INDIANOLA, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – With everything that the Loras College Wrestling program has endured over the last month, they were looking for a strong statement this weekend at the Iowa Conference Duals. Despite leaving with a 1-2 record, the Duhawks showed great resolve and dedication to the program, resulting in promising individual results.
In their first dual of the day, Loras opened with six straight victories to jump out to a 26-0 lead on Simpson.
Freshman Michael Triplett scored three takedowns in the first period against Zach Johnson and used the momentum to stay ahead the rest of the way. After surrendering a takedown in the second period, Triplett earned an escape and kept Johnson at bay to win 7-4.
Competing for the first time since the NWCA National Duals due to sickness, junior Nick Steger pounced on Devan Berrian from the opening whistle and never looked back. Leading 2-1 going into the second period, Steger chose down and scored an escape, followed by a takedown before securing the pin at the 3:00 mark to earn six team points.
Weaver tacked on three team points with his 7-2 decision over Jonathon Melton using a reversal and two takedowns to his advantage.
At 157#, senior Steven DeWitt punished Jake Mize with a technical fall thanks to seven takedowns, two three-point near-falls and a two-point near-fall. While the five team points wouldn't make or break Loras' effort, DeWitt added to his resume with his 19th victory by major decision, technical fall or pin.
Sophomore Greg Vance, wrestling in just his 10th match of the year, earned an 8-1 decision over Brian Haynes.
Freshman Awais Arain held on for a 4-3 win over Eric Quador to give the Plainfield, Illinois product his eighth win of the year.
Tying up loose ends for the Duhawks at 197 and 285 was junior Malcolm Watson, who scored an 11-2 major decision over Ethan Calvert and Connor Swier won by fall in 4:02 to cap the scoring and give the Duhawks the 39-4 dual victory.
"I was very pleased with our effort right out of the gate," Head Coach Randy Steward said. "We came out and took it right to them, which was very positive to see from our team."
In their next dual, Loras faced No. 9 Coe, who was edged by Luther College in their first dual of the day.
Freshman Dayton Olson, who has taken over the starter's role at 125# with the absence of Vinny Elizalde, narrowly missed out on victory against Jan Rosenburg, falling 3-2.
"Dayton has really showed us a lot this year," Steward said. "He never gives up and has the drive and the potential to be a great wrestler."
At 133#, Triplett added his second win of the day, a 13-6 decision over Mike Gunnarson. Similar to his approach against Johnson of Simpson, Triplett attacked from the start, scoring three takedowns in the opening frame. Later, in the second period, Triplett added another takedown and converted it to a three-point near-fall to cap his win.
All Steger needed at 141# was a second period escape and a takedown in the third period to dispose of Luke Kremer. While the score line shows a close battle, Steger was in control most of the match.
"Some kids come out and want to keep things close against Nick so that they don't expose themselves and get scored on," Steward said. "But even if that's the case, Nick knows how to control a match and that's exactly what he did."
Weaver earned his second win of the day at 149# with a 7-5 decision over Josh Donkle. With a healthy 7-2 lead heading into the third period, Weaver might have taken the foot off the pedal to quickly as Donkle scored an escape and a takedown to cut the lead to 7-5, but Weaver held on for the win.
At 157#, DeWitt handled business as usual, this time by fall over Nick Ramirez. In only three minutes of match time, DeWitt scored six takedowns and a three-point near-fall. Ramirez did manage to score five points but all came as a result of DeWitt cutting him free.
For Vance at 165# his next opponent checked in as the No. 1 wrestler in Division III, Farai Sewera. Sewera attacked early and often, scoring two takedowns and a three-point near-fall in the first period. Even though he was down early, Vance never gave in, fighting until the end and kept Sewera at only a major decision, 11-3.
Watson just narrowly missed out late in the third period against Donnie Horner with a takedown, which sent the bout to overtime. In sudden victory, Watson took his foot off the gas pedal for a second and Horner took advantage, scoring a takedown and earning the 3-1 decision.
After a tech fall by Nick Elsbury over Swier at 285#, Coe earned the 25-15 dual victory.
In their third and final dual of the day, Loras took on Luther who was looking to go a perfect 3-0 on the day. By the way the bouts went early on, however, Loras had plans of their own.
Olson was finally rewarded for his efforts, scoring a sudden victory of his own at 125# over Julian Gendreau. In regulation neither wrestler was able to score or secure riding time, only manage escapes in the second and third period. Olson scored a takedown in the first overtime to give Loras three team points of finish his day with a win.
At 133#, Triplett squared off against Evan Obert who has spent time in the top-10 rankings this season. Rather than sit back and wrestle defensively, Triplett attempted to throw Obert and in the process got himself caught, resulting in Obert scoring a takedown and a three-point near-fall.
"Even though he lost 9-0, I'm proud of how Trip battled out there," Steward said. "He could have very easily sat back but instead he saw an opportunity to make something happen and he went after it. Even though it didn't pan out, I like to see that sort of hunger in a freshman."
In what would have been a showdown of the No. 2 and No. 6 wrestlers at 141#, Drew Van Anrooy of Luther did not weigh-in on Saturday, resulting in Steger wrestling Brian Burchett and scoring a 6-0 decision. Steger finished the day 3-0 and is now 18-0 on the year.
Luther scored one of their three falls at 149#, as Dakota Gray put Weaver to his back with an early takedown, securing the pin just 31 seconds in.
DeWitt moved his winning streak to 17 with a close-fought 5-3 decision over Tristan Zurfluh. Zurfluh, who came into the bout with a 14-12 record, was 2-0 on the day against Coe and Simpson. Compared to what DeWitt has seen most of the year, Zurfluh came at him with a different approach and fought hard on the hands, which helped to keep the bout close.
"It's good for Steven to have some close matches," Steward said. "While it's great to see him out there dominating guys left and right, these close matches keep you grounded and on your toes."
Vance followed suit at 165#, scoring a 7-5 win in another hard fought battle.
"That was a huge win for Vance," Steward said. "Letney is one of the better wrestlers on that Luther squad so I'm hoping this can be a confidence builder for Vance going forward."
Luther added pins at 174 and 184 to take a 22-15 lead heading into the 197# match.
Watson kept control of the match, but just couldn't score enough to widen the gap. In the end, his escape and takedown in the second period proved to be enough to get the 3-2 decision.
Leading 22-15 and having already won the dual, Luther opted for their backup at 285# to face Swier. The change in opponent had no effect on Swier as he went out and scored a major decision, 15-5 to make the final dual score 22-19.
"Connor has really been a breath of fresh air for this team," Steward said. "He's got a great positive attitude everyday and he's always willing to go out and do anything for the team."
With a little over a month until the NCAA Regionals on February 28, the Duhawks now turn their attention to their final three duals, beginning with Cornell next Thursday. At the NWCA National Duals, Cornell sent Loras home with a 22-15 win and the Duhawks will be looking for payback. This weekend, the Rams went 3-0 at the Border Brawl Duals, besting North Central, UW-Oshkosh, and Concordia-Wisconsin.
