Three individual champions for Dutch at wrestling opener
Central Dutch Athletics
PLATTEVILLE, WIS. — The Super 8 Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Platteville yielded a trio of bracket champions and 14 total place-finishers for the Central College wrestling team in its first action of the season.
No team scores were kept in the six-team invitational. Central entered 40 wrestlers into the field.
“Overall, it was a solid start to the season,” coach Eric Van Kley said. “But there’s a lot of room for improvement.”
As expected, Central’s two ranked wrestlers led the way with first-place finishes at 125 and 133 pounds from C.J. Pestano (senior, Torrance, Calif.) and Cam Timok (junior, Glen Allen, Va., Hermitage HS). Pestano capped off a trio of major decision victories at 125 pounds with a 10-2 win over Matt Randone of Loras College in the title bout. Timok finished his day off with a thrilling 2-1 win in the finale against the Duhawks’ Michael Triplett.
“I think it sets such a great example for everyone else,” Van Kley said. “They both had hard-fought wins today. C.J. was trailing in the final before he broke it open and Cam won in the third overtime on an escape with one second.”
Sophomore Collin Groleau (Peru, Ill., LaSalle-Peru Township HS) rattled off four straight wins to capture a title of his own at 157 pounds. He wrapped up the crown and a 4-0 day with a 7-2 decision over Loras’s Kirk Mommsen.
“He’s really bought in and very coachable,” Van Kley said. “He’s working very hard and doing a lot of the little things right. It’s a great start to the season for him and we look forward to seeing him improve as the season continues.”
Tristan Clark (junior, Prairie City, PCM HS) earned a spot in the 141-pound final but was bested 7-3 by Kevin Kelly of Loras College. Wayne Sommerlot (freshman, Pocahontas, Pocahontas Area HS) led a contingent of Central’s newcomers with a runner-up effort at 184 pounds. He dropped a narrow 4-2 decision to Grant Wedepohl of Wisconsin-Platteville in the final.
Fellow freshmen Chance Benandum (Dos Palos, Calif.) and Michael Escobedo (Tucson, Ariz.) secured a fourth-place finish at 165 pounds and 197 pounds, respectively. James Richardson (Peoria, Ill.) was Central’s second freshman to place at 184 pounds, taking sixth
“We like our freshmen,” Van Kley said. “We’ve got miles to go in terms of improvement. Hopefully it shows throughout the year that we are a team that keeps getting better. They showed a lot of heart and determination.”
A new event on the schedule this year for the Dutch is next weekend’s Millikin Open in Decatur, Illinois. The tournament will start at 9:30 a.m. from the campus of Millikin Univeristy.
