March 15, 2008
Team Standings
Final Brackets
Cedar Rapids, Iowa -
In his fourth and final trip to the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, Hudson Harrison earned the All-American honor that had previously eluded him and nearly became the first national champion in Mercyhurst history.
Harrison, wrestling at 165 pounds, reached the championship bout by pinning East Region champ J.J. Davis and then clashed with former national runner-up and two-time All-American Andy Pickar of Minnesota State Mankato with the title on the line.
The two wrestlers sized each other up early in the first period and Pickar finally broke the scoreless tie with an escape to start the second. He then scored a takedown to take a 3-0 lead. Harrison scored his first point on an escape to start the third.
Trailing 5-1 late, Harrison picked up another escape and then went on the offensive, but Pickar was able to keep him at bay at finish the match with a 8-2 lead.
Harrison is only the third Laker to reach the championship match, joining Zack Schafer (2005) and Ben McAvinew (2004). He finishes his season with 34 wins, which is the second-best single season total in school history trailing only teammate Brian Pogel. He also totaled 99 career wins, ranking him fourth all-time.
Not to be outdone was red-shirt freshman Josh Shields, who reached gained All-American honors after reaching the third-place match. He squared off against Kamarudeen Usman of Nebraska Kearney but was barely edged in a tight 3-2 decision. Shields captured fourth place in his first-ever appearance at nationals.
Shields closes his standout freshman season with a 23-10 mark.
Including Harrison and Shields, the Lakers have had an All-American in each year since the program began in 2001-02, and have had at least two in each of the last six years.
Mercyhurst finished tied with Chadron State for ninth place with 31 points. Nebraska Kearny captured the Division II national championship, edging Minnesota State Mankato 180.5 to 180.0.