March 17, 2004

NORFOLK, VA -Old Dominion University Senior Heavyweight wrestler Derrell Lorthridge (Wilmington, DE) will begin wrestling Thursday, March 18, in the NCAA Tournament, held in St. Louis, MO. Lorthridge joins 29 other qualifiers in the Tournament, by finishing 2nd in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament earlier this month. The winner of the Tournament, Payam Zarrinpour from Sacred Heart, as well as the 3rd place finisher, Rider's Carmelo Marrero, are also participating.

Lorthridge faces Ramel Meekins in the first round. The freshman from Rutgers qualified by finishing 4th in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Tournament, held on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Meekins, the 6th ranked wrestler in the EIWA, has a record of 12-8 coming into the NCAA Tournament, while Derrell Lorthridge is currently 36-9.

The winner of the first round match-up will face the winner of the Matt Feast/Jacob McGinnis match in round two. Feast, the #3 seed, is a junior from the University of Pennsylvania and the winner of the EIWA tournament. Feast comes in with a record of 29-4 overall. McGinnis is a senior from Boise State who won the Pac-10 tournament to qualify. He brings in a 20-10 record.