LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Jan. 10, 2020) - The fourth-ranked Loras College wrestling team advanced to the semifinals of the NWCA National Duals on Friday thanks to a pair of wins over ranked opponents in No. 15 RIT (38-3) and No. 14 NYU (21-12). On Saturday, the Duhawks square off against top-ranked Augsburg for a spot in the championship.

No. 4 Loras vs. No. 15 RIT
The Duhawks wasted little time in staking a lead in their opening dual against No. 15 RIT. A forfeit at 125# pushed Loras in front for good right from the start and never looked back. In a pair of highly-contested bouts, Brandon Murray and Eddie Smith each pulled upsets to fuel the Duhawks. Murray upset No. 3 Kaidon Winters of RIT by major decision, 15-3, only to be followed by Smith's exhilarating performance that required extra time, as he defeated No. 2 Dempsey King, 7-6. No. 6 Clint Lembeck and No. 4 Jacob Krakow added wins by fall while No. 8 Shane Liegel cruised to a 15-1 major decision.

No. 4 Loras vs. No. 14 NYU
Fresh off an upset of No. 5 Mount Union, the Violets held a lead over the Duhawks after five bouts, following an upset at 157#, in favor of NYU. Smith proved to be the catalyst that flipped the script back in favor of the Purple & Gold thanks to a 15-0 tech fall at 165#. From there, Krakow handed No. 9 Izaake Zuckerman a setback by major decision, 13-5, and Liegel added a win by decision at 184#, 10-5, putting Loras in front for good.