William Penn Defeats Benedictine, Graceland
Oskaloosa–Led by perfect evenings from four grapplers, the Statesmen men’s wrestling team picked up a pair of dual-meet victories Tuesday.
WPU (6-5, 5-2 Heart) dropped Benedictine 31-13 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action and then held off Graceland 23-21 in a non-conference dual; last week’s Heart dual versus GU was deemed a forfeit for the Statesmen due to COVID on the Yellowjacket squad.
The hosts fell behind in both matchups, but rallied with help from a stout middle of the lineup, including perfect outings from 149-pounder Cameron Hargrove (Fr., Bolingbrook, Ill., Undecided), 165-pounder Michael Baker (So., Underwood, Iowa, Elementary Education), 174-pounder Makail Stanley (Fr., Oreana, Ill., Biology), and 197-pounder Branson Bottorff (So., Mackinaw, Ill., Mechanical Engineering).
Down 13-0 against BC (5-7, 1-3 Heart), Hargrove got his team on the scoreboard with a 12-4 major decision over Gino Camarca.
Steven Skewes (Fr., Duchesne, Utah, Exercise Science) then fought off a late-match injury to get past Michael Lucas 9-2 at 157 pounds. Baker pinned Giovanni Bruno in a time of 1:45 and the navy and gold drew even with the Ravens 13-13.
The hits kept coming with Stanley winning 10-3 over Jensen McDermott, while 184-pounder Jesse Schwery (Fr., Panama, Iowa) won by fall in 38 seconds against Tyson Albright. Bottorff, wrestling below heavyweight for the first time in his collegiate career, secured the team victory with a 5-2 decision versus Garrett St. Clair, and Ray Lugo (So., Hollywood, Fla., Exercise Science) pinned Oliver Severance in 4:10 to put an exclamation point on the win.
The Yellowjackets (0-6) pulled out to a 12-0 advantage after the first three bouts in the nightcap, but Hargrove cut the deficit in half by pinning Devin West in 2:39.
Marco Guzman (So., Miami, Fla., Business Management) evened the score by also winning by fall, doing so in 3:50 against Colby Wilkin at 157 pounds. Unfortunately, excessive celebration by Guzman after the victory cost the Statesmen a team point.
It would not come back to haunt the home team, however, as Baker slipped by Invi Bella 9-5 and Stanley pinned Ben Watson in 4:37.
A win at 184 pounds brought Graceland to within two, but Bottorff’s 11-7 triumph over John Schuttler made it 23-18 entering the final match of the night.
Lugo did not get his hand raised, but was successful in keeping the Statesmen lead intact as he lost 4-3 in double overtime to David Toese at heavyweight.
“We were a little sloppy tonight, but fought hard,” Head Coach Aron Scott said. “We picked up wins, including bonus-point wins, when we needed them. After over a month since our last full competition, it was good to get on the mat and see where we are.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Marshall, Mo. Friday and Saturday to compete in the Missouri Valley Invitational.
William Penn 31, Benedictine (Kan.) 13
125–Charles Easterling (B) won by fall over Sean Inswasty, 4:38 (0-6)
133–Joseph Triscornia (B) won by decision over Brise Bennett, 7-5 (OT) (0-9)
141–Harsh Anchan (B) won by major decision over Hector Diaz, 11-3 (0-13)
149–Cameron Hargrove (W) won by major decision over Gino Camarca, 12-4 (4-13)
157–Steven Skewes (W) won by decision over Michael Lucas, 9-2 (7-13)
165–Michael Baker (W) won by fall over Giovanni Bruno, 1:45 (13-13)
174–Makail Stanley (W) won by decision over Jensen McDermott, 10-3 (16-13)
184–Jesse Schwery (W) won by fall over Tyson Albright, 0:38 (22-13)
197–Branson Bottorff (W) won by decision over Garrett St. Clair, 5-2 (25-13)
285–Ray Lugo (W) won by fall over Oliver Severance, 4:10 (31-13)
William Penn 23, Graceland 21
125–Taywone McNack (G) won by decision over Nadhelo Charles-Pierre, 8-2 (0-3)
133–Ryan Anderson (G) won by decision over Brise Bennett, 7-4 (0-6)
141–Jackson Wenberg (G) won by fall over Hector Diaz, 6:06 (0-12)
149–Cameron Hargrove (W) won by fall over Devin West, 2:39 (6-12)
157–Marco Guzman (W) won by fall over Colby Wilken, 3:50 (11-12) (WPU deducted 1 team point for unsportsmanlike conduct)
165–Michael Baker (W) won by decision over Invi Bella, 9-5 (14-12)
174–Makail Stanley (W) won by fall over Ben Watson, 4:37 (20-12)
184–Cameron Cornman (G) won by fall over Jesse Schwery, 3:56 (20-18)
197–Branson Bottorff (W) won by decision over John Schuttler, 11-7 (23-18)
285–David Toese (G) won by decision over Ray Lugo, 4-3 (2OT) (23-21)
