ERIE, Pa. –The Mercyhurst College wrestlers claimed seven of 10 bouts to defeat West Liberty St., 25-10, in front of 113 fans at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

Ranked 10th in the latest NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association, the Lakers jumped out to an early 9-0 lead thanks to a 6-0 decision over Nick Wykoff by 125-pounder Payne Lint and a fall by Michael Baxter at 1:23 over Dustin Daugherty in the 133-lb matchup. Baxter is ranked sixth nationally.

West Liberty St. rebounded by winning the next three bouts, with No. 5 Doug Surran posting a 15-6 major decision over Lance Pitcel at 141, No. 7 Kayne Melko recording a 2-0 decision over Lenny Calhoun at 149 and No. 6 Mitch Smith winning 5-4 over Andy Lamancusa.

However, it was all Lakers from that point on, taking the next five bouts in convincing fashion. Josh Shields posted an 11-5 victory at 165 while Kevin Hardy cruised to a 10-0 major decision and Bryan Wolff added a 4-1 victory.

Trevor Gallo added a 3-1 sudden death overtime win at 197 and heavyweight Kenny Bluska held on for a 3-2 victory.

Mercyhurst improves to 2-1 on the year while West Liberty St. falls to 0-2.

The Lakers are next in action on Saturday, December 6th when they host the 66th Annual Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships. Action begins at 9:30 a.m. with the championship finals set for 6:30 p.m.

Scoring
125: Payne Lint (MC) dec. Nick Wykoff (WL), 6-0 3-0
133: No. 6 Michael Baxter (MC) pinned Dustin Daugherty (WL), 1:23 9-0
141: No. 5 Doug Surra (WL) maj. dec. Lance Pitcel (MC), 15-6 9-4
149: No. 7 Kayne Melko (WL) dec. Lenny Calhoun (MC), 2-0 9-7
157: No. 6 Mitch Smith (WL) dec. No. 8 Andy Lamancusa (MC), 5-4 9-10
165: Josh Shields (MC) dec. Seth Phalen (WL), 11-5 12-10
174: Kevin Hardy (MC) maj. dec. Justin Goneau (WL), 10-0 16-10
184: Bryan Wolff (MC) dec. Brandon Neifeld (WL), 4-1 19-10
197: Trevor Gallo (MC) dec. (ot sudden death) Mitch Knapp (WL), 3-1 22-10
HWT: Kenny Bluska (MC) dec. Mike Carpenter (WL), 3-2 25-10