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MILLS, LOESCH, CARTER IN WRESTLING SEMIS

Four Muhlenberg wrestlers clinched places on the first day of the Petrofes Invitational at Messiah.

Three of the Mules – sophomore Dale Mills, freshman Matt Loesch and senior Josh Carter – went undefeated to advance to Saturday’s championship semifinals. Day 2 competition is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

Senior David Brown is in the consolation quarterfinals and is assured of a finish in the top eight.

Mills, seeded third, won his first two matches at 149 in impressive fashion, with a pin and a 13-1 major decision. He is slated to face the second seed, from Lycoming, in his next match.

Loesch, also seeded third, extended his career-starting winning streak to 10 with a pair of decisions. He will be put to the test on Saturday, as his semifinal opponent is ranked seventh in Division III at 197. The top seed in the bracket is a 2003 All-American, currently ranked second.

Carter, the fourth seed at heavyweight, received a first-round bye and needed to win only one bout – against a Johns Hopkins wrestler to whom he lost at the 2003 Centennial Conference Championships – to reach the semifinals. Up next for him is a McDaniel wrestler ranked fifth in Division III.

The Mules are 10th out of 13 teams after Day 1.

Click here for box score.

Men’s soccer had three players voted to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Mid-Atlantic All-Region first team: senior back Evan Smallwood, sophomore forward James Henshaw and

Armstrong was on the all-region first team in 2001 and the second team last year.

sophomore midfielder Jose Ramirez. The Mules had three first-team all-region selections only once previously in their history, in 1988.

Smallwood led Muhlenberg (17-5-1) in scoring with 31 points on 11 goals and nine assists while contributing to a defense that allowed only 16 goals in 23 matches. Henshaw also scored 11 goals, including a team-leading five game-winners. Ramirez had eight goals and two assists.

The three women’s soccer selections included two on the first team and one on the third team. Both first-team players, senior Dawn Iberer and junior Rebecca Armstrong, earned NSCAA all-region honors for the third time in their careers. Iberer, a second-team All-American in 2001, tallied 27 points this year and finished her career as the Mules’ all-time leader with 134 points and 59 goals. Armstrong led Muhlenberg (16-4-2) with 30 points on 12 goals and six assists.

Senior midfielder Courtney Levine made the all-region team for the first time after scoring 23 points on eight goals and seven assists. The three all-region picks marked a high in the 13-year history of the Mule women’s soccer program.

The football honors came from Football Gazette. Sophomore defensive end Daniel McCall was the only Muhlenberg player named to the All-South Region first team after setting a school record with 10½ sacks.

Earning second-team honors were senior wide receiver Kodi Shay, senior offensive tackle Chris Radomski and senior linebacker Tony Briscella. Shay, the CC offensive player of the year, caught 52 passes for an average of 19.7 yards and had 11 touchdown receptions. Radomski was a unanimous first-team All-CC selection for the second straight year and received an invitation to play in the Aztec Bowl. Briscella led the Mules (7-3) with 86 tackles.