PELLA, Iowa - The Loras College men's wrestling team faced off against Central College in an intense dual meet last night, with the Duhawks coming up just short against the Dutch, 16-15.

Wiley Jessup (125 lbs) set the tone early for the Purple and Gold in a thrilling match. After going back-and-forth, Jessup secured the victory after regulation due to a stall point stemming from his opponent's shoe coming untied, earning an 8-7 win to put Loras on the board.

At 133 lbs, Aiden Evans followed up with a clutch victory, battling hard and securing a last-second takedown for a narrow 3-1 decision to extend the Duhawk's early lead (6-0).

Central put itself on the board with a win at 141 pounds, but Chase Fiser (149 lbs) answered for the Duhawks with a 7-5 decision.

Momentum swayed in the Dutch's favor as they picked up back-to-back wins at 157 and 165 lbs. Bumping up a weight class, Dustin Bohren responded for the Purple and Gold with a decisive 8-2 victory at 174 lbs.

Unfortunately, Central secured another set of wins at 184 and 197 lbs to put them ahead 16-12 heading into heavyweight.

Needing a tech to win or a major to tie, Sage Walker (Hwt) found himself in a close match, snagging a 2-1 victory in ultimate tiebreakers, putting the final team score 16-15 in Central's favor.

The Duhawks have a quick turnaround as they travel to Mount Vernon, Iowa for the Cliff Keen-Mike Duroe Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 18. Wrestling is set to begin at 9 a.m.