Crown preseason No. 1 in wrestling

Even though the first action of the 2011-12 wrestling season is still more than a month away, junior Alex Crown is already getting attention.
Crown, who finished fourth at the NCAA Division III National Championships last March, was ranked No. 1 in the country at 125 pounds by d3wrestle.com. It is believed to be the first time a Waynesburg wrestler was given the top spot by the national website.
As a sophomore last season, Crown not only won his second-straight Presidents’ Athletic Conference title, but finished in the top two at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championships for the second-straight season after winning the event for the first time.
After losing his opening match at nationals, Crown bounced back to win four-straight bouts, including a thrilling pin of Mt. Union’s Riki Reynolds, who opens the 2011-12 season ranked second in the country.
Crown has a career record of 62-17 and 26-3 in dual matches.
The Yellow Jackets, who placed 20th as a team at the national championships, will open the season Nov 5 at the Messiah Invitational.