2009 NCAA II National Championships Results
HOUSTON, Texas – At the Division II Winter Championships Festival hosted by the University of Houston,
Josh Shields became Mercyhurst’s first national champion with a 5-0 decision over Nebraska-Omaha’s fifth-ranked Aaron Denson at 165 pounds.
"It’s good to finish on top. I’ve never done that in my entire career," said Shields. "In high school I lost in the state finals in my senior year, so that’s always been in the back of my head. I told myself that if I was ever in the position to win a championship again I wouldn’t let it slip by. I just got going and things started clicking."
The two wrestled a tough, scoreless first period before Shields opened the scoring with an escape point in the second. He then closed out the match in the final half-minute with three nearfall points directly in front of the official scorer’s table and added a point for riding time advantage for the final score.
“I’m really excited and proud for Josh,” said head coach Mike Wehler. “He’s a guy who has worked so hard and has paid all the prices he needed to win a title. It still hasn’t sunk in yet. This was one of his goals from the beginning and we knew that he could do this. It was good to see him reach this goal.”
The win avenges a close 4-3 loss to Denson at the NWCA/Cliff Keen Duals on Jan. 10 and improves Shields’ overall mark to 29-3 on the year, closing out the season on a 21-match winning streak.
"It definitely added a little fire to my fight since he beat me once before," said Shields. "No matter who I beat I would have been just as happy though."
The Lakers finished the 2009 NCAA II Wrestling Championships with all three qualifiers earning an All-America certificate as No. 6
Andy Lamancusa finished third at 157 and
Payne Lint finished eighth at 125. Mercyhurst has now lays claim to 19 All-Americans since the program began in 2001-02 and have had at least one All-American each year, including two in each of the last seven years.
In team scoring, the Lakers finished ninth out of 35 teams with 41 points. Nebraska-Omaha won the team title with 146.5 points, Newberry second with 80.5 points, Minn. St. Mankato third at 71.5 points, Nebraska-Kearney at fourth with 65 points and Adams State in fifth 62 points.
“These are three great kids,” said Wehler. “They all worked hard and deserved every honor they earned this year. For Lint, I’m really happy and proud for him to get it done as a senior who has been here twice before. For Andy, he was so close to being in the finals. I felt for him because he’s paid all the right prices to win a national title as well, but I was also really proud that he came back and took third.”
It was Lamancusa’s second All-America honor in his third consecutive trip to the national tournament as he defeated regional-rival Mitch Smith of West Liberty St., 8-6, after handing fourth-ranked Chase Walker of Mesa St. an 11-4 decision.
The junior fell into the consolation brackert after a double-overtime loss in the championship semifinals by eighth-ranked Travis Eggers of Upper Iowa, 10-6. Lamancusa had previously defeated Eggers in the NWCA/Cliff Keen Duals by a slim 4-3 margin.
He closes out the 2008-09 campaign as the Laker leader in single-season victories, as well as major decisions (12), and became the all-time leader in that category with 21. He is also the only Laker to earn multiple regional championships, having won the 157-pound title every year. He also broke into the top 10 in career victories, compiling an 80-35 mark in three seasons with the Lakers to rank ninth. Entering his senior season, Lamancusa is 22 matches away from owning third-place all-time and 30 wins away from the all-time mark of 109 wins set by Zack Shafer.
A senior, Lint picked up his first accolade in three visits. The 125-pounder fell 14-6 to Curtis Schurkamp of San Fran. St. in his final match as a Laker, moving his season record to 33-17, good for fourth-place on the single-season wins list. Overall, he exits Mercyhurst with the fifth-best win total as he compiled a 92-65 mark in his four years.
Guided by second-year head coach Mike Wehler, the All-American trio helped Mercyhurst to one of its best years in the record books. Besides the individual season and career records broken, the Lakers also set the single-season wins record after defeating Findlay 23-18 in the regular-season finale to improve to 16-5-1 overall and eclipse the 2005-06 squad that went 15-8. An eight-match win streak, the second-longest in Lakers history aided Mercyhurst midway through the season.
Additionally, the Lakers recorded their first dual meet shutout since 2006-07 with a 47-0 win over American International.
Championship Finals
165: No. 1
Josh Shields (MC) dec. No. 5 Aarond Denson (UNO), 5-0
Third-Place
157: No. 6 Andy Lamancusa (MC) dec. Mitch Smith (WLSU), 8-6
Seventh-Place
125: Curtis Schurkamp (SFSU) maj. dec. Payne Lint (MC), 14-6
Consolation Championships
157: No. 6 Andy Lamancusa (MC) dec. No. 4 Chase Walker (MSU), 11-4
Championship Semifinals
156: No. 8 Travis Eggers (UI) dec. No. 6 Andy Lamancusa (MC), 10-6 2OT, SV
165: No. 1 Josh Shields (MC) dec. No. 2 Corey Van Groll (UWP), 4-0
Consolation Semifinals
125: Carlton Hamilton (AC) dec. Payne Lint, 11-7
Third Round Consolations
125: Carlton Hamilton (AC) dec. Payne Lint (MC), 11-7
Quarterfinals
125: Tim Elliott (UCO) dec. Payne Lint (MC), 7-0
157: Andy Lamancusa (MC) maj. dec. John Sundgren (SCSU), 16-7
165: Josh Shields (MC) fall over Tim Matheson (MSUM), 6:54
First Round
125: Payne Lint (MC) dec. Corbin Surat (NSU), 4-1
157: No. 6 Andy Lamancusa (MC) dec. Keenan McCurdy (UNK), 9-3
165: No. 1 Josh Shields (MC) dec. Anthony Bradberry (AU), 9-2