KUTZTOWN, Pa. – As the Kutztown University wrestling team enters the heart of its dual meet season, some nationally-ranked competition stands in the way as KU will take on three schools in Super Region 1 on Jan. 20-21 at the Regional Duals hosted by the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown this weekend. 
 
Wrestling will start on Friday with rounds on four mats at 6 and 8 p.m., and conclude on Saturday with rounds at 9 and 11 a.m., and 1 and 3 p.m.  Kutztown (3-3) matches up with eighth-ranked Mercyhurst College on Friday at 6 p.m., and will face Ohio Valley University (9 a.m.) and Anderson University (1 p.m) on Saturday.
 
Live stats and results will be posted by Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Junior Vinny Campanile (Stanhope, NJ/Lenape Valley) (Stanhope, NJ/Lenape Valley) has shined through the first part of the season and is coming off one of his biggest wins to date.  Campanile went against Division I Hofstra's Tim Murphy at 197 and came out victorious with an 8-2 decision.  It was his 12th win of the year and fourth of the dual season.  He also leads the team with nine falls, ranking him tenth in Division II.
 
Another new face who has impressed in the early going is sophomore Evan Yenolevich (New Tripoli, PA/Northwestern Lehigh (Edinboro)) (New Tripoli, PA/Northwestern Lehigh).  He leads KU with 13 wins, 11 of which coming at 133.  He has three falls on the year along with three tech falls to lead the Golden Bear club.
 
Junior Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg Area) (Mifflinburg, PA/Mifflinburg) and Bionojel Candelaria (Reading, PA/Middletown) have held their own at 165 and 157, respectively.  Bollinger enters the weekend with an 8-7 record along with four falls, good for second on the team.  Candelaria is 9-7 overall and will drop down to 157 for the weekend, where he has wrestled just five matches.  The redshirt freshman is coming off a tough overtime loss against Hofstra and would love nothing more than to help KU come home with a winning record this weekend.
 
KU's leadership, both on and off the mat, have come from senior Desmond Moore (Easton, PA/Easton) (Easton, PA/Easton), Giovanni Ortiz (Reading, PA/Reading) (Reading, PA/Reading), and Ricky Pena (Reading, PA/Reading) (Reading, PA/Reading).  Captains of the 2011-12 squad, each wrestler has shined at points throughout the season and have experience of wrestling four matches in under 24 hours.  Moore looks to become KU's third double-digit wins leader as the 125-pounder travels to Johnstown with a 9-7 record.  Ortiz has been KU's option at 184 all season long and has shown signs of dominance at times.  The junior holds an 8-11 record.  Pena, a 165-pound redshirt junior, has seen action at two different weight classes this season and will look for his second win of the season in KU's opening match against Mercyhurst.
 
Also expecting to represent Kutztown this weekend are Mitch Voelker (Shoemakersville, PA/Schuylkill Valley) (Leesport, PA/Schuylkill Valley) at 141, Jackson Stabile (Lenhartsville, Pa./Hamburg) (Lenhartsville,PA/Hamburg) at 149, and Brandan Clark (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) (Audubon, PA/Methacton) at 285.  Voelker and Stabile each have five wins at their respective weight classes, as Clark has all eight wins for KU at heavyweight.
 
The Lakers (6-3) will provide a tough test for the Golden Bears in the opening round of action on Friday.  Last season's dual between the two schools came down to the final match with Mercyhurst scoring a 17-16 victory.
 
Three members of the Laker lineup are rated in the latest Division II individual rankings.  At 157, Jordan Shields is ranked sixth behind a 13-2 overall record on the season.  His only two losses are against a Division I foe and a nationally ranked DII opponent.  Josh Shields rates third at 165.  He is 7-1 on the season, with his lone loss coming against Division II's top ranked Todd Merrit.  Fred Hale, wrestling at 285, is ranked seventh.  He is second on the team with 19 victories.  Although not nationally ranked, Kody Young leads the team with 22 wins and 10 falls at 133.
 
Ohio Valley has wrestled just three duals this season, most recently dropping a 32-15 decision to West Liberty State.  The Fighting Scots are ranked 13th in Super Region I.  OVU fell 37-12 to Pitt-Johnstown this season, but Nicco Nidav (157) and Charles Cox (197) registered wins by fall for the Fighting Scots in that match.  Ohio Valley does not have any wrestlers ranked in regional rankings.  The Fighting Scots opened the season with a victory over West Virginia Tech.
 
Anderson, on the other hand, is heavily tested in dual competition, but holds just a 4-15 record.  The Trojans recently snapped a nine-match losing streak with a victory over Johns Hopkins.  Anderson is rated 11th in Super Region I and has three wrestlers ranked regionally in the middle weights.  Mel LaVergne is rated sixth at 141, while Daniel Telhada checks in at No. 4 at 149.  Nick Giuliette, wrestling at 157, is ranked sixth.  Telhada and Giuliette registered back-to-back falls in the win over the Blue Jays, while LaVergne picked up a 14-0 victory.