William Penn Draws Tough Opening Foes at Nationals
William Penn University Athletics
Oskaloosa–Seven Statesmen grapplers will chase glory this weekend as they compete in the NAIA Wrestling Championships.
The 55th Annual Championships will be held in the Jacobson Exhibition Center on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines Thursday through Saturday. The double-elimination event will feature 322 individuals from 35 programs.
First-round competition begins Thursday at 11 a.m.
The brackets were released Wednesday night and the pairings are unfortunately less than favorable for a William Penn team that sends five freshmen and two sophomores into the circle. 149-pounder Eric Burgey (So., Easton, Pa., Easton HS) is the lone returner to the event, having placed fifth a year ago.
At 125 pounds, Isaiah Mayorquin (Fr., Yuma, Ariz., Cibola) brings a 7-6 record against sixth-ranked Aspen Kmiec of Midland (Neb.). A freshman, Kmiec is 19-7 this year.
At 141 pounds, Charlton Benjamin (Fr., Atlanta, Ga., Miller Grove HS) is 10-14 this winter. He will face Northwestern’s Josiah Simburger, a senior who is 33-10 and ranked 12th in the NAIA.
The second 149-pounder representing the navy and gold, Carey Cloud (Fr., Havelock, N.C., Tucker HS) is 12-8. Matt Milton of Campbellsville (Ky.) will be his first-round foe. The sophomore, who is 27-12, is the only individual a Statesmen wrestler will face in the first round who is not ranked.
William Penn’s only ranked wrestler, #8 Burgey ironically draws the highest-ranked foe of all the Statesmen by meeting #2 Mike Vassar, a junior from Great Falls (Mont.). Burgey owns a 14-1 record.
Ishmael Rempson (Fr., Olympia Fields, Ill., Rich Central HS), who is 16-17, hits the mat Thursday at 157 pounds and will square off against senior Charlie Pingleton of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.). Pingleton is rated third in the nation.
165-pounder Anthony Martinez (Fr., Phoenix, Ariz., Desert Vista HS), with a 5-7 mark, is set to grapple with Montana State-Northern’s Ethan Hinebauch. The senior was 11th in the most recent poll.
Finally at heavyweight, Kory Morrow (So., Oskaloosa, Wartburg) will walk on the mat against Scott Brasil, the 12th-ranked freshman from Menlo (Calif.). Morrow is 9-6 in his sophomore campaign.
For more information on the Championships, go to http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=205337111
