Bates Named PWL Wrestler of the Year, York Selected Coach of the Year

2010-2011 Pilgrim Wrestling League All-Star Team (PDF)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Pilgrim Wrestling League (PWL) end of season awards were announced today and Bridgewater State University senior Zachary Bates took home Wrestler of the Year honors while Head Coach Jason York was selected as the league's Coach of the Year.

Bates, who was also named a PWL First Team All-Star and Scholar-Athlete All-Star, has posted a record of 31-6 this season competing out of the 174-pound weight class.  He also has 80 takedowns, 25 escapes, ten reversals, ten near falls and seven pins.

A native of Leyden, Massachusetts, Bates placed second at the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Championships and earned a national wild card to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Classmate Ethan Raymond (Middlebury, Vt.) joins Bates on the PWL All-Star First Team.  Raymond captured the 165-pound title at the NEWA Championships and earned the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.  He is 29-8 on the season with 71 takedowns, 40 escapes, 15 near falls, 12 reversals and four pins.

Bates and Raymond will both be making their first appearance at the national championship meet which takes place on March 11th and 12th at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Now in his third season at the helm of the BSU wrestling program, Coach York directed his team to a 10-8-1 dual meet record in 2010-2011.  The Bears captured the PWL championship with a 4-0-1 league mark, sharing the title along with Johnson and Wales University.

Under his guidance, four Bridgewater wrestlers captured All-NEWA accolades with two of them (Bates and Raymond) advancing to the NCAA Tournament.   Student-athletes who finish in the top six in their weight class at the NEWA Championship earn All-New England honors.

Junior Ken Francis (New Bedford, Mass.) was the lone BSU grappler on the All-Pilgrim League Second Team.  Francis placed third at the NEWA Championships in the 125-pound weight class and finished the season with record of 29-7 to go along with 69 takedowns, 23 escapes, 21 reversals and 19 near falls.

Honorable mention honors went to Bridgewater freshman Steven McCarthy (Brockton, Mass.).  Competing at 133, McCarthy placed sixth at the NEWA Tournament and posted an overall record of 10-17 with 50 takedowns, 32 near falls and 14 escapes.