MINNEAPOLIS (Blugolds.com) – Ten University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire wrestlers competed in the opening day of NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Regional Tournament on Friday afternoon.
The Blugolds are currently tied for fifth place with 57.5 points while host Augsburg University leads the field with 107.5.
At 125, Jack Marley (So. – Trempealeau/GET) received a first one bye and faced UW-Whitewater's Mike Tortorice in the quarterfinal where Marley was defeated by tech fall (TF-1.5 3:00 (16-0)). Marley received a bye in the consolation round.
Thomas Severson (So. - Marathon/D.C. Everest) was defeated in his first bout at 133 by fall (2:46) but won his next two matches, the first being a 9-5 decision over Luke Wallace of St. Olaf and a 7-3 decision over Jacob Prunty of Concordia-Moorhead.
At 141, Tyler Demo (So. – Loves Park, IL/Belvidere North) received a first round bye and was defeated in his first match by a 9-4 decision. In the consolation round, Demo tallied a 5-3 decision over Zane Strubler of Stevens Point.
Jake Drexler (So. - Stratford) opened the tournament with a 14-8 decision over Dylan Hanson of Saint John's at 149. He fell in his next bout by a 9-7 decision, but Drexler bounced back with a pin, defeating Brandon Lenczer of Oshkosh (Fall 6:45).
After a first round bye, Tristan Massie (Fr. – Hillsdale, WI/Barron) was pinned in his first match at 157 but recorded a pin of his own in his next match over Carson Cook of Concordia (WI) (Fall 1:18).
At 165 pounds, Chase Schmidt (Jr. – Rice Lake) pinned St. Olaf's Hadim Kon (0:40) but fell in his next two matches, the first by fall and the second by tech fall.
Evan Lawrence (Jr. - Hugo, MN/Mahtomedi) went 2-0 at 174 with two falls, the first coming against Jonathan Thomas of St. Olaf (0:29) and the second over Nick Dado of Platteville (1:48).
Grant Balconi (Sr. – Muskego) was defeated in his first round at 184 by tech fall but tallied a major decision over Jacob Scherber of Saint John's, 10-1. In his final match, Balconi lost by a 6-3 decision.
At 197, James Huntley (Jr. – Woodbury, MN/Stillwater) went 3-1 with two pins. In his first bout, the junior pinned Concordia's (WI) Charles Hindley at 1:01 before falling in his second match by major decision. In the consolation second round, Huntley recorded a fall over Victor Vargas of Elmhurst at 4:27.
At 285, Noah Carter (So. -Rochester, MN/Mayo) tallied two wins in as many matches, pinning Lakeland's Garret Hunt (4:02) and tallied a 4-1 decision over Augsburg's Tyler Kim.
Carter, Huntley, Lawrence, Massie, Drexler, Demo and Marley will all compete Saturday as they wrestle for a spot in the national tournament. The top three finishers in each weight class will advance to the 2020 NCAA Division III National Championships, which will be held March 13-14 at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
