Senior Eric Lundgren was recently named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Wrestler of the Week. Lundgren had big wins over both West Liberty and Kutztown.

“He’s wrestling great right now. We just need him to stay consistent,” said Head Coach Mike Wehler.

Lundgren credits redshirting as a time in which he learned from the sidelines and grew as a player.

“Redshirting helped me acclimate to a new level of competition,” said Lundgren. “The transition between high school and college wrestling is a huge leap. As a freshman, I don’t think that I would have had much success if coach had just thrown me into the lineup my first year.”
Eric Lundgren remains poised before begining his match against an opponent.: Brian Vail photo
Against Kutztown, Lundgren drew a tough match-up against former NCAA qualifier Giovanni Ortiz.

Lundgren trailed 1-0 after two periods before making his move. With 30 seconds left in the third round, Lundgren earned two points with a takedown and then held off Ortiz, 4-3, to win the match.

Lundgren and his fellow Lakers are on a roll on the mat this season. The Lakers have beaten three top-ten ranked opponents, leading to an overall record of 12-1 and 4-0 in the conference.

“Beating top-ten teams continues to drive us to win more matches,” said Lundgren. “We’ve been the underdog in the majority of our matches. Other than us, no one expected the team to do as well as we have.”

The Lakers compete against University of Pitt-Johnstown at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center, Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.