FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The second ranked Indiana Tech wrestling team opened up the first day of competition at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Multi-Divisional Duals "Mat Mayhem" presented by the United States Marine Corps in honor of Cliff Kleen at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum with a pair of victories that puts them in the semifinals and assures them of their best-ever finish at the duals.
The Warriors opened the duals by defeating (RV) University of the Cumberlands, 33-17, their second victory over the Patriots in less than a month.
Mitch Pawlak (125 pounds) and
Travis Barroquillo (133) got Tech going early with falls at 1:29 and 4:17, respectively, to jump out to a 12-0 lead.
The Patriots would respond with victories at 141 and 149 to cut the deficit to 12-10, but
Chase Hack got the Orange and Black back on track with a fall at 4:38 in the 157 pound bout to increase the lead to 18-10.
John Weldon earned a 8-2 decision at 165 pounds while
Tyler Goldman (174) and
LJ Grayson (184) both recorded falls at 4:33 and 5:38, respectively.
While the Patriots would win at 197 and 285, it would not be enough to close the gap as the Warriors advanced to the quarterfinals, where seventh ranked Oklahoma City was waiting. The Stars defeated No. 16 Midland in their first round matchup, 37-13.
Pawlak dropped his match to 14
th ranked Adrian Gaines in a 10-9 decision, but Barroquillo would get a technical fall over eighth ranked Parker Bohannan to put the Warriors up 5-3. A loss by
Matthew Miller put the Stars up again, but
Justin Atkinson would earn a fall at 3:57 in the 149 pound bout while Hack won in a 15-2 major decision to Tech up 14-6.
Oklahoma City would get three points at 165 but
Jacob Johnson picked up at fall at 4:32 while Grayson edged out a hard-fought 2-1 decision over eighth ranked Derek Sivertsen to put the Orange and Black up 24-9 with two matches to go.
The Stars would win the final two matches of the dual, but it was the Warriors who would be advancing to the semifinals with a 24-18 victory.
Tech will now face third ranked Missouri Baptist College on Saturday at 11 a.m. on mat six in Expo Center III at the Coliseum. If
Thomas Pompei's squad defeats the Vikings, they will then battle for the championship with the winner of No. 1 Grand View and No. 5 Campbellsville at 4:30 p.m. in the Coliseum arena. Should the Warriors fall, they will take on the loser of the two at 1 p.m. in the third place match on mat 12 in Expo Center III.
Links to live scoring and video (subscription required) will be available at IndianaTechWarriors.com.
