Kevin Merle	Zachary D'Apolito

Results

The runaway train that is The University of Scranton wrestling team just keeps chugging along.

The Royals won eight of 10 bouts on Tuesday night to post a workmanlike 28-6 victory over Elizabethtown in the Long Center. The victory improves the team's dual match record to 10-0, which extends the best start to a season in the program's 49-year history.

Scranton won five of the first six bouts by decision, then put the match away when sophomore Kevin Merle (Stroudsburg, Pa./Belvidere) won by pin at 165 pounds and junior Zachary D'Apolito (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley Senior) followed with a major decision at 174 for an insurmountable 22-3 lead with three matches left.

Merle's pin was clutch, as Scranton held just a nine-point lead entering the match despite having won four of the five matches to that point. He quickly clamped the Blue Jays' Dan Jerrems in 1:32 for his fifth pin of the season and 10th of his career.

D'Apolito then clinched the win by piling up the points in a 15-7 major decision victory for his 13th win of the year and 43rd of his career. D'Apolito is also now 9-1 in his last 10 bouts.

Scranton got things going with back-to-back decisions from junior Nicholas DePierro (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township) and freshman Nicholas Ciaccia (Freehold, N.J./Howell) at 125 and 133 pounds. DePierro's 10-7 victory was his 19th of the season, tied for second most on the team, and Ciaccia picked up his 13th victory.

After a Royals loss at 141, sophomore Liam Gallagher (Aberdeen, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) pushed the needle in Scranton's direction with an 8-5 win at 149 pounds. Senior Ian Evans (Laurys Station, Pa./Parkland) then continued his impressive season with a 7-4 win at 157 pounds for a 12-3 lead. Evans is now 23-2 on the season and 113-20 for his career. The 113 career victories are 12 shy of the school's all-time record of 125, held by Darren Buseman (1999-2003).

Scranton also received decisions from sophomore Daniel D'Agostini (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) at 184 and senior Salvatore Montuori (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson). D'Agostini's 11-4 win at 184 pounds was his 11th of the season while Montuori's 4-3 win at 285 was his 19th of the season, tied with DePierro for second on the team.

The Royals will be back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 17, when they travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. to take on King's College at 7 p.m.

--ROYALS--