North East, Pa. – The No. 10 Mercyhurst wrestling team posted two wins in dual competition Thursday at Mercyhurst North East, defeating Seton Hill University 34-3 before beating the host Saints 37-10. Seton Hill defeated Mercyhurst North East 43-4.
Mercyhurst is now 5-1 on the season, while Seton Hill currently stands at 4-5. Mercyhurst North East is 2-5.
The Lakers started out quickly against Seton hill. In the 125-pound bout, Payne Lint won an 8-3 decision over Seton Hill’s Josh Testa. Michael Baxter, the No. 6-rated 133-pound wrestler in NCAA division II, won over Nick Nichols with a fall at 3:46, and the Lakers took a 9-0 lead. After the Griffins’ Dallas Evans won a major decision over James Henderson to cut the margin to 9-4, Mercyhurst won every bout after that. Lance Pitcel and Jeremiah Hill claimed decisions in their respective weight classes, while No. 2 Josh Shields won in a tech fall at 165 pounds. Pat Leahy and Bryan Wolff then each bested their opponent by decision, before Trevor Gallo and Jeff Pollard triumphed in major decisions, giving the Lakers a 34-3 victory.
Against Mercyhurst North East, the Lakers stormed out to a 14-0 lead as Lint was victorious in a tech fall over Derek Sorenson and then Baxter executed a fall over Mike Capoboanco in 4:01. Pitcel won a 12-8 decision at 141 pounds, and no 149-pound bout was contested. The Saints scored the next ten points in the meet, as Justin Ferguson won 11-3 over Hill, a major decision, and Tony Mack won by fall over Shields at 3:37. Mercyhurst then scored the remaining 23 points of the meet, as Leahy won by forfeit at 174, followed by a Wolff fall over Mike Powell and a forfeit win for Gallo. Nathan Sharp won by tech fall, 18-4, in the heavyweight bout, and the Lakers defeated the Saints 37-10 to go 2-0 on the day.
The Lakers return to action Jan. 10 and 11 at the NWCA National Duals, hosted by the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
No. 10 Mercyhurst def. Seton Hill, 34-3
125 Payne Lint (MC) dec. Josh Testa (Seton Hill), 8-3 3-0
133 No. 6 Michael Baxter (MC) fall over Nick Nichols (Seton Hill), 3:46 9-0
141 Dallas Evans (Seton Hill) maj. dec. James Henderson (MC), 16-8 9-4*
149 Lance Pitcel (MC) dec. Kurt McCamley (Seton Hill), 11-8 12-4
157 Jeremiah Hill (MC) dec. Josh Voelker (Seton Hill), 15-4
165 No. 2 Josh Shields (MC) TF Lewis Spadaro (Seton Hill), 20-5 20-4
174 Pat Leahy (MC) dec. Quade Miller (Seton Hill), 8-3 (OT), 23-4
184 Bryan Wolff (MC) dec. Dan Matthews (Seton Hill), 12-6, 26-4
197 Trevor Gallo (MC) maj. dec. Ron Oswald (Seton Hill), 13-2 30-4
HWT Jeff Pollard (MC) maj. dec. Stephen Zubach (Seton Hill), 9-1 34-3*
*Seton Hill had one team point deducted for unsportsmanlike conduct
No. 1 Mercyhurst def Mercyhurst Northeast 37-10
125 Payne Lint (MC) TF Derek Sorenson (MC NE), 16-0 5-0
133 No. 6 Michael Baxter (MC) fall over Mike Capoboanco (MC NE),4:01 11-0
141 Lance Pitcel (MC) dec. Brian Gaines (MC NE), 12-8 14-0
149 No contest
157 Justin Ferguson (MC NE) maj. dec. Jeremiah Hill (MC), 11-3 14-4
165 Tony Mack (MC NE) fall over No. 2 Josh Shields (MC), 3:37 14-10
174 Pat Leahy (MC) win by forfeit 8-3 20-10
184 Bryan Wolff (MC) fall over Mike Powell (MC NE), 0:32 26-10
197 Trevor Gallo (MC)win by forfeit 32-10
HWT Nathan Sharp (MC) TF Ross Hayden (MC NE), 18-4 37-10