Wrestling team posts 3-1 record on day one of NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Olivet College wrestling team posted a 3-1 record on the first day of the 2018 NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals held today inside the War Allen Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Comets beat Augustana (Ill.) College, 27-16, in the first round before suffering a 46-3 loss to Wartburg (Iowa) College. Olivet bounced back to defeat New York University, 28-14, and Wheaton (Ill.) College, 24-18.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS. AUGUSTANA

• The Comets won 6-of-10 individual matches, scoring bonus points in five.
• Freshman Cameron Mahlich started the match by picking-up a forfeit victory at 125 pounds.
• With the 133-pound match tied at 6-6 entering the third period, freshman Spencer Fox chose the down position. He was able to get out to pick-up the escape point and then scored a takedown in the final seconds to secure the win.
• The Vikings got three team points back with a close 6-5 decision at 141 pounds.
• Sophomore Drew Mandell jumped out to a 12-0 lead before settling for a 15-3 major decision at 149 pounds.
• Again, Augustana answered with its own major decision to make the team score 13-7 in favor of Olivet.
• Junior Tyler Grimsley, ranked No. 5 in the most recent NWCA poll at 165 pounds, took down his opponent four times before a fifth takedown allowed him to get the pin two minutes and 25 seconds into the match.
• Sophomore Haydn Kinjorski overwhelmed his man to win 11-2 at 174 pounds.
• The Vikings claimed a 25-9 technical fall win at 184 pounds to keep their chances alive.
• Senior Ryan Clark sealed the Comets' win with a 10-2 major decision at 197 pounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS. WARTBURG

• The Knights, ranked No. 1 in the NWCA Top 25 poll, flexed their muscles to win nine individual matches and scored bonus points in all except one.
• Senior Jared Brickley had the Comets' only win, a 9-2 decision at 125 pounds.

AGAINST NEW YORK U

• Olivet won six of the 10 individual matches, scoring the maximum number of bonus points in half.
• The Comets got off to a fast start by recording pins in the first two matches. Brickley posted his in the third period at five minutes and 53 seconds, and Fox was even faster in the first period at one minute and 24 seconds.
• The Violets cut their deficit to two points, 12-10, with back-to-back minor decisions at 141 (10-4) and 149 (11-9) pounds and 12-3 major decision at 157 pounds.
• Olivet countered with three straight wins.
• Grimsley was down 6-2 to start the third period, but out-scored his opponent, 6-1, in the last period to win, 8-7. The winning points were a takedown with 23 seconds left.
• Kinjorski won an 8-3 decision.
• Clark posted a 15-7 major decision at 184 pounds.
• After a shutout loss at 197 pounds, sophomore Jalen McFerrin-Pace closed the match with a forfeit victory at 285 pounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS. WHEATON

• The Comets earned wins in six individual matches. The difference in the match was two pins for Olivet.
• Following a close loss in the 125-pound match, Fox used a takedown in each period to pull away for a 9-4 win at 133 pounds and even the team score at 3-3.
• At 141 pounds, senior Dean Roberts was trailing 3-0 in the second period before getting a takedown and tilt for a pin at the 4:27 mark.
• At 149 pounds, Mandell kept the momentum going as he recorded a first-period pin at one minute and 54 seconds.
• Despite giving up more than three minutes of riding time, senior John Leark got a takedown in the overtime period to win, 11-9, at 157 pounds.
• Two Thunder pins at 165 and 184 pounds were sandwiched around a 14-9 decision for Kinjorski at 174 pounds.
• Clark used a takedown in the second period and escape point to start the third period to win 3-2 at 197 pounds.

UP NEXT

• The Comets will wrestle North Central (Ill.) College tomorrow morning. The winner of the match is guaranteed a top eight team finish.