Shields and Harrison Keep Championship Hopes Alive :: Mercyhurst won four of five opening round matches

March 14, 2008

Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Mercyhurst's Hudson Harrison and Josh Shields both advanced into the championship semifinals at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships Friday, clinching All-American honors and staying alive for individual national titles.

Five Lakers qualified for nationals, and the opening round proved to be the most successful in Mercyhurst wrestling history, as the team posted a collective 4-1 record. At the end of day one, the Lakers are 11th out of 37 in the team race.

Harrison, wrestling at 165 pounds, made his fourth appearance at the championships but entering the event, was still looking for his first All-American honor. He earned it Friday by using a strong third period to win 13-6 over Aaron Denson of Nebraska-Omaha in the prelims and then he downed Wisconsin-Parkside's Kyle Becker to reach the semis.

His semifinal opponent is J.J. Davis of UNC-Pembroke, which is a rematch of the East Region semifinals that Davis won on his way to becoming the East Region champ.

Shields, a red-shirt freshman, used overtime in each of his first two bouts. In his opening match against Blake Molloy of Fort Hays State, Shields held a late 5-4 lead, but was called for an illegal move, tying the match at 5-5. After no score in the sudden victory, Shields got an escape for the 6-5 win.

The late heroics continued against Wisconsin Parkside's Corey Van Groll in the next round. Tied 2-2 in the first tiebreaker, Shields scored with two back points, giving him the win and a meeting with Ross Taplin of Nebraska-Omaha in the semis.

Also in action for the Lakers was 2007 All-American at 157 pounds, Andy Lamancusa. Lamancusa won his opening match but fell 15-1 to Travis Eggers of Upper Iowa. In the consolation bracket, Lamancusa was eliminated by Nebraska-Kearney's John Ellenberger.

Trevor Gallo, at 197, scored an 11-10 win over Upper Iowa's Matt Norton in the prelims, giving the Lakers their fourth opening round win of the day. But familiar foe, second-ranked Josh Ohl of Ashland, handed Gallo his first defeat by getting a pin at 4:34. Newberry's Kelly Anundsen endd Gallo's tournament with a 13-7 decision in the consolation round.

Mercyhurst's only opening round loss proved to be a shocker. Junior Brian Pogel entered the championships ranked third in the nation, the East Region champion and with 22-straight wins over Division II opponents. But in the opening round, freshman Josh Nolan of San Fransisco State, edged Pogel by a 10-8 score.

Pogel, however, quickly bounced back with a 5-2 win over Monterrius Adam's of Upper Iowa, but his run was cut short by Nebraska-Kearney's Ryan Etherton, 10-1.

Pogel finishes the season with a school-record 34 victories.

Harrison and Shields will open action in the championship semifinals Saturday at 10 a.m. Former Laker coach and current associate athletic director Tony Cipollone will continue his live blog from U.S. Cellular arena.