McDonogh Wrestling Finishes Fourth

By: Zach Seidel

Josh Fitch won, and Alex Pagnotta finished third to lead the McDonogh wrestling team to a fourth-place finish in the 120-team National Preps Tournament last weekend at Lehigh University.

Fitch, who will be attending Lehigh in the fall, edged Blair Academy’s Garrett Frey, 4-3, in their championship match. He finishes his career with a 140-25 record which included 68 pins.

In addition to Pagnotta and Fitch, the Eagles had seven other athletes who finished in the top eight of their weight classes.

Shane Milam finished fourth as did Kramer Whitelaw. Ben Levin took home fifth, while Nick Schenk, who has won at this tournament once before, earned sixth in his weight class. Curtis Holmes wrestled his way to seventh, while teammate Albert Woody finished in eighth.

The Eagles finished the season with a 17-3 record, including first place tournament finishes in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association, Independent Schools State Tournament, Mount Mat Madness Tournament, Battlefield Duals (Hayfield, Va.), McDonogh Holiday Duals, Ray Oliver Tournament, and the St. Benedict's Tournament (Newark, N.J.).

The team also took 10th in the Beast of the East Tournament at the University of Delaware. As of late January, the Eagles were ranked 13th in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News.

Feb. 26, 2008