Photo Gallery - Session II
Brackets
OMAHA, Neb. -- Behind two national qualifiers, Mercyhurst College sits 17th out of 39 teams after the first day of competition at the 2010 NCAA II Wrestling National Championships.
The defending 165 lb. national champion,
Josh Shields continued his dominance at the national tournament, needing just 33 seconds to pin Gavin Nelson of Augustana College. Nelson entered with a 20-2 record as a member of the No. 3 nationally-ranked Vikings squad.
The junior remains perfect against Division II opponents, improving his overall record to 36-3 on the year. He is just one win away from tying Lamancusa’s single-season victories mark while today’s quarterfinal win moved him into a tie for seventh-place with J.J. Zanetta on the Lakers all-time wins chart. Shields’ career-mark stands at 88-16.
He now moves into the semifinals in tomorrow morning’s session where he will face sophomore Victor Carazo of Grand Canyon State. Shields is guaranteed All-America status for the third time in his career.
Senior 157-pounder
Andy Lamancusa powered his way into the All-America round on Saturday with a 13-3 major decision over Sean Byrnes of Newberry. The win assures Lamancusa of his third All-America certificate and avenges a 3-2 overtime loss to Byrnes at the Super Region I Championships.
The senior left little doubt in the match against Byrnes with his aggressive, up-tempo style that saw him explode for six points in the first period, including a tough takedown as time expired, and two takedowns in the second before wrapping up the final period with a takedown.
In his first match of the consolation bracket, Lamancusa posted a 7-2 decision over Grand Canyon’s Stephen Towne. The two-time All-American opened the scoring with a takedown in the first period before Towne registered an escape to cut the lead.
Towne scored early in the second but Lamancusa added a takedown as time expired in the middle period to hold a 4-2 advantage heading into the final period. There, Lamancusa added a single and a takedown for the final score.
Fans can follow the action for free via the NCAA webcast at this
link.
Complete brackets and team scores will be posted at the conclusion of Friday's second session.