the season by helping Ithaca’s distance medley relay finish second at the Greg Page Relays on Dec. 1, also in Ithaca, with a time of 10:39.02.
ABBY LODGE (DANIEL BOONE) >> The senior kicked off her season with the Stockton women’s indoor track team by finishing seventh in both the 60 meter dash and the 200 meter dash at the Fastrack Metro Season Opener on Dec. 1 at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y. Competing against mostly Division I and Division II athletes, Lodge posted a career best time of 8.27 in the 60 and was clocked in 26.50 in the 200.
ALEX EPPS-ORTIZ (SPRINGFORD) >> The 6-foot-3 senior forward has played in seven games with five starts for the Rosemont men’s basketball team, the Ravens 3-6 overall and 0-1 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference after a 95-54 nonleague loss to Division I Lafayette last Wednesday in Easton. Epps-Ortiz is averaging 5.3 points and 3.0 rebounds a game. He had a season high 11 points in an 85-84 loss to Cabrini on Nov. 20.