The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) is proud to announce the addition of men's wrestling as the newest conference sport, beginning with the 2022-23 academic year.
Current AMCC full members that sponsor wrestling include Alfred State College, Penn State Behrend, and Pitt-Bradford. Hiram College will be joining the AMCC as an affiliate member in the sport. Alfred State, Behrend, and Pitt-Bradford each competed in the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference (ECWC) during the 2021-22 academic year.
Wresling increases the AMCC's NCAA sport offerings to 17, and marks the first new sport offered by the conference since the league added women's bowling and men's volleyball in 2013-14.
The Alfred State wrestling program, led by Justin Signorelli, had a successful season in 2021-22, as for the first time in program history they had two on the podium on the final day of the NCAA Mideast Regionals. Mike Galton and Sean Peterson were the first Pioneers ever to place at regionals.
Penn State Behrend will be entering its sixth season under head coach Bobby Patnesky. The Lions had four grapplers named to the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference (ECWC) All-Academic Team for the 2021-22 season. Patnesky also serves as a member of the NCAA Div. III Wrestling Committee.
Pitt-Bradford just completed its third season of NCAA competition under the guidance of Blake Heim. Four members of the Panther wrestling program were named to the ECWC All-Academic Team, while senior Tyler Newton was named an NCAA Division III Scholar All-American.
In January 2020, Hiram re-established the men's wrestling program that competed from 1954 to 1971 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) and from 1972 to 1987 in the Presidents Athletic Conference (PAC). On November 6, 2021, the Terriers took the mats for the first time since 1987 under the leadership of Andy Vogel. Hiram also sponsors women's wrestling.
"The AMCC is always looking for ways to grow our support for student-athletes," said AMCC Commissioner Donna Ledwin. "With Hiram on board as an affiliate member, it means that many more of our student-athletes will be able to establish rivalries, earn weekly and seasonal awards recognition, and experience a conference championship. It's my hope that the addition of women's wrestling, now an NCAA emerging sport for women, will be not too far down the road."