BLOOMSBURG -- Going into the last weekend's Eastern Wrestling League tournament, 10 individuals were working alone for individual goals.

Sometime over the weekend, those 10 individuals formed a team.

"The (team spirit) is the best I've seen it since I've been here," 118-pound champion Jeff Prescott said. "Seeing the guys pull together like we did was fabulous."

"All 10 guys sharing a similar bond and then congratulating and supporting each other was a real nice thing," Coach Rich Lorenzo said.

As individuals, they were underdogs in the tournament. No wrestler took a No. 1 seed into the tournament. As a team, they were also underdogs. West Virginia and Bloomsburg defeated Penn State during the season and were favorites in the tournament.

As one wrestler after another overcame his odds by upsetting opponents and collecting pins and technical falls, the improbable goal of placing all 10 wrestlers and winning the tournament became a possibility. A team unity formed as the Lions strove for that goal.

The tension built as 134-pounder Chad Dubin and 150-pounder Tim Wittman each won their consolation semifinals, which guaranteed that Penn State advanced at least nine wrestlers. The only questionable left was Adam Mariano at 177, who had yet to wrestle his consolation match.

A roar went through the Penn State fans and wrestlers as Mariano rolled to a technical fall over Clarion's Rob Sintobin. For the first time in EWL history, a team would send its whole squad to the NCAA Tournament. Penn State had proven itself.

"I was ecstatic when Adam won that last match," Dubin said. "It was kind of like getting something back."

"We had something to prove," 142-pound champion Mike Bevilacqua said. "Everyone was doubting us. Even the guys that weren't starting were like, 'Let's go out and get these guys.' "

The aggressiveness of Prescott, who kicked off the tournament with a pin in 1:36, sparked what 150-pounder Wittman called a "chain reaction."

"It spread like a disease," Dubin said.

The wrestlers said they fed off each other's intensity. Every wrestler either matched or bettered his seed. John Yankanich, a sixth-seed at 158, surprised everyone with a first-place finish, the first time a sixth-seed received that honor. Dubin also vaulted from a sixth seed to claim third place.

"My teammates helped me out," Prescott said. "They know if I'm going, I'll start them out. Once I get going I'll get them going. It went right on to (Bob) Truby and to Chad (Dubin). Everybody pulled for each other."

"You got to be real pleased," Bevilacqua said. "Especially with Chad Dubin and John Yankanich, how can you not be so excited for those guys? Yank, a fifth-year senior who has done so much for this program, and Chad, who wrestled his heart out for this tournament."

Lorenzo said one thing that pulled the team together was the hours spent in the van and motel rooms.

"The hours sitting and talking to each other might've helped us build that kind of attitude," he said.