Jason Bryant’s College Wrestling Wrap Sheet is a look at five topics from the world of college wrestling with highlights, things you know and things you don’t. Here’s the five for January 26, 2022.
McKendree prevails over UIndy
Josh Jones’ 4-1 victory over top-ranked Andrew Sams at 174 pounds was the big swing count that enabled fifth-ranked McKendree to beat seventh-ranked Indianapolis 18-14 in a tight Division II dual in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. UIndy was in position to pull off the modest upset as fourth-ranked Dawson Combest was pushed into overtime, but he scored the fall in sudden victory at 157 pounds. Third-ranked heavyweight Ian Kuehl ended up pulling things off at heavyweight knocking off UIndy’s Cale Gray 5-2.
Another win for the Vikings – of Grand View
Grand View extended its college wrestling win streak to 113 in a row after blanking Heart of America Conference rival Missouri Valley 53-0 on Wednesday. In a battle of Vikings, Grand View scored nine bonus victories, including Dante Tacchia’s second-period fall over 13th-ranked Joe Rice at 141 pounds. All-American Esco Walker, ranked No. 1 at 125 pounds for Grand View, teched 17th ranked Brayden Bradley, while the top matchup of the night came at heavyweight where top-ranked Greg Hagan edged eighth-ranked Josh Isaac 2-0. It’s Grand View’s 136th NAIA win in a row. What’s also nutty to think about is of those 136 straight wins over NAIA competition, 40 of them have been shutouts, that’s almost 30 percent for those of you math people out there.
Fire Up Dips!
Franklin & Marshall improved to 5-1 on the season after topping Centennial Conference rival Gettysburg. Wait, what? Yes, the two schools do hold a healthy rivalry across their Division III sports, but as many may know, Franklin & Marshall does field a Division I wrestling program. The Diplomats do pretty well against their Division III neighbors on the mat and Wednesday was no different in the 44-6 F&M win. Will Gill improved to 18-5 at 141 pounds for F&M, while 184-pounder James Conway won his 15th bout of the year with a technical fall.
Drury wins, sweet
A bit of a play on words with the Drury Inn & Suites, but the Panthers of Drury won again, topping Ouachita Baptist 33-17 in Division II action. All three ranked Drury wrestlers earned victories on the night – Brandon Borlinghous accepted a forfeit at 133 pounds, while eighth-ranked 141-pounder Peter Kuster pinned Hudson Herring while sixth-ranked Will Kuster earned a major decision at 165 pounds over Adrian Salazar. The Panthers are ranked 24th in the nation in Division II, the first ranking in school history.
Intra-state roundups
There were a number of intrastate battles across the country on Wednesday. In Division II, fifth-ranked Gannon topped Seton Hill 36-6. Second-ranked Dom Means earned a major decision at 149 pounds, while top-ranked Alex Farenchak just had to make weight, as he accepted a forfeit at 165 pounds. … In Missouri, Lindenwood shut out William Jewell 56-0. Jewell is in its first year since restoring the program that was dropped in the 1980s. Led by head coach Keenan Hagerty, the Cardinals are still looking for the program’s first win since firing back up. … In Virginia, Averett topped Washington & Lee 32-10, while in Iowa, NAIA Morningside topped Northwestern (obviously the one in Iowa) 34-12.
