Soderblom Wins Crown, Kozak and Shaffer Qualify at Buena Vista Open
William Penn University Athletics
Storm Lake—Kyle Soderlbom (Fr., Newton, Lynnville-Sully HS) continues to impress in his inaugural collegiate campaign as he led the Statesmen wrestling team at the Buena Vista Open Saturday.
The freshman went 4-0 on the day, including two falls, to claim the 184-pound championship. He entered the event as the #3 seed and knocked off the #2 seed Andrew Anthofer of Morningside in the semifinals by a score of 5-2 and then blanked Aaron Satterwhite of Iowa Western CC 6-0 in the finals.
Tommy Kozak (Jr., Belleville, Mich., Thiel) and Aaron Shaffer (Fr., Longmont, Colo., Longmont HS) were equally dominant in adding their names to William Penn’s national-qualifying list, which now stands at ten individuals.
The 141-pound Kozak was third with a 7-1 record, including two falls, one technical fall, and one major decision victory. The 125-pound Shaffer was one spot lower in fourth place, going 4-2 with one major decision win.
Heavyweight Tyler Larsen (Fr., West Point, Utah, Syracuse HS) nearly accomplished the feat as well, going 3-2 with one fall. He was just one victory shy of punching his ticket for the NAIA’s national meet.
Marshawn Lacy (Fr., Chicago Heights, Ill., Rich East HS), with two falls at 141 pounds, and Christian Padilla (Fr., Tampa, Fla., Robinson HS), with a fall and a technical fall at 157 pounds, were multiple winners on Saturday.
133-pounder Eric Van Wagoner (Fr., Portland, Ore., Westview HS) (with a fall) and heavyweight Nathan Craig (Sr., Yale, Iowa Central CC) also had their hands raised at the Open.
Next: William Penn travels to Las Vegas, Nev. to compete in the Desert Duals next Sunday. The Statesmen face NAIA squads Campbellsville (Ky.), Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), and Concordia (Neb.) and NCAA Division III program Coe in dual action.
