Dec. 1, 2007

Ashland, Ohio - On the strength of five first-place winners, the 14th ranked Mercyhurst wrestlers dominated the 10th Annual Simonson Construction Services Invitational hosted by Ashland and took first place out of seven teams.

It was the Lakers' second first-place team finish this season, as they also took top honors at the National Catholic Invitational on Nov. 10.

Mercyhurst not only had five champions, two wrestlers finished runner-up and four others placed in the top six.

Junior Payne Lint grabbed first place at 125 pounds for his first tournament victory since winning the 2007 NCAA Division II East Regional.

Two Lakers competed at 149, and it was junior Brian Pogel taking first place and third-ranked Don Cummings, who had taken first at the National Catholic Invitational, finished in sixth after defaulting because of injury.

Pogel entered the match tied with Cummings and Josh Shields for the team lead with nine wins and cruised into the finals where he upset eighth-ranked Marcus Gordon of Ashland to win a tournament championship for the first time in his career.

Shields, coming off a strong fourth-place finish at the Keystone Classic and fresh off an upset of the nation's No. 2 wrestler at 174 pounds, earned his first-ever tournament championship, as well.

Senior Hudson Harrision, wrestling at 165 pounds, also took first place, giving him two first-place finishes in three tournaments this season.

At heavyweight, Kenny Bluska grabbed first place.

Junior 197-pounder Trevor Gallo took earned a runner-up finish and junior Bryan Wolff took second at 184 pounds.

Other place winners for the Lakers included 141-pound Braxdon Scaletta, who finished in third. Junior Andy Lamancusa finished fourth at 157 pounds, and freshman 133-pounder Lance Pitcel, who entered the day with just one career win to his credit, took sixth.

Junior Jeremiah Hill, in his first action of the season, recorded a sixth-place finish at 157 pounds.

The Lakers are off until the Dec. 14 showdown with Gannon in the annual War at the Shore held at the Erie Civic Center.