March 5, 2008

Complete Rankings

Erie, Pa. -Following first-place finishes at the NCAA Division II East Region Wrestling Championships, Mercyhurst's Brian Pogel and Andy Lamancusa each remained ranked in the NCAA Division II Wrestling Rankings. The Lakers moved up two spots as a team, as well.

Lamancusa rolled to his second-straight East Region title at 157 pounds last weekend, and moved from eighth to No. 5 in the nation. He is 20-14 so far this season and will be in search of All-American honors for the second consecutive season next weekend at the national championships.

Pogel remained No. 3 in Division II after winning the 149-pound weight class in his first appearance at the East Region Championships. By winning the regional, he not only cashed his first ticket to the national championships, but he also earned his 33rd victory, which breaks J.J. Zanetta's single-season record of 32.

Pogel enters the championships having won nine-straight bouts. He is 33-7 overall but is 23-1 with 22-straight wins against Division II competition.

In the team rankings, Mercyhurst jumped from 14th to 12th after placing third at the regional behind sixth-ranked Newberry and No. 8 Pitt-Johnstown. The Lakers received 68 points in the poll and were ranked behind Ashland despite owning two dual wins over Eagles this season.

The No. 12 ranking matches the Lakers highest of the season, as they spent two weeks ranked 12th from Jan. 24-Feb. 6.

Along with Lamancusa and Pogel, senior Hudson Harrison, junior Trevor Gallo and red-shirt freshman Josh Shields qualified for the national championships.

Action from Cedar Rapids, Iowa begins Friday, March 14.