READING, Pa. – Men's wrestling is over halfway through their first season as a program since 2006. In just their first season returning to the mat the Lions were ranked #22 by Open Mat wrestling and #24 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA).
Albright improved their dual record to 12-5 this past weekend with a win over #20 York. The Lions dominated winning 34-11. It marked the second time this season Albright has beaten a ranked opponent with the first coming against #12 Arcadia.
On two separate occasions this season Albright has won four or more duals in a row currently in the middle of a four dual win streak.
At home, Albright will finish undefeated at a perfect 5-0. Scranton, Delaware Valley, Eastern, Marymount and York all left the Bollman Center defeated. Across the five home wins, Albright outscored their opponents 170-67.
"We are finishing up a solid dual meet season. We have a group of guys who buy into their job, regardless of what it may be. Whether they have wrestled every dual, one or are helping in other capacities." Said, head coach
Kerry Regner. "It's great to see our team have some many selfless guys who put forth their best effort."
In addition to the team rankings, the Lions are represented individually in the national rankings by
Trent Mahoney (157) and
Abdoul Akala (184).
Mahoney won the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championship at 157 pounds and has a 31-1 record this season with 21 falls. In the latest national rankings, Mahoney is fourth per the Open Mat rankings and fifth per the NWCA rankings.
Akala claimed the MAC title at 184 and has an overall record of 27-3 this season with 14 of his wins coming by tech fall or fall. Per NWCA, Akala is ranked #8 and is #9 per Open Mat.
Davis Keppley is the third Lion to be featured in the rankings being tabbed as the #3 wrestler in the region at 174 pounds.
Coach Regner knows there is still plenty of work to be done for the remainder of this season and beyond. ""Rankings reflect what your others think of you, but they do not mean much to me. We do not train to become ranked; our goals are still ahead of us."
Albright will travel to Alvernia on Friday, February 3 to face the Golden Wolves at 7:00 p.m. On Sunday, February 22 the Lions will head back to Alvernia to compete in their Futures Tournament.
NCAA Regionals are set to take place on February 27 and 28 on the campus of The College of New Jersey. The NCAA National Championships are set for March 13 and 14 and will be held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
