VIKING WRESTLERS TAKE EIGHTH AND HAVE FOUR ALL-AMERICANS AT NATIONAL MEET
Marshall, Mo. (March 2, 2013)- The Missouri Valley College men's wrestling team sent 11 student-athletes to the NAIA National Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa March 1 -2. The Vikings finished with four all-Americans, and finished eighth as a team with 59 points, with Grand View University taking home the team championship with 159 points. Individually the Vikings had a second place finisher, third place finisher, sixth place finisher and an eighth place finisher at the National Tournament.
No. 9 Freshman Ryan Stearns (Williston, Vt.) wrestled for MVC at 125 pounds. Stearns lost his first round match to Oscar Marin of York College by an 11-5 decision, and after receiving a bye in the first consolation round was defeated by Kristopher McKinley of Indiana Tech in a close 5-4 decision. Stearns ends the year with a 22-21 record.
At 133 pounds No. 14 Sophomore Logan Welch (Lexington, Mo.) came away with a first round pin of Nathan Ryan of Morningside College in the second period. In round two, Welch was defeated in a first period pin by No. 4 Travis Barroquillo of Indiana Tech. Welch received a second round consolation bye, and earned a 12-9 decision win over No. 13 Jared Wilmert of Midland University, however Welch was defeated in the next round by No. 12 Tyler Alsip of Campbellsville University in a 17-1 decision. Welch finishes the 2012-2013 season with a 28-17 record.
No. 13 Freshman Todd Brackett (Farmington, Mo.) received a first round bye in the 141 pound bracket, but was defeated in a first round pin by No. 10 Blake Fruchtl of Hastings College in round two. Brackett then received a consolation second round bye and earned a third round victory over No. 16 Trace Gutknecht of Embry Riddle with a 6-5 decision. Brackett was then defeated in the fourth round by No. 3 Brad Steele of Dickinson State University in a first round pin. Brackett ends the season with a 14-14 record.
No. 4 Freshman Jake Ekster (Houston, Texas) picked up a first round victory in the 149 pound bracket with an 11-2 major decision victory over Cody Green of Midland University. In round two, Ekster was defeated in a 14-8 decision by No. 10 Chase Burns of Great Falls to drop into the consolation bracket. In consolation round two Ekster earned a 5-3 victory over Tyler Boyer of Midland University, then earned a sudden victory over No. 5 Kyle Terry of Campbellsville University. In round four Ekster was able to pull out a 3-2 decision over No. 11 Nicholas Clarke of York College to put him in all-American contention. Ekster advanced once again after a fifth round victory over No. 13 Dusty Paulsen of Dakota Wesleyan University with a 7-4 decision victory, setting Ekster up in the consolation semifinals. Ekster advanced to the third place match thanks to a 6-5 decision victory over No. 10 Chase Burns of Great Falls. Ekster dominated his third place match against No. 7 Shawn McGhee of Campbellsville University earning an 8-0 major decision, and finishing the tournament as the third place wrestler. Ekster ends his 2012-2013 season with a 36-11 record.
At 157 pounds No. 12Freshman Dylan King (Hamilton, Mo.) won his first round match with a 6-4 decision over Jaykob Miller of Jamestown College, but was defeated by a second period pin in round two by No. 1 Conor Young of Campbellsville. King then lost in consolation round two to Ryan Leonard of Great Falls in a 1-0 decision. King finishes his freshman campaign with an 18-17 record.
Wrestling in his third National Tournament No. 9 Senior Gian Traverso (St. Helena, Calif.) received a first round bye, but was defeated in round two by No. 6 Michael Nord of Jamestown College in a 17-9 decision. Traverso picked up a consolation round two victory with a 5-4 decision over Luke Riley of Embry Riddle, and then earned a round three victory with a 5-3 decision over No. 15 Nathan Sommer of Baker University. Traverso's career with MVC came to an end by losing to No. 7 Zach Skates in the fourth round after a 10-7 decision. Traverso ends his senior season with a 28-16 record.
Freshman Brett Bader (Farmington, Mo.) was defeated in his first match in the 184 pound bracket after being pinned in the third period by No. 5 Jesse Hellinger of Dickinson State University. Bader received a first round consolation bracket bye, but was defeated in a first period pin by Brock Binversie of Waldorf College. Bader finishes the season with a 25-24 record.
No. 6 Junior Carl Lawrence (Sullivan, Mo.) opened up his run to the National championship match in the 197 pound bracket with a first round bye, then a second round major decision 13-4 victory over No. 10 Bradlee Carls of York College. Lawrence won again in his quarterfinal matchup with No. 4 Jacob Bradford of Lindsey Wilson thanks to a 7-3 decision, and advanced to the championship match with a 3-1 sudden-death victory over No. 2 Derek Nightser of Grand View University. In the National Championship match Lawrence took on No. 7 John Sievert of Morningside College. In the National Championship match Sievert edged out Lawrence in a 3-1 decision. Lawrence finishes the tournament as the second place wrestler and ends his 2012-2013 season with a 24-7 record.
Also at 197 pounds No. 1 Junior Josh Manu (North Providence, R.I.) opened his bid for all-American status the tournament with a first round bye and a second round first period pin of No. 14 Christopher Bridgeford of Morningside College. In the quarterfinals Manu pinned Troy Kilgore of Embry Riddle in the first period, but was defeated by No. 7 John Sievert of Morningside College in an 8-7 decision decided by tiebreaker. In the consolation semifinals Manu took on No. 5 Allen Scruggs of Campbellsville and was defeated as Scruggs pulled off the 4-2 sudden victory. Manu then took on No. 3 Charles Johnson of Southern Oregon for fifth place. Johnson defeated Manu in a first period pin. Manu finishes the tournament as the sixth place wrestler and ends his season with a 26-15 record
At 285 pounds No. 15 Senior James Alter (Kirksville, Mo.) made his run for all-American by earning a 9-7 sudden victory over No. 13 Julius Anglickas of Missouri Baptist, but lost in round two in a 4-2 sudden victory for No. 3 Jose Lopez of Dicksinson State University. In consolation round two Alter earned a 4-2 decision over Stanley Lattimore of Oklahoma City University, then won his round three match with a 2-0 decision over Logan Rimmer of Indiana Tech. In the fourth consolation round Alter stayed alive with a 6-2 decision over No. 9 Joe Gallegos of Cumberland University, then was sent to the seventh place match after losing to Lonnie Brown of Midland University in a 7-5 decision. In the seventh place match Alter took on Sears Tiernan of Great Falls. Alter was pinned in the first period and finishes the tournament as the eighth place wrestler. Alter ends his career at MVC with a record of 30-13 this season.
Also in the 285 pound bracket No. 12 Junior Dan Mueller (Collinsville, Ill.) earned a first round 12-4 major decision victory over Eric Gruis of Dakota Wesleyan University. Mueller was defeated in round two by No. 5 Scott Brasil of Menlo College in a 5-3 decision, and Mueller was knocked off in consolation round two with a 5-3 decision victory for No. 8 Sears Tiernan of Great Falls. Mueller ends the 2012-2013 season with a 27-15 record.
Ekster, Lawrence, Manu, and Alter all received all-America status for their efforts at the 2013 NAIA National Wrestling Tournament
ABOUT MISSOURI VALLEY COLLEGE
Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many
opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower
students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge‐based global society. MVC offers over
40 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and 13 sports. The most popular majors
include education and business, and the newest majors are nursing, graphic design, dance, and hospitality/tourism
management. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831‐4000 or visit
No comments:
Post a Comment