Statesmen Return to Action at Home Meet
William Penn University Athletics
Oskaloosa–The WPU wrestling team battled against grapplers from two of the top programs in the Midwest as it hosted the William Penn Open Saturday.
Seven members of the navy and gold squad placed in the top six as the post-holiday event turned out to be basically a three-team battle between WPU, Grand View (#1 NAIA), and Maryville (Mo.) (#2 NCAA Division II). Maryville won eight of the ten weight classes.
125-pounder Angel Villa (Fr., Deming, N.M., General Accounting) and 141-pounder Scottie Bonds (So., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) both lost just once in earning the bronze medals at their respective weights. Villa was 2-1 and Bonds was 3-1 with one fall.
Fourth-place finishes came from both Brad Watson (Jr., Rolla, Mo., Physical Education) at149 pounds (one fall) and Kyle Soderblom (Sr., Newton, Iowa, Biology) at 197 pounds. The pair each went 2-2.
Two WPU individuals faced off for fifth place at 165 pounds with Johnny Hopper (Fr., Basehor, Kan., Psychology) bettering Ishmael Rempson (Sr., Olympia Fields, Ill., Industrial Technology) in that matchup. Hopper was 3-2 Saturday, while Rempson owned a 2-3 mark with a pair of falls.
174-pounder Nick Wise (Jr., Phoenix, Ariz., Biology) pinned one foe en route to a 2-2 showing to take fifth.
Angelo Kelly (Jr., Ottumwa, Iowa, Physical Education) was 2-2 (one major decision) at 141 pounds and Jeremy Walters (Jr., University Park, Ill., Exercise Science) also won once at 165 pounds.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Pella next Saturday to compete in the Central Invitational. Action begins at 9 a.m.
