Former Pitt-Johnstown national champions Lee Schickel (126 lbs.), Shad Benton (157 lbs.), and Shane Valko (133 lbs.) will be will be three of six new members to be inducted as part of the class of 2019 into the Jim Koch NCAA Division II National Wrestling Hall of Fame on
 
Five former national champions who combined for 560 career wins and a long-time coach have been selected for induction six will be enshrined at the Jim Koch Division II Hall of Fame Banquet, which on, March 7 in the West Wing of the Wolstein Center on the Cleveland State University campus on the eve of start of the 2019 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships.
 
Joining Schickel, Benton, and Valko are Antonio Guerra and Andy Uhl of the University of Findlay along with Findlay head coach Shawn Nelson.
 
The social will begin at 5:30 p.m., with the program to start at 6 p.m.  Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door (cash or check only).  Questions about tickets can be addressed to Mike Kirk at 405-615-2233 or mkirk@uco.edu.
 
            Lee Schickel, a native of Irwin, Pa. and a graduate of Penn Trafford High School, was a four-time Division II National Qualifier and a three-time All-American with first, fifth and seventh-place finishes while a member of the Pitt-Johnstown wrestling team.  He won three East Regional titles and wrapped-up his Mountain Cat career with a 108-25 record and suffered just one career dual meet loss at 126 lbs.
            On March 16, 1996, Schickel became Pitt-Johnstown's first individual National Champion since Carlton Haselrig in 1989 when he earned a 7-6 sudden death overtime decision over Adams State (CO) Michael Barreras.  Schickel's title led a group of eight Pitt-Johnstown All-Americans and helped the Mountain Cats claim the team National Championship by five points over second-place Central Oklahoma.
            Schickel joined Head Coach Pat Pecora's starting line-up as a red-shirt freshman in 1992-93.  He posted a 24-8 overall record and a perfect 16-0 dual meet mark on his way to placing second at the East Regional Tournament.  He also placed seventh-place at the National Tournament.
            The following season, Schickel compiled a 27-7 record and led the Mountain Cats with 10 falls.  He won his first East Regional title and made his second trip to the NCAA National Tournament.
            As the Mountain Cats' co-captain in 1994-95, Schickel won his second-straight regional title and finished fifth at the 1995 National tournament.  His 39 wins also broke Pitt-Johnstown's single-season record at 126 lbs.
            It all culminated as a senior in 1995-96 with his third regional championship, and individual title, and a team NCAA Division II National Championship trophy.
            He still currently ranks 16^th on Pitt-Johnstown's All-Time Win List (108) and 17^th on the All-time Winning Percentage List (.812).
 
            Freedom, Pa. native Shad Benton proved to be one of the most dominant 157-lb. wrestlers in his era.  Benton, a three-time East Region Champion, a three-time NCAA Division II All-American, and a 2002 National Champion, ended his three-year Pitt-Johnstown career with a 101-9 overall record and a 45-1 dual meet record.
            Benton, who transferred to Pitt-Johnstown from Penn State, began his Mountain Cat career in the spring of 2000 and went 19-5, including 12-1 in dual meets.  His won his first of three regional titles and placed seventh at the National Tournament.
            As a junior in 2000-01, Benton, a graduate of Central High School, was 36-2 overall and 12-0 in dual meets.  He broke Mountain Cat weight-class records for Wins in a Regular Season (29) and Wins in a Season (36), and tied the record for Falls in a Season (12) on his way to winning another East Region Championship and placing third at the National Tournament.  Benton also won his first of two consecutive Oklahoma Gold Classic Championships.
            Benton continued to dominate in his final season by going 46-2 overall and 21-0 in dual meets.  He claimed his third straight regional title and defeated North Dakota State's Paul Karlson, 6-1, in the title bout at 157 lbs. to become a 2002 Division II National Champion.  Benton broke his own single-season team records for Wins in a Regular Season (38) Wins in a Season (46), and Falls in a Season (14).  That same year, Benton also secured individual titles at the Penn State Open and the Oklahoma Gold Classic, and placed fifth at the Midlands Open.
            Benton's .918 winning percentage ranks fourth on the Pitt-Johnstown All-Time Winning Percentage List, and his 101 career victories rank 24^th on the All-Time Wins List.
 
 
            Shane Valko, a three-time All-American, closed out his Pitt-Johnstown career at the 2010 NCAA Division II National Champion at 133 lbs. and the 2009-10 National Wrestling Coaches Association National Wrestler of the Year.
            After climbing to as high a No. 2 in the country in his weight class and qualifying for the National Tournament as a red-shirt freshman in 2007, Valko earned his first of three All-America honors the following season with a fourth-place national finish.
            The Windber, Pa. native and Forest Hills High School graduate, too the next step as a junior in 2008-09.  Valko went 28-1 and broke Pitt-Johnstown's record for falls in a season at 133 lbs. with 18.  He won his first East Region Championship and was named the 2008-09 East Region Outstanding Wrestler.  He was the national runner-up and suffered his only loss in a double-overtime ride out loss in the National Championship bout.
            In his final season as a Mountain Cat, Valko, who finished his career with 48 wins by fall, reached the top of the mountain.  He duplicated his 28-1 record from the previous year, won his second straight regional title, and won a national championship with a 6-3 victory over Nebraska-Omaha's undefeated and No. 1-ranked Cody Garcia.  His efforts earned him NWCA National Wrestler of the Year honors.
            Valko's 115-30 overall record ranks him 10^th of the Pitt-Johnstown All-Time Wins List, while his 79.3% winning percentage ranks 18^th on the Mountain Cat list.

            Guerra was a four-time All-American and two-time national champion at Findlay who racked up a school-record 123 career wins.  Uhl was a four-time All-American for the Roughnecks and finished fourth on Findlay's all-time wins list with 113 career victories while also collecting 28 career falls.  Nelson is in his 22nd season as head coach at Findlay and has constantly kept the Roughnecks among the top Division II programs in the country.