Ithaca College Athletics

Wrestler of the Year: Bobby Dierna (Sr.) | SUNY Cortland | 157 LB
Freshman of the Year: Sammy Schneider (Fr.) | Ithaca | 149 LB
Coach of the Year: Don Murray | Brockport

The Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference named its 2016-17 Yearly Honors on Tuesday afternoon with the conference's head coaches and athletic communications personnel selecting the league's Wrestler of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year. Three different institutions gained representation across the three awards. Senior Bobby Dierna of SUNY Cortland captured the conference's Wrestler of the Year, while Ithaca's freshman sensation Sammy Schneider was named the conference's top rookie. On the coaching side, Brockport's head man Don Murray was tabbed the league's Coach of the Year.

Dierna convincingly earned the nod as the conference's top wrestler for the second consecutive season after capping a historic career for the Red Dragons. He became the program's first two-time National Champion after defeating second-seeded Logan Thomsen of Wartburg in an 8-7 decision at the NCAA Division III Championships hosted by Wisconsin-La Crosse. He was only the third wrestler in program history to earn All-America honors all four years of his career. Dierna finished the year with a perfect 21-0 record and a 106-9 mark for his career at SUNY Cortland.

Schneider enjoyed one of the finest rookie seasons in Ithaca Wrestling history in 2016-17. The IC freshman went 35-3 during the year, which included a fifth-place finish in the 149-pound weight-class at the NCAA Division III Championships. He won the weight-class title at the Northeast Regional, while he scored individual titles at the Ithaca Invite, Spartan Invite and the ECWC Championships during the season. He was the first Ithaca freshman to win All-America honors since two-time National Champion Seth Ecker did so with a sixth-place finish during his debut season in 2009.

Murray was tabbed the conference's top coach, another accolade on what has been a storied career as the Golden Eagles head coach. He led the team to its 47th consecutive winning season in 2017, guiding Brockport to a 6-1 dual-meet record and an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships. He helped Brockport post two NCAA All-Americans, as Jonathan Haas and Triston Engle took home place finishes at the national tournament. It is the seventh time during his tenure that he has been tabbed either ECWC or SUNYAC Coach of the Year.