PELLA, Iowa (Jan. 12, 2023) – A top-15 battle didn't exactly live up to the hype on Thursday night as No. 12 Loras College wrestling dominated No. 11 Central College for an easy 38-9 road victory to improve to 2-0 in conference duals.

The Duhawks (11-3, 2-0 A-R-C) took the hurt to the higher-ranked Dutch (4-2, 2-2 A-R-C) squad as a string of three straight pins toward the end of the match put the clamps on a victory that went Loras' way from the opening whistle.

Senior Jared Hensley steadily worked his way to a major decision win in the 125-lb bout, taking it 11-2 over Central's Cory Hoyle to start things off right for the Duhawks. Graduate student Mason McMillen took home a win by forfeiture in the 133-lb bout before Pierre Baldwin took Central's first of two victories with a 5-1 decision over sophomore Kolten Crawford at 141-lbs.

The fun stopped there for the Dutch as Loras won each of the next six bouts to pull away in emphatic fashion. The run started with a 6-2 decision at 149-lbs for junior Jalen Schropp, who took down 13^th-ranked Rob Areyano before senior Zeke Smith pitched a shutout as the sixth-ranked wrestler at 157-lbs cruised past Central's Luke Condy for an 8-0 major decision, boosting the Duhawks to a 17-3 lead at the halfway point of the match.

Another decision, this time from senior Gabe Fiser at 165-lbs, set the stage for a stretch of three straight pins for the Duhawks, starting with junior Zeb Gnida disposing of Central's Austin Roos in the opening round of their 174-lb matchup.

Senior Shane Liegel, the top-ranked 184-lb wrestler in the National Wresting Coaches Association (NWCA) rankings, followed suit with a quick takedown of his own as he claimed victory over eighth-ranked Peyton Hammerich. Senior Derek Venteicher capped the Duhawk scoring run with an upset victory over eighth-ranked Gage Linahon at 197-lbs, sending Loras to upwards of 35 points in a dual for the sixth time this season.

With the match in hand, Central's Miles Berg pinned Duhawk junior Charlie Langeberg in the heavyweight bout to send the final score to 38-9.

Loras has a quick turnaround for its next action as they Duhawks head to Cornell College's Cliff Keen-Mike Dunroe Invitational this Saturday, Jan. 14, starting at 9 A.M. in Mount Vernon, Iowa.