Young Central wrestlers get experience at Loras Open
DUBUQUE — A group of primarily underclassmen Central College wrestlers traveled to the Loras Open to compete in some valuable matches and gain experience Saturday
Coach Eric Van Kley brought 18 wrestlers to Dubuque for the meet.
“I thought as a whole we wrestled really well,” Van Kley said.
Luke and Levi Condy (freshmen, Memphis, Tenn., Christian Brothers) both had solid days in the middleweights. Levi was 3-1 and won the fifth-place match at 157 pounds while Luke placed sixth with a 4-2 mark at 165 pounds.
“They both wrestled well from all three positions,” Van Kley said. “It’s something we work on with freshman for the whole season.”
At 285 pounds, Sam Zook (sophomore, Oak Harbor, Wash.) had pins in three of his four wins to take sixth place. He defeated Andrew Salemme from the University of Wisconsin 5-4 in his last match.
“Sam had some really good competition,” Van Kley said. “He really stepped up and showed some toughness and determination.
Carlos Ramos (freshman Sahuarita, Ariz., Walden Grove HS) finished seventh at 149 pounds with a pair of victories.
“He’s another freshman we like a lot who has been working extremely hard in practice,” Van Kley said. “It’s definitely something he can build off of.”
Peyton Hammerich (freshman, Princeton, Ill.) also finished fourth at 174 pounds.
Central travels to Decorah on Thursday for a dual against No. 19 Luther College at 6 p.m.
“Luther has an excellent team this year,” Van Kley said. “We need a great week of preparation of training and be bready to go. We’re excited for the challenge.”
