Feb. 5, 2008

Live Results
B2 Video Broadcast

Erie, Pa. - After spending the first three months of the season almost entirely on the road, the No. 12-ranked Mercyhurst wrestlers return to the Mercyhurst Athletic Center Wednesday to host No. 11 Ashland at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday's match is Mercyhurst's first home dual of the year and is one of only two all season. The Lakers and Eagles are familiar foes, having met seven times since Mercyhurst's program began in 2001-02. Ashland holds a slight 4-3 lead in the series, but Mercyhurst has won the last four meetings, including a 21-12 earlier this season.

At the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, the Lakers upset Ashland, which was ranked seventh at the time. The Lakers won seven of the 10 bouts despite wrestling without sophomore Andy Lamancusa and red-shirt freshman Josh Shields, who are ranked first and second respectively in the East Region.

In December, the Lakers won Ashland's Simonson Invitational on the strength of five first-place finishes.

Mercyhurst is 7-12 on the season but has been hampered by injuries recently and 11 of the team's 12 defeats have come against Division I opponents or Division II teams ranked no lower than 13th. Ashland is 7-7 so far this year.

Ashland's top-ranked wrestler is 197-pounder Josh Ohl, who is currently ranked third in Division II. Ohl and Mercyhurst's Trevor Gallo have met twice this season, and Ohl won both meetings by 8-3 and 6-0 decisions.

Mercyhurst's Brian Pogel is ranked No. 3 in Division II and first in the East Region at 149 pounds. He boasts an impressive 24-7 record that includes two wins over Ashland's Marcus Gordon. Pogel's 7-2 win on Dec. 1 earned him first place at the Simonson Invitational. Of Pogel's seven defeats, only one has come against a Division II opponent.

Along with Pogel, Lamancusa at 157 and Hudson Harrison at 165 also hold No. 1 rankings in the East Region. Lamancusa is 14-12, and Harrison is 23-6 with eight-straight victories.

Play-by-play action of Wednesday's contest can be followed by clicking the Live-Text Coverage link at intermatwrestle.com.