Penn State New Kensington junior Phillip Marra finished sixth in the 184-pound division at the NCWA national championships.
First two-time All-America wrestling selection
UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- Sophomore Phillip Marra became Penn State New Kensington’s first two-time All-America wrestler March 11 at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association national championships in Kissimmee, Florida.
Marra finished sixth in the 184-pound division. Last year, he was runner-up in the 174-pound division. The top eight of each weight class earn the national honor.
Marra suffered his first defeats of the year at the nationals. Ranked 18th going into the championships, the Lower Burrell resident worked his way through the bracket to procure All-America honors.
He ended the season with a 15-3 record. A year ago, he finished with a 26-1 record, best in the history of the campus.
A product of the storied Burrell High School wrestling program, Marra is the second New Kensington wrestler accorded All-America status. His former teammate, sophomore Dean Lusk, merited the distinction in 2014, finishing fifth at the nationals in the 285-pound class. As a freshman, Marra just missed the honor by taking ninth in the 149-pound class.
Although a national title eluded him, Marra can take solace in the two conference titles he defended during the post-season. He captured the Penn State University Athletic Conference title in February and the Mid-East Conference championship in early March. The top PSUAC finishers are invited to the mid-east regional, which is a stepping stone to the NCWA national tournament.
Head coach Francis Healy, in his second year at the helm of the campus wrestling program, continues to produce national contenders. During his inaugural season, three student-athletes qualified for the NCWA championships. Healy was named the campus' Coach of the Year in 2015.
The campus wrestling program was resuscitated in 2011 after laying dormant for 35 years. In the past five years, 11 wrestlers have qualified for the nationals. Marra’s three appearances is the campus standard.
Wrestling was a staple of the campus athletic program in the early 1970s. Bob Darby, former athletic director and coach, started the original program in 1971. It was disbanded in 1975. Jim Giunta, who wrestled at the New Kensington campus during the early days of the program, is the founder and executive director of the NCWA.
NCWA is the governing body for collegiate club wrestling teams in the United States and Canada. It is divided into seven regional conferences: Mid-East; Northeast; Mid-Atlantic; Southeast; North Central; Southwest; and West Coast. The New Kensington Lions compete in the 18-member Mid-East region that includes programs from the University of Pittsburgh, Rutgers University, University of Delaware and Lehigh University.
Penn State New Kensington
Post-Season Wrestling
(2011-present)
NCWA All-America
Year, Participant (weight class), National Ranking
2016: Phillip Marra (184), 6th
2015: Phillip Marra (174), 2nd
2014: Dean Lusk (285), 5th
NCWA National Championships Participants
Year, Participant, National Ranking (weight class), Result
2016: Phillip Marra, 18th (144), 6th
2015: Phillip Marra, 9th (174), 2nd
Dean Lusk, 5th (285), 9th; Trey Turnblacer, 54th (235), DNP
2014: Dean Lusk, 5th (285), 5th
Phillip Marra, 9th (149), 9th; Colin Austin, 21st (165), 20th
2013: John Dopplehauer, 18th (285), 24th
James Melnyk, 63rd, (149), 24th
2011- Lou Gardone (197), 4th, forfeit; Mark Irwin (149), forfeit
Conference Champions
Year, Name (weight class) Conference
2016: Phillip Marra (184), Mid-East, PSUAC
2015: Phillip Marra (174), Mid-East, PSUAC
Dean Lusk (285), PSUAC;
2014: Dean Lusk (285), Mid-East Conference
2012-Matt Kepple (184), Penn State University Athletic Conference
2011- Lou Gardone (197), Mid-East Conference
News Contact: Bill Woodard
Alumni and Public Relations
724-334-6049, uxw1@psu.edu