Nov. 28, 2007

Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst wrestling first-year head coach Mike Wehler will be in familiar surroundings when he leads the Lakers into West Liberty State Thursday evening. It is his first trip back to the school that started his head coaching career and where he spent the last three years.

And while all three of West Liberty's nationally ranked wrestlers and a majority of the roster was recruited by Wehler, his Laker team -- ranked 14th in Division II - is looking for its first dual victory of the season against the Hilltoppers.

In recent years, the two programs have proven to be among the best in Division II. Mercyhurst has finished as the East Region runner-up each of the last two years and has produced 13 All-Americans since the program's inception in 2001-02. In the same span of time, 10 West Liberty wrestlers have garnered All-America honors. Four of those All-Americans and 12 national qualifiers came under Wehler's watch.

The 2007-08 meeting features five nationally ranked wrestlers, and if history is an indicator, it should be closely contested. The Lakers hold a slim 4-2 series lead, but it was Wehler's Hilltoppers that routed Mercyhurst 25-13 in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center one year ago.

The Lakers are 0-3 so far in 2007, but all three losses came at the Fighting Scot Duals to Division I opponents. West Liberty, meanwhile, opened the season with an impressive 55-0 dual victory over W.Va. Tech. Six Hilltoppers recorded falls in the match, giving head coach Brian Davis his first career collegiate win.

Individually, Mercyhurst's 149-pound senior Don Cummings is ranked third and boasts an 8-3 record on the young season. The Lakers' lone returning All-American, Andy Lamancusa, is ranked fourth at 157 pounds.

Senior Hudson Harrison has also been impressive at 165 pounds. He's 7-3 with a first-place finish at the National Catholic Invitational and a third-place finish at the Keystone Classic.

Highlighting the West Liberty lineup is Chris Gibbs, a two-time national qualifier and the nation's No. 2-ranked wrestler. He will square off against Mercyhurst red-shirt freshman Josh Shields, who is 8-6 and is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Keystone Classic.

West Liberty's Doug Surra is ranked No. 3 in Division II and took first place Ashland's Harris Auto Center Open on Nov. 18. Last season, Surra placed fourth at the national championships. Surra's opponent at 141 pounds will be Braxdon Scaletta, who was the top finisher at the National Catholic Invitational this year.

Thursday's Probable Match-Ups
125 - Payne Lint (MC) vs. Lucas Huffman (WL)
133 - Lance Pitcel (MC) vs. #6 Matt Mosser (WL)
141 - Braxdon Scaletta (MC) vs. #3 Doug Surra (WL)
149 - #3 Don Cummings (MC) vs. Kayne Melko (WL)
157 - #4 Andy Lamancusa (MC) vs. Brian Leggett (WL)
165 - Hudson Harrison (MC) vs. Brandon Neifeld (WL)
174 - Josh Shields (MC) vs. #2 Chris Gibbs (WL)
184 - Bryan Wolff (MC) vs. J.D. Ramsey (WL)
197 - Trevor Gallo (MC) vs. Mitch Knapp (WL)
HWT - Kenny Bluska (MC) or Nathan Sharp (MC) vs. Kevin Staub (WL)