El-Sayed’s championship helps wrestling team place second at Mid-States Invitational

Led by senior Youssef El-Sayed’s championship in the 285-pound bracket, the Olivet College wrestling team placed second of eight teams at the 2016 Mid-States Invitational, hosted by Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio.

Results
El-Sayed’s championship helps wrestling team place second at Mid-States Invitational
February 13, 2016

ADA, Ohio – Led by senior Youssef El-Sayed's championship in the 285-pound bracket, the Olivet College wrestling team placed second of eight teams at the 2016 Mid-States Invitational, hosted by Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio.

The Comets scored 119.5 points. Wabash (Ind.) College won the team title with 205.0 points. Heidelberg (Ohio) University was third with 113 points, followed by Adrian College, 98.5; Manchester (Ind.) University, 76.0; Alma College, 72.0; Trine (Ind.) University, 41.5; and Ohio Northern, 19.0. Most of the teams rested the majority of their top wrestlers in preparation for the NCAA regionals in two weeks.

El-Sayed posted a 4-0 record in the bracket. He started the day by pinning Sam Mattingly from Wabash in 45 seconds. El-Sayed then won 3-2 over Tyler Prater from Trine and picked-up an injury default win against Napoleon Bell from Heidelberg. El-Sayed used two reversals to win the championship match, 4-0 over Paul Snyder from Wabash.

Freshman Tyler Grimsley had a 3-1 record to finish in second-place in the 165-pound bracket. He won three straight major decisions – 12-4, 13-4 and 22-8 – to reach the championship match against top seed Connor Brummett from Wabash. Grimsley lost the match, 3-1, with a takedown by Brummett late in the first period being the difference.

Olivet had four wrestlers finish in the top eight of the 157-pound bracket. Junior Kevin Papak led the way with a runner-up performance. He won his first match with a 17-1 technical fall and followed that with back-to-back major decisions, 18-8 and 11-2. In the championship match, Papak was pinned by top seed Kellen VanCamp from Wabash.

Junior Lake Bennett was third. He started his day with two consecutive tech falls, 16-0 and 16-1. Bennett was pinned by VanCamp in the semifinals before pinning Noah Messerall from Heidelberg in his first consolation bracket match. Bennett then defeated Brian Brunner from Heidelberg, 8-1, in the third-place match.

Junior Kyle Carter won four matches to place third at 197 pounds. In the first round, he pinned Myron Howard from Wabash and in the quarterfinals, he beat Eric Mason from Alma, 12-5. Carter was pinned by the top seed in the semifinals. He bounced back to pin his first opponent in the consolation bracket before beating Mason, again, 9-4, in the third-place match.

Senior Nicholas Africano was fourth in the 174-pound bracket. He pinned Chris Wilson from Wabash in the first round and posted a 15-0 technical fall victory over Arthur Slayt in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Africano lost a close 3-2 decision to Grant Gough from Wabash. In the consolation bracket, he won by medical forfeit before getting pinned in the third-place match.

Senior Garrett Hyatt placed fourth at 285 pounds. After pinning Nick Hogenbirk from Ohio Northern in the first round, he dropped a 12-8 decision to Joe Stasiak from Trine. Down in the consolation bracket, Hyatt had back-to-back first period pins followed by a medical forfeit win to reach the third-place match. Jake Barclay from Wabash beat Hyatt, 9-5.

Other top-eight finishers for the Comets were:

The Comets return to the mat Saturday, Feb. 27, at the 2016 NCAA Division III Midwest Regional. Wabash (Ind.) College is the host school. The top three finishers in each weight class will advance to the 2016 NCAA Division III National Championships March 11-12 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.