WPU Falls 30-12 to Baker in Home Opener, Reserves go to Doane
Oskaloosa/Crete, Neb.–A great showing by the middle weights was unfortunately not enough to get the Statesmen men’s wrestling team past #9 Baker in a 30-12 Heart of America Athletic Conference dual meet loss Friday.
William Penn (2-2, 2-2 Heart) won three consecutive matches to get within a point of the Wildcats (3-1, 3-1 Heart), but could not overcome a BU lineup that is solid top down.
The visitors claimed a tight match at 125 pounds as Nadhelo Charles-Pierre (Sr., Miramar, Fla., Sports Management) fell 4-2 to Tristan Stafford. Baker then tacked on a pair of technical falls for a 13-0 edge.
Cameron Hargrove (Fr., Bolingbrook, Ill., Undecided) finally got the navy and gold on the board by defeating Dallas Koelzer 5-2 at 149 pounds.
157-pounder Steven Skewes (Fr., Duchesne, Utah, Exercise Science) then posted his squad’s lone bonus-point win by pinning Damon Hoback in 2:29, but the biggest victory of the evening came at 165 pounds. That is when Matheson Meade (Fr., Knoxville, Tenn., Exercise Science), ranked #17 in the NAIA, upset #11 Joey Hancock 2-1 to pull the Statesmen to a one-point margin at 13-12.
In another top-20 bout, Makail Stanley (Fr., Orena, Ill., Biology) battled #4 Isaiah Luellen for a full seven minutes, but fell by major decision.
The next two weights also went in favor of the Wildcats to officially lock up the dual win. Branson Bottorff (So., Mackinaw, Ill., Mechanical Engineering) pushed hard in the finale at heavyweight, but he could not get over the hump in a 4-3 setback to Angel Verduzco.
“I am really proud of our effort and how we wrestled a tough team,” Head Coach Aron Scott said. “Every match was fought to the very end and we continue to improve every time we compete. We are a young team and our future is very promising and exciting.”
The following day, several reserve grapplers hit the mat at the Doane Open. 141-pounder Troy Mita (Fr., San Jose, Calif., Nursing) had the best outing with a 3-2 record that included one fall and one technical fall.
Sean Inswasty (Miami, Fla., Business Management) pinned two opponents at 125 pounds, while Michael Flores (Fr., Bryan, Texas) won once by fall and once by major decision at 141 pounds. 133-pounder Favian Aldana (Fr., Hialeah, Fla.) was also a two-time winner (one fall).
141-pounder Brise Bennett (So., Morgantown, W Va., Business Management) and 184-pounder Josiah Bernhardt (Fr., Katy, Texas, Biology) both left the Open with one fall each.
125–Tristan Stafford (B) won by decision over Nadhelo Charles-Pierre, 4-2 (0-3)
133–Dominick Arellano (B) won by technical fall over Marcus Wilson,16-1 (0-8)
141–Austin Kolvek (B) won by technical fall over Hector Diaz, 20-5 (0-13)
149–Cameron Hargrove (W) won by decision over Dallas Koelzer, 5-2 (3-13)
157–Steven Skewes (W) won by fall over Damon Hoback, 2:29 (9-13)
165–Matheson Meade (W) won by decision over Joey Hancock, 2-1 (12-13)
174–Isaiah Luellen (B) won by major decision over Makail Stanley, 15-6 (12-17)
184–Brett Bober (B) won by technical fall over Mason Walters, 15-0 (12-22)
197–Malachi Karibo (B) won by technical fall over Jesse Schwery, 19-4 (12-27)
285–Angel Verduzco (B) won by decision over Branson Bottorff, 4-3 (12-30)
