Complete Standings
ERIE, Pa. – In its inaugural season as a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, Mercyhurst College has established itself as one of the league's best.
Through the completion of the fall season and the wrestling championship, the Lakers are ranked second in the 2008-09 Dixon Trophy race. The trophy is awarded annually to the most successful institution in the PSAC based on league playoffs and/or regular-season finish.
California has accumulated 90.5 through eight programs participating in the 2008 calendar year, five and a half points ahead of Mercyhurst, which has point totals in 10 sports to date. Bloomsburg University is third at 83.5 points, while Indiana (Pa.) University (79.5) and East Stroudsburg (74) round out the top five.
At the completion of the 2008-09 academic year, only an institution's best 12 finishes (six men, six women) are used in the final calculations.
The Lakers captured a conference championship in women's soccer after knocking off league powerhouse West Chester in the semifinals and defeating Western Division rival IUP in the championship game, 2-1. After winning the NCAA II Atlantic Region championship, the squad advanced to the round of eight before falling to The College of St. Rose, 3-2, to finish with a 15-4-4 overall record.
Also advancing to the PSAC playoffs, the women's volleyball team finished tied for third-place in the Western Division before losing to Lock Haven in the semifinals. The squad also faced Lock Haven in the first round of the NCAA II Atlantic Regional as the Lakers wrapped up the 2008 campaign with a 21-15 overall record.
The Lakers' football squad took home a tie for second-place in the Western Division and finished with a 7-4 overall record. Mercyhurst won five of its first seven games before upsetting top-25 ranked Edinboro on the road, 24-21, and holding NCAA II semifinalist California scoreless in the second half of a 17-6 setback.
Laker wrestling also posted a top-five finish in the league tournament, placing fifth out of a 10-team field that consisted of mostly Division I opponents.
Rounding out the scoring sports on the women's side were field hockey, cross country and golf with eight points each. On the men's side, men's soccer added 7.5 points while cross country (3) and golf (1) each contributing to the Lakers total of 85 points.
The award is named in honor of F. Eugene Dixon, Jr., former chairman of Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education's Board of Governors. Presented for the first time following the 1995-96 academic year, the trophy is now in its 14th year of existence.
Six different institutions have won the Dixon Trophy, led by Shippensburg University with five. The other schools are: Lock Haven University (3), Bloomsburg University (2), Kutztown University (1) Millersville University (1) and Slippery Rock University (1).
