2006 D-II Nationals

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2006 D-II Nationals

Red-shirt junior Jamie Thomas (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and senior Corey Jacoby (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic) each finished in second-place at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships to highlight four All-America finishes. As a team, the Red Raiders placed third with a total of 67.5 points.

Also , junior Mark Murphy (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) and red-shirt senior Jake Lininger (Camp Hill, Pa./Lower Dauphin) finished in third-place at 184 pounds and heavyweight, respectively.

At 197 pounds, Jacoby was looking to defend his national championship from a year ago which was the first in school history. He entered the championships having won eight-straight matches before adding three more victories to advance to the national championship match. With a record of 31-5, Jacoby faced Plamen Paskalev of Central Missouri State University who entered the match with a perfect 17-0 record.
Using a time management strategy in which he eluded Jacoby, Paskalev edged out a 5-3 decision to capture his first national championship. Originally from Bulgaria, Paskalev is a two-time Olympian who placed third at 197 pounds in last year's NCAA Division II championship.
Jacoby concludes his four-year career at Shippensburg with 116 victories, third on the school's all-time list. He was a three-time All-American, a 2005 national champion and a 2006 East Region champion.

At 125, Thomas ran his consecutive matches won streak to 18 before losing to Cody Garcia of the University of Nebraska-Omaha 5-1 in the national championship match. Thomas finished this season with a record of 29-9. Although he still has one-year of athletic eligibility remaining, Thomas, a three-time All-American, will graduate this spring.
A transfer from the University of Minnesota, Lininger finished his only season with the Red Raiders with a 34-4 record after posting a 5-1 record at the national championships. After losing to Christopher Tuchscherer of Minnesota State University-Moorhead in the quarterfinals, he won four-straight matches in the wrestle back bracket. His 34 victories this season ties him with Jacoby's total from last year which is seventh for a single-season in school history.
Lininger has the distinction of wrestling in both the NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. He transferred to Shippensburg with 67 career victories at the Division I level and with his 34 this season, concludes his collegiate career with 101.

By taking third-place, Murphy won his second-straight All-America honor, finishing the season with a 28-9 record. He won four-straight matches in the wrestle back bracket before posting a fall in 1:17 over Clinton Salisbury of the University of Findlay for third-place. Murphy was recognized for totaling the most pins in the least amount of time. He posted four pins in a total time of 8:40.

Don Tabar earned his biggest coaching honor being named National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Coach of the Year. In five seasons at Shippensburg, he has guided the program's first national champion, three regional champions, 17 NCAA Division II qualifiers and 12 All-Americans.

Season Outlook 2007-08

2007 D-II Nationals

Notes to Current Wrestlers