Feb. 26, 2008

COVERAGE
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East Region rankings

ABOUT THE EAST REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS
After finishing second at the NCAA Division II East Region Wrestling Championships each of the last two years, Mercyhurst--ranked 14th in the nation--looks to take the next step under first-year head coach Mike Wehler this weekend in Johnstown, Pa.

Action is scheduled to begin Friday, Feb. 29 at 4 p.m., in the Sports Center on the campus of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. Preliminaries, quarterfinals and the first and second consolation rounds will be held Friday. Saturday's action begins at 10 a.m. with the semifinals and consolation quarterfinals with the consolation semifinals starting around 12:30 p.m. The final session is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to the NCAA Division II Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 14-15.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children under 12-years of age. Tickets can be purchased at the door and only good for one session. All-tournament passes and complimentary tickets will not be available.

Initial brackets will be released Friday evening.

ABOUT THE LAKERS
Three Laker wrestlers captured individual titles last year and two--Payne Lint at 125 and Andy Lamancusa at 157--are back to defend their championships.

Lint enters the weekend ranked fourth in the region with a 19-16 record, including a 5-3 mark against East Region foes. Last season, he defeated Pitt-Johnstown's Derek Bosso in the semifinals and Chris Neidemeir of Belmont-Abbey in the finals to earn his first region title. Both of those opponents will be in action this weekend.

Lamancusa has worked through an up-and-down season and is 17-14, but he is ranked first in the region and fifth nationally. He is the Lakers' lone returning All-American and has posted a 7-2 record against region opponents this season.

Harrison placed third at 174 pounds in last season's regional, and is a three-time national qualifier. Wrestling at 165 this year, he has posted a 27-7 mark and is ranked first in the region and sixth in Division II. He enters the regional having won 11 of his last 12 matches.

The Laker with the most impressive season to date, however, may be 149-pound junior Brian Pogel, who is making his first appearance at the East Region Championships. He is ranked third nationally, first in the region and with 29 wins, he is just four shy of setting the Mercyhurst single-season wins mark.

Junior Trevor Gallo, wrestling at 197 pounds, will be looking to improve on his sixth-place finish from a year ago and earn his first berth to nationals. He is ranked third in the region with a 21-13 record. Also ranked regionally for the Lakers is Bryan Wolff, who is fourth at 184 pounds.

With Brian Pogel, Hudson Harrison and Lamancusa ranked in Division II, the Lakers have more nationally ranked wrestlers than any team except host Pitt-Johnstown and Newberry, which boast four and three respectively.

In addition, eight Laker wrestlers are among the top eight in the East Region.

Mercyhurst has struggled through injuries throughout the season but appears to have a fully healthy lineup for the first time since early January. Red-shirt freshman Josh Shields, ranked third in the region with an 18-7 record, missed most of January and February but notched a 5-0 decision against Pitt-Johnstown's Albert Miles in his first match back on Feb. 22. Heavyweight Nathan Sharp may also return to the lineup at the regional.

THE COMPETITION
The championships appear to be highly competitive with 15 nationally ranked wrestlers from 13 teams scheduled to be in action. The Lakers will also have to dethrone Pitt-Johnstown, which has taken five-straight team championships. The Lakers finished just 6.5 points behind UPJ a year ago.

It is Newberry, however, that enters as the top-ranked team with a No. 7 ranking in Division II. Pitt-Johnstown is ranked eighth. Also ranked in the top 20 is Gannon (12th), Limestone (19th) and Mercyhurst (14th).

The Lakers are no strangers to the competition, though, having posted a 5-3 mark in dual matches against eight regional opponents this season.

THE COACH
Mike Wehler is in his first season with the Lakers but it will be his fourth-straight season coaching at the East Region Championships, as he spent the previous three seasons at West Liberty State. While there, he helped 12 wrestlers qualify for nationals and last season, he guided Tommy Clark to an East Region championship at 174 pounds.