PITTSBURGH -- After dominating the Eastern Wrestling League for the last 16 years, Penn State came up with the ultimate goodbye 10 days ago. In addition to winning their 11th straight title (14th overall), the Lions set a tournament scoring record with 165 points and crowned a record seven singles champions.

The meet was controlled by the men in blue and white from the start. Every Lion made it to the semifinals as nine wrestlers qualified for the NCAA tournament, which begins this Thursday.

Coach Rich Lorenzo, who stood by the bleachers during the entire tournament because of two herniated disks in his back, was impressed by his wrestlers' performances.

"It's great. Great effort tonight and the whole tournament," he said. "Best finals we've ever had. Their focus and intensity paid off. It feels good to have the guys perform like this. It's like a dream. The only down note is that Greg (Troxell) isn't going to nationals with us."

Leading the way for Penn State was 158-pounder Tim Wittman, who was voted the tournament's outstanding wrestler. The two-time All-American showed no lapses in his game after spending two weeks trying to regain his spot from redshirt freshman Josh Robbins.

After recording a fall and a decision, Wittman (16-6) faced top-seeded Scott Hovan of Pitt for the title. The senior wrestled an outstanding defensive match as he squelched numerous scoring opportunities for Hovan. By the third period, Hovan was either frustrated, tired or both. Whatever the reason, Wittman took over and after stopping a double-leg attempt, spun Hovan down at 1:26 of the overtime period to win his second EWL title.

"It feels good," he said. "This means that I'm back on track. I tell you what, I've really been working hard and it was like, 'Yes, I did it, it's paying off.' "

Defending 118-pound champion Jeff Prescott (25-1) won his third EWL title but it wasn't easy. Arch nemesis Tim Casey of Bloomsburg gave the two-time All-American fits before losing on riding time, 11-10. Prescott also needed riding time to beat Casey at Bloomsburg last month.

"I'm never soft," Prescott said. "It doesn't matter what people think. They expect you to go out and kill everyone but it's hard to do when he (Casey) doesn't wrestle."

In his first and only EWL tournament, Shawn Nelson sparkled at 126. After recording the third-fastest fall in EWL tournament history (24 seconds) over West Virginia's Steve Millward in the semifinals, Nelson (24-2-2) beat up top seed Brett Porter in the finals, 15-3.

"I thought he was outstanding the whole tournament," Lorenzo said. "He was the epitome of focus."

Senior Bob Truby (23-3-2) salvaged what some call a disappointing season by winning his second EWL crown. After methodically working his way through the draw, Truby used a cradle to pin freshman Dan Carcelli at the 4:18 mark. He feels his critics are too harsh.

"My record's not too bad," he said. "I wanted to go undefeated. I'm a little bit disappointed in some of my matches. I felt good when I went out there then I didn't feel good. If I can grasp what I did tonight. . .I felt good tonight. I was more relaxed."

At 142, the word "freshman" doesn't seem to fit next to John Hughes' name anymore. Hughes (19-7-2) performed well under pressure, upsetting sixth seed Tom Shifflet twice, including a pin with seven seconds left to finish third.

"It wasn't a lot of pressure but the thought was there," he said. "I expect more. Coaches tell me not to because I'm a freshman. I don't believe that. I feel I have a lot to offer."

Top-seeded Troy Sunderland (21-2-2) was completely out of sync against Bloomsburg's Andy Fitzpatrick in the 150-pound final. After exchanging escapes, Sunderland won his first EWL title on a takedown at 1:10 of the overtime.

"He collartied me and slowed me down a little bit," he said. "He has a good low shot. He got me out of my style. It feels good the last year we're gonna be here. I wanted to go out in style."

Third-ranked Dave Hart scared a lot of people when he was almost pinned by J.J. Stanbro in the semifinals. Hart (29-1) overextended himself and Stanbro simply flipped him on his back. He recovered to score a 12-6 decision.

The finals was even scarier as Hart simply looked off his game against Pitt's Sean Gibbs. Two stall calls, including one with two seconds left, sent the match into overtime and left Pitt fans feeling like Gibbs had been jobbed. Seven seconds into the extra period, Hart took Gibbs down for his first EWL title.

"His moves aren't quite as quick," Lorenzo said. "He's not as sharp. I think a couple days off will help him."

After an ugly semifinal match against top seed Ken Bauer, Matt White (9-8-1) showed some of his old self in placing third with a 4-0 decision over Matt Kreider. White said he's "feeling better than ever. It finally came together today."

Adam Mariano (10-1-1) returned from a three-week absence due to a separated shoulder and avenged two previous losses to top seed Dale Budd. Trailing 3-1 in the third, Mariano scored a takedown and escape in the final 1:20 to force overtime. Eight seconds into the extra stanza Mariano had his first EWL title.

The only Lion not going to nationals is Troxell. Considering that he had only been on the mat six weeks, the redshirt freshman gave solid performances against top-flight competition. Troxell (4-6) squeaked past Bellefonte's Larry Walker, 9-8 in the quarters. The problem was that No. 1 Kurt Angle awaited him in the semifinals. A substantial height and weight advantage were nullified by Angle's speed and experience. The result was a 12-5 lesson for Troxell.

He continued to slump during wrestlebacks, losing to Jeff Scherma 8-2. Despite all of this, Troxell still had a chance to make nationals with a challenge match against Walker. Experience again prevailed as Walker won 6-1 to earn his second trip to nationals while Troxell settled for fifth place.

"If he (Troxell) sticks with it he's gonna be really good," Walker said. "He could be another Angle. I'm kind of disappointed. All I know is that I'm on the plane."

Lorenzo has been associated with the EWL since its inception. Despite his unhappiness about leaving, he's not brimming with tears. Instead he's looking forward to winning the only prize that's eluded him.

"Nationals. One more big tournament," he said. "I hope we get the same kind of effort. I'm not a sentimental person. It's been great. We've given a lot and taken a lot. No one can take the memories away from us."