Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst wrestling ended up putting a bow on their regular season Friday night with the Golden Knights. Gannon came out hot and secured an early lead before going on to win the contest 33-10.

How it Happened

Gannon got off to a fast start as they were able to grab a win via a fall in their first matchup to get off to a 6-0 start. They ended up adding on at the 133 bout as they ended up with a 7-4 win via a decisions. Mercyhurst trotted out freshman Nate Knowlton in their second bout of the contest with him fighting hard against his counterpart, but ultimately fell to make it a quick 9-0 start for the Golden Knights.

Gannon was able to add on at 141 with a tech fall win before a pin at 149 made it 20-0 in favor of the Golden Knights. The 157 matchup ended up being one of the more tightly contested ones of the of the match as Max Stedeford battled Gannon's Hayden Butterfield. The two fought each other even throughout with Butterfield looking to make a move late in the third, but was unable to do so, making it back-to-back weeks in which Stedeford has seen an overtime period. The Laker did all he could to try and claim the win and get the Lakers on the abroad, but a takedown one minute into the overtime period gave Gannon the win.

Dillon Walker had a tough matchup on his hands in the form of the 11th-ranked wrestler at 165 and managed to get the first points with a reversal in the second before a takedown in the third game him a 5-2 lead. A late takedown for the Golden Knight helped him tie things up before riding time helped Gannon get the big win and make it 26-0 going into the 174 matchup. Chase Stein took the mat next and started off strong with a takedown in the first period before a Gannon escape made it 3-1 before going on to grab the Laker's first win, 26-6.

That win, however, did not lead to more success for the team as they ended up falling in the 184 matchup by a major decision before a win at 197 for Mercyhurst. Trever Begin ended up getting a takedown late in the second to help him to a 4-0 lead over his counterpart before adding on with another in the third and securing a 9-0 win and the major decision. Gannon ended up finishing up the matchup with a win in the heavyweight bout in a tough battle to end the match, 33-10.

Highlights

Trever Begin ended up grabbing another win on the season with his win at 197 in the major decision. Begin finishes out the regular season with just one loss, going 11-1 with the graduate student able to get bonus points in the majority of his matchup, garnering four major decisions, four tech falls and one fall.

Next Match

Mercyhurst takes some time off before they get back out on the mats. The Lakers open postseason play with the NCAA Atlantic Regionals on March 2nd when they go to Kutztown, Pa., vying for a spot at the national tournament.