FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Duhawks.com) – Knowing they were going to be shorthanded heading into the weekend, the Loras Wrestling team put forth great performances across the board to finish the NWCA Duals at 2-2. Guided by the leadership of senior Steven DeWitt and junior Nick Steger, Loras earned a victory at each weight class throughout the four matches, with DeWitt and Steger each finishing with four.
 
#24 Loras vs. #25 Heidelberg
 
Making his first start on varsity, freshman Dayton Olson got Loras off on the right foot against Heidelberg, scoring a 7-3 decision over Ty Price.  Olson kept his nerves in check and stayed in control against Price. At 133#, freshman Michael Triplett built on the momentum started by Olson, pinning Joe Brodman in 4:38, giving Loras a strong 9-0 lead.
 
After a fall by Steger at 141#, Heidelberg earned their first points of the day on a narrow victory at 149#. Freshman Jimmy Davis couldn't quite secure the victory against Damon Cheek, falling 7-6.
 
DeWitt, like usual, made easy work for himself at 157#, cruising to a 19-10 victory over Tyler Fahrer. The win moved DeWitt's current streak to nine, but it wouldn't stop there. The victory gave Loras an added team point due to the major decision.
 
Making his first appearance in the starting lineup since November 8, junior Greg Vance did what he could against Aaron Banko, but couldn't quite seal the deal, falling 6-5.
 
Losses by senior Joe Butler at 174# and Awais Arain at 184 setup a crucial showdown for Watson at 197 against Ricky Bruce. Leading 19-12, Watson scored a 10-3 decision to seal the team victory for the Duhawks. Loras forfeited at 285# and took the victory 22-18.
 
#24 Loras vs. #1 UW-Whitewater
 
The winner's prize for the opening victory was a showdown with top-ranked UW-Whitewater. The Warhawks entered the NWCA Duals with a perfect 7-0 record and with five of their starting 10 ranked in the latest NWCA poll.
 
Once again, Loras turned to Olson to get them started, and just like against Heidelberg, Olson stood up to the task and scored a 5-3 decision. A loss by Triplett at 141 was answered at 149 by Steger with a 3-1 win over No. 8 Matt Adcock.
 
Facing the second-ranked wrestler at 149# in Elroy Perkin, Davis was kept in check and off the scoreboard, falling 11-0.
 
In what would be DeWitt's closest match of the day, Tom Gerszewski stepped into the circle and kept DeWitt in check, more so at least than any opponent has against DeWitt since November 22. That weekend, DeWitt suffered his only two defeats this season, and scored his only decision, a 9-2 victory over Santonio Cathery of Wisconsin.
 
Following DeWitt's 8-4 victory, Loras dropped their next four decisions and forfeited at 285#, falling to UW-Whitewater 32-9.
 
#24 Loras vs. #26 New York University
 
Battling to stay alive in the consolation bracket, the Duhawks squared off against New York University, who lost to Olivet 19-16.
 
Olson suffered his first setback of the day, putting Loras down 3-0 entering the match at 133#. Triplett responded in strong fashion, controlling the "funk" style of Nathan Pike to win 14-9. On multiple occasions, Triplett exercised his flexibility and range of motion to prevent Pike from rolling out of holds down on the mat.
 
Steger made it look easy against Nicholas Matthews at 141#, racking up nearly three minutes of riding time in the opening period. Despite attempts to roll Matthews to his back, Steger remained heavy in the hips and on the wrists, never giving Matthews an opportunity to crawl back into the match as Steger won handedly 11-2.
 
Head coach Randy Steward inserted sophomore Evan Weaver into the lineup at 149# and immediately reaped its benefits, as Weaver scored a 15-6 major decision over Matt Coppola at 149#.
 
Attempting to follow suit with that of Weaver, DeWitt added his third win of the day with a 20-10 statement against Matthew DiGiovanni. Once again, DeWitt left no doubt that his main goal for the weekend was to make a statement each and every time he took the mat.
 
At 165#, Vance battled his way to a 4-4 draw nearing the end of regulation. Expecting to go to overtime, Vance benefited from an illegal hold call on Raymond Jazikoff which gave him one point and the victory when time expired.
 
Butler found paydirt at 174#, defeating Gaaret Marinelli 9-5. The winning trend came to a halt at 184# as Arain was blanked 9-0 by Patrick Sheehan.
 
With the dual victory in hand, Watson went the distance against Brian Anderson, securing a 3-1 decision in the end.
 
For the second time this season, freshman Connor Swier scored a fall at 285# over Ryland O'Brien in 6:24 of match time. Swier's victory sealed the win for the Duhawks, 30-7.
 
#24 Loras vs. #11 Cornell
 
The Duhawks dropped their first two decisions against Cornell, but responded to tie it at nine after 157#, where DeWitt scored a fall over Aaron Engle.
 
Back-to-back wins for the Rams at 165 and 174 made it 16-9 heading into the bout at 184#.
 
For the first time in his career, Arain earned a win at 184# to cut into the Cornell lead. Arain's ability to control the tempo allowed for him to extend his riding time and prevent James Garret from successfully mounting a comeback.
 
Watson's win at 197 set the stage for Swier to be the hero at 285, but Eric Tucker proved to be too much as he put Swier to his back and finished the pin to give Cornell the 22-15 victory.
 
Despite finishing 2-2 overall, Steward had many positives to take from the day.
 
"I thought we battled hard all day long. With everything that we've been through this season, we're still showing that we have that fight to go out and win."
 
Loras hosts Central College on Thursday evening in the Athletic & Wellness Center. The Dutch are currently ranked No. 29 in the latest NWCA Poll.