Covenant News - Pietrzyk Takes Top Honors in State Wrestling

Covenant News

Pietrzyk Takes Top Honors in State Wrestling

WICHITA, KS (March 17, 2005) - High school senior Sean Pietrzyk of First Covenant Church in Salina, Kansas, finished first in the recent Class 5A Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHAA) wrestling tournament as a competitor in the 189-pound weight division.

Sean is the son of pastor Dan and Carie Pietrzyk, who formerly pastored the Salina church before relocating to Chicago to lead the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program for the Department of the Ordered Ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

In the finals, Pietrzyk defeated Tyler Gonzales of Tecumseh High School of Shawnee Heights by a score of 11-6 for the state title. His victory helped Salina South finish 10th in team standings and it was his second individual state championship in three years. During that time, Pietrzyk posted a 93-10 record.

Pietrzyk, who competed for Salina South High School, opened the state meet with a 16-6 decision over Keith Curtis of Gardner-Edgerton. In the quarterfinals, he pinned Joe Bach of Liberal in 2 minutes, 30 seconds. He racked up another pin in the semifinals, this time Ryan Civils of Lansing in 3:40.

After one period in the finals, Pietrzyk and Gonzales were tied 0-0 before Pietrzyk took control. He took a 6-2 advantage in the second period and dominated action in the third period.

In 2004, Pietrzyk finished third at 189 pounds in the state meet to cap a 24-7 season. He was 34-1 and took the 152-pound state title in 2003. Last fall, Pietrzyk was a standout football player as his Salina South team took the Class 5A state championship. Unfortunately, he suffered a concussion near the end of the title game and didn't remember everything about the win. In an interview with his hometown newspaper, the Salina Journal, he noted that he would definitely have Saturday's victory in his memory bank for a while.

"It's nice to be able to go through the whole tournament and remember everything, because this is something I will never forget," Pietrzyk said.

Pietrzyk isn't the only Evangelical Covenant Church athlete enjoying success this winter. Following is information gleaned from the more than 250 local Covenant church newsletters received each month by Covenant Communications. The information is grouped by conference and region.

CENTRAL

DeKalb, Illinois: Hillcrest Covenant Church's Jake Howells began the 2005 baseball season in a big way for Hillsdale College in Michigan, hitting two homers and driving in five runs as his team finished 2-2 in a tourney in St. Louis. Howells, a senior infielder, was 9 for 16 during the weekend. While Jake plays baseball during the spring, brother Joel Howells competes during the fall as a kicker for the University of Northwestern's football team.
Mt. Prospect, Illinois: Northwest Covenant Church's Craig Anderson had a strong finish to his season at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, helping his team make the conference finals. Anderson, a sophomore, scored a season-high 25 points for the Warhawks during his team's 87-79 title game loss to conference champ UW-Stevens Point on February 26. A day earlier, Anderson had scored 10 points as his team defeated UW-Platteville in the semifinals of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament. UW-Whitewater finished with a 19-9 record as Anderson averaged 7.7 points per contest. Anderson had previously played at Youngstown State University in Ohio after earning All-Area honors at Prospect High School near Chicago.
Beloit, Wisconsin: Senior Becky Nilson of Redeemer Covenant Church ended her final season at Beloit College averaging 8.9 points and five rebounds per contest.

MIDSOUTH

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Redeemer Covenant Church's John Clark is a reserve forward for Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, which earned a berth in the recent Patriot League men's basketball title game by winning twice in the conference playoffs. After winning its game in the conference playoffs last week, Clark and his team earned a berth in the NCAA tourney this weekend. They will play Kansas Friday night in Division I action. Clark, a sophomore, has had an injury-plagued season, but his team upset nationally ranked Pittsburgh in January and placed second in the regular season for the Patriot League.

NORTH PACIFIC

Seattle, Washington: Senior Shannon Seidel of First Covenant Church in Seattle won the women's pentathlon individual title at the New England indoor track and field championships on February 26, defeating competitors from 33 other schools. Seidel competes for the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, a NCAA Division II school. A week earlier, she earned Northeast-10 Conference honors for her efforts in the conference indoor track and field meet, winning the high jump while placing third in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump. Her team won the conference title with 247 points at the event in New Haven, Connecticut.

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST

Santa Barbara, California: Montecito Covenant Church's Noah Bryant is a junior track and field athlete at the University of Southern California. Last year, he earned All-America honors in the shot put by finishing 12th overall and the former California high school state champ also competes in the hammer throw and the discus throw.
San Diego, California: Jeff Ponsford of Clairemont Covenant Church is a senior outfielder for the University of Redlands baseball team, having hit .312 with 30 hits in 29 games during 2004.

To keep abreast of what Covenant youth and young adults are doing, regularly visit this Covenant online news report at www.covchurch.org. To send information for consideration in this online report, email Covenant Communications at newsdesk@covchurch.org, send information by regular mail to Covenant Communications at 5101 N. Francisco Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625, or call staff writer Stan Friedman at 773-907-3324.

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