WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Call it Mission Accomplished!
    Coach Danny Irwin's No. 6-ranked West Liberty University wrestling team looked like a team on a mission on Saturday as the Hilltoppers dominated the second annual Mountain East Conference Championships from start to finish.
    Six West Liberty wrestlers won individual championships and nine of the 10 WLU starters earned All-Conference recognition as the Hilltoppers ran away to a convincing victory inside the ASRC.
    The Black and Gold racked up 152 team points to easily outdistance defending MEC champion UNC Pembroke (119.5) for the championship hardware. Notre Dame (Ohio) was third at 99.5 with Davis & Elkins (86) and Alderson Broaddus (82.5) rounding out the top five in the eight-team field.
    "I'm very proud of my guys," Irwin said. "I thought we were really aggressive today bordering on being violent but staying within the rules. That's what it takes to be successful when you're up against quality competition like we were today and I thought we rose to the challenge."
    With eight wrestlers fighting their way into the championship finals, the Hilltoppers had already opened up a sizable lead heading into the championship finals session but it quickly became apparent that these West Liberty wrestlers had no intention of taking their foot off the gas.
    Junior All-American Cole Laya earned the first championship trophy, controlling UNC Pembroke's Nick Daggett virtually wire to wire in a battle of nationally-ranked 125 pounders. The No. 5-ranked Laya racked up over two minutes of riding time advantage in handing the No. 6-ranked Daggett a 4-2 loss.
    Senior All-American Tyler Warner followed suit at 133 in another matchup of nationally-ranked grapplers. The No. 4-ranked Warner also had nearly a 2-minute riding time edge in pitching a 4-0 shutout against No. 13 Logan Seliga of UNC Pembroke.
    "Anytime you can start out with a 1-2 punch like Laya and Warner, the team really feeds off that energy," Irwin said. "Not only do the guys on the mat get excited, it gets our guys in the stands really stoked. This team truly delivered an all-in effort today – on and off the mat."
    Alec Cook impressed with a 15-4 major decision over Davis & Elkins' top-seeded Craig Cook in the 149-pound final, setting the stage for a fantastic finish.
    Senior All-American Connor Craig, ranked No. 2 nationally at 184 pounds, more than lived up to his ranking with a 13-0 rout of Davis & Elkins' No. 9-ranked Kyle Wojtaszek. Craig was a virtual consensus choice as Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
    "Connor is such a good counter wrestler to begin with," Irwin said, "and now that he's starting to look more to his offense first, he's taking that next step. That was a really good wrestler he was up against any he was in total control."
    Fellow senior Logan Kemp, ranked No. 6 at 197 pounds, pulled away late to avenge his only loss of the season with an 8-4 win against No. 5-ranked Gino Sita of Alderson Broaddus before fast-rising sophomore Francesco Borsellino – ranked No. 12 at 285 – closed up shop with an impressive first-period fall against No. 11-ranked Ryan Monk of UNC Pembroke.
    "It was good to see Logan avenge that early loss," Irwin said. "He keeps building on that foundation every day and you can see the improvement. Borsellino really gets people excited, seeing a man that size move like he does. He's learning how to get to positions he can have success from but there's really nothing he can't do on the mat."
    Earning runner-up honors for West Liberty were 141-pounder Marcus Jean-Baptiste and 165-pounder Chase Morgan with Ty McGeary placing third at 174 and Christian Rivera taking fourth at 157. The individual champions received first-team All-MEC honors with runners-up being recognized as second-team All-MEC and honorable mention going to the third place winners.
    The Hilltoppers will stay busy over the next couple of weeks but Irwin is already pointing toward the next big effort.
    "We saw what we're capable of doing today when we show up and show out," Irwin said. "We have to be ready to do that, but even more so, three weeks from now when we head to Tiffin (Ohio) for the (NCAA Division II) Regional. I have confidence in this group of guys not only doing what it takes but doing it together."
       1. WEST LIBERTY 152; 2. UNC Pembroke 119.5; 3. Notre Dame (Ohio) 99.5; 4. Davis & Elkins 86; 5. Alderson Broaddus 82.5; 6. Glenville State 48.5; 7. Fairmont State 22; 8. Wheeling 19.5      - Connor Craig, 184, sr., West Liberty 125: #5 Cole Laya (WLU) d. #6 Nick Daggett (UNCP), 4-2
133: #4 Tyler Warner (WLU) vs. #13 Logan Seliga (UNCP), 4-0
141: #4 Kelan McKenna (NDC) md. Marcus Jean-Baptiste (WLU), 11-1
149: #13 Alec Cook (WLU) md. Craig Cook (D&E), 15-4
157: John Finnerty (D&E) p. Josh Laubach (AB), 3:30
165: Jamar Williams (AB) d. #16 Chase Morgan (WLU), 5-3
174: #14 Logan Hall (NDC) d. Garrett Hill (UNCP), 4-3 TB-3
184: #2 Connor Craig (WLU) md. #9 Kyle Wojtaszek (D&E), 13-0
197: #6 Logan Kemp (WLU) d. #5 Gino Sita (AB), 8-4
285: #12 Francesco Borsellino (WLU) p. #11 Ryan Monk (UNCP), 1:16 125: Noah Hodges (AB) p. Nick Ammirati (D&E), 1:53
133: Matt Kaufman (NDC) d. Vincent Scollo (D&E), 3-2 TB-1
141: Alec Fulwider (GSC) d. Chaise Mayer (UNCP), 13-11 SV-1
149: Luke McDonough (UNCP) d. Darese Sparkman (NDC), 6-3
157: Nathan Golman (UNCP) d. Christian Rivera (WLU), 7-6 TB-2
165: Noah Tarr (D&E) d. Cole Houser (GSC), 5-3
174: Ty McGeary (WLU) p. Joel Cruickshanks (GSC), 3;33
184: #15 Jovaun Johnson (UNCP) vs. Luke Martin (GSC)
197: Mike Viramontes (NDC) d. Bryce Walker (UNCP), 3-1
285: TJ Boyd (FSU) d. Matt Dunkelman (NDC), 5-4 125: Jake Arnold (NDC) won by forfeit
133: Blake Jury (AB) md. Kevin Meloni (GSC), 10-1
141: Jerome Vonziah (AB) d. Corbin Saul (D&E), 11-4
149: Kale'anahe Slaughter (WU) d. Chad Miller (AB), 9-6
157: Mike Garcar (NDC) p. Jacob Puckett (GSC), 2:34
165: Caleb Grau (UNCP) d. David Mundey (FSU), 3-2
174: Deshawn Mercadel (WU) p. Chad Tracy (D&E), 3:21
184: Ryan Weitz (AB) inj. def. over Joe Marcano (NDC)
197: Riley Gallagher (FSU) d. Bradden Galassi (D&E), 5-3
285: Demetrius Daniels (NDC) d. Clarouly Meca (WU), 7-3