Mercyhurst Wins Third Straight PSAC Division II Dual Wrestling Championship
Erie, Pa. – The No. 5 Mercyhurst wrestling team clinched its third straight PSAC Division II Dual Meet Championship crown with a 7-0 dual record against PSAC D-II wrestling programs. The Lakers clinched the title outright with a 24-15 victory over No. 16 Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday night in Erie, Pa.
Merychurst trumped Seton Hill 31-15, East Stroudsburg 32-9, Kutztown 28-9, Shippensburg 30-12, and Gannon 23-9 earlier this season. With the win, Mercyhurst extended its winning streak to 13 matches and improved to 18-1 overall this season.
No. 4
Willie Bohince got the Lakers started with a 1-0 decision at 125 lbs, but Pitt-Johnstown’s
Corey Bush got those three points right back with a 4-2 decision over
Ryan Bohince at 133 lbs. No. 6
Sam Hannau at 141 lbs. put the Mountain Cats up 6-3 with a 7-4 decision.
The lead flipped back into the Lakers’ favor with a 15-2 major decision No. 7
Jeremy Landowski victory at the 149 lb. weight class. No. 6
Francis Mizia extended Mercyhurst’s lead to 11-6 with a 157 lb. 12-0 major decision victory.
Pitt-Johnstown’s No. 7
Tyler Reinhardt defeated No. 4
Angelo Bortozulli 6-4 to cut Mercyhurst’s lead to 11-9.
However, Mercyhurst’s No. 5
August Mizia put-up a 9-1 major decision at 174 lbs. to give the Lakers a 15-9 lead. Mercyhurst’s
Dakota DesLauriers was the lone wrestler to earn a fall in the match with a pin in 48 seconds against
Nick Penatzer.
Brian Beattie secured the win for Mercyhurst at 197lbs. with a 4-0 decision over Pitt-Johnstown’s
Forest Tuttle. The victory secured the Lakers 24 points and put the match out of Pitt-Johnstown’s reach. Mercyhurst forfeited the heavyweight bout leading to a 24-15 final score.
Last season the Lakers clinched the PSAC Division II Dual title with a 23-15 win over Pitt-Johnstown to give Mercyhurst a 7-0 record against PSAC Division II opponents. In its inaugural year, Mercyhurst took the title with a 26-9 victory over Gannon.
The PSAC also supports four NCAA Division I programs; Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, and Lock Haven. Individual champions at each weight class as well as a team champion, Edinboro, were named in early December 2014 at the PSAC Individual Championship hosted by Bloomsburg.
Read more about the PSAC Individual & Team Championship
Mercyhurst Story
No. 5 Mercyhurst 24, No. 16 Pitt-Johnstown 15
125 lbs. – No. 4 Willie Bohince (MER) dec. Evan Link (UPJ), 1-0 3-0
133 lbs. – Corey Bush (UPJ) dec. Ryan Bohnice (MER), 4-2 3-3
141 lbs. – No. 6 Sam Hannau (UPJ) dec. Kody Young (MER), 7-4 3-6
149 lbs. – No. 7 Jeremy Landowski (MER) maj. dec. Cole Landowski, 15-2 7-6
157 lbs. – No. 6 Francis Mizia (MER) maj. dec. Steve Edwards (UPJ), 12-0 11-6
165 lbs. – No. 7 Tyler Reinhart (UPJ) dec. No. 4 Angelo Bortoluzzi (MER), 6-4 11-9
174 lbs. – No. 5 August Mizia (MER) maj. dec. John Blakenship (UPJ), 9-1 15-9
184 lbs. – Dakota DesLauriers (MER) fall Nick Penatzer (UPJ), 0:48 21-9
197 lbs. – Brian Beattie (MER) dec. Forest Tuttle, 4-0 24-9
285 lbs. – D.J. Sims (UPJ) won by forfeit 24-15