ERIE, Pa – The Mercyhurst University wrestling team is set for two more dual meets this weekend, the team will first travel to Seton Hill on Saturday to square off with the Griffins before coming back home on Sunday for a meet with East Stroudsburg that was originally scheduled for last Friday.

Last Time Out

Mercyhurst fell to Gannon in their home-opener on Wednesday, the dual went back and forth and saw the Golden Knights take the last two bouts of the evening to secure a 25-17 victory. Freshman Dillon Walker and Max Stedeford both had arguably their best wins of their young careers as Stedeford defeated No.10 Nick Young at 157 and Walker claimed victory over No.12 Joseph Petrella at 174. The pair will look to help lead the Laker matmen this weekend.

New NWCA Coaches Poll

The Lakers dropped one spot in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association that was released on Friday afternoon. The Lakers dropped to No. 19 after holding onto the No. 18 spot for the past three weeks. Three Mercyhurst grapplers found themselves ranked inside the top 12 of their respective weight divisions. Jacob Robb fell one spot to No. 4 at 285 and Luke McGonigal remained ranked at 184, he came in at No. 10 the third regular season rankings. Dillon Walker has burst onto the scene at Mercyhurst and his play has not gone unnoticed. The Freshman earned his first appearance in the national rankings coming in at the 11th spot at 174.

The Series – Seton Hill

Mercyhurst has never lost to the Griffins in the 13 contests that have been played between the two programs. The last time the two teams met was during the 2019-20 season and saw the Lakers squeak out an 18-17 victory, the closest margin of victory to date against Seton Hill.

The Series – East Stroudsburg 

Mercyhurst leads the all-time series against East Stroudsburg, 10-2. The schools split their first four meetings 2-2, before the Lakers rattled off 10 consecutive victories from 2012-2020. Most recently, Mercyhurst claimed a 36-9 win over the Warriors in February of 2020. 

Scouting Seton Hill 

Seton Hill enters Saturday's contest as the fifth ranked team in Super Region One. They have someone ranked in the region at every weight class except for 165 and 285. In dual meets this season, the Griffins have won four and lost one. Their lone win over a ranked opponent came back on Jan. 8th when they knocked off No. 24 AIC, 42-6.

Scouting East Stroudsburg 

The Warriors currently hold a 2-4 record in dual meets this season. They only have one wrestler ranked in the latest Super Region One, that being Jaccob Gonzalez at 165. East Stroudsburg two wins have come against King's College and Shippensburg.

No. 19 Mercyhurst Probables

125 – Jacob Ruggeri

133 – Eric Bartos

141 – Alexis Soriano

149 – Alex Samson

157 – Max Stedeford

165 – Mike Clark

174 – Dillon Walker

184 – Luke McGonigal

197 – Hunter Harnish

285 – Jacob Robb


Seton Hill Probables

125 - Frank Bonura 

133 - William Burgess 

141 - Joel Cawoski or Dom Williams

149 - Logan McKoy 

157 - Tyler Alberts

165 - Colby Romjue

174 - Luke Ewing 

184 - Riley O'Mara

197 - Brendan Finnerty or Logan Davidson 

285 - John Meyers