Wrestling team splits four matches at NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 17-ranked Olivet College wrestling team split four matches today at the 2019 National Wrestling Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Multi-Divisional National Duals inside the Kentucky Convention in Louisville. The Comets defeated Johns Hopkins (Md.) University, 30-13, in the first round before losing to No. 4 Ithaca (N.Y.) College, 29-6. Olivet rebounded to beat Heidelberg (Ohio) University, 26-16, in the consolation bracket. The Comets bowed out of the duals with a 27-15 loss to No. 16 University of Wis.-Whitewater.

• Olivet won 7-of-10 bouts, scoring bonus points in five of the victories.
• Junior Garret Cleveland started the match with a 9-1 major decision at 125 pounds.
• The Bluejays won the next two bouts via pin and major decision to go up 10-4.
• Junior Drew Mandell leveled the team score quickly with a pin 30 seconds into the second period of the 149-pound bout.
• Junior Cole Hersch upset a returning NCAA Championship qualifier, 13-2, at 157 pounds.
• Sophomore Dylan Briggs claimed a 6-1 decision at 165 pounds.
• Sophomore Adam Hall scored a penalty point in overtime to slip past his opponent, 2-1, at 174 pounds.
• Isaac Morales from Johns Hopkins won a close 4-3 decision at 184 pounds.
• Two freshmen sealed the Comets' victory. Austin Engle posted a 12-3 major decision at 197 pounds, and Owen Miller recorded a first-period pin in 44 seconds at 285 pounds.

• The Bombers rolled to the 29-6 victory via wins in eight bouts.
• Mandell came-from-behind for a 12-8 decision at 149 pounds. He gave up an early takedown and four back points to fall behind 6-0. Mandell got out for the escape and scored a takedown later in the first period to cut his deficit in half. He out-scored his opponent, 6-2, in the second period to take a 9-8 lead into the final period. Mandell was down to start the third period, and scored a quick reversal to go up 11-8 before a penalty point gave him his final point.
• Junior Haydn Kinjorski won a 4-3 decision at 174 pounds. The difference in the bout was a takedown with 48 seconds left in the third period.

• Olivet picked-up wins in 6-of-10 bouts, including four straight in the middle of the match, for the 26-16 win.
• Sophomore Cameron Mahlich started the match off with a 6-4 decision at 125 pounds. He used two takedowns in the third stanza to break a 2-2 tie at the start of the period.
• The Student Princes won back-to-back close decisions, 6-4 in overtime and 1-0, to take a 6-3 lead.
• Mandell put the Comets back on top, 9-6, with a first-period pin in 39 seconds.
• At 157 pounds, Hersch extended Olivet's lead to 15-6 by pinning his opponent with 23 seconds remaining in the opening period.
• Senior Tyler Grimsley posted a 20-5 technical fall win at 165 pounds.
• Kinjorski scored a takedown in the first and second periods for a 4-2 victory at 174 pounds. The win pushed the Comets' lead to 23-6.
• Heidelberg earned wins at 184 and 197 pounds to close the gap to 23-16.
• Miller capped Olivet's win with a 5-3 win at 285 pounds. His opponent received a penalty point and escape to tie the match before Miller took him down with four seconds left to claim the win.

• The Warhawks won the first three bouts via a technical fall, major decision and decision to take a 12-0 lead. The Comets took a 15-12 lead with a pin and three straight minor decisions. Whitewater won the final three matches, two by pin and the third by decision.
• Mandell won his fourth match of the day with another first-period pin at 1:59. With the win, he improves to 16-1 this season. Eleven of his wins have been pins, with eight being recorded in the first period.
• Hersch shutout his opponent, 3-0, with a first-period takedown being the deciding points in the bout.
• Grimsley hung on for a 3-2 victory at 165 pounds.
• Kinjorski posted a 6-2 win at 174 pounds.

UP NEXT

• The Comets host Trine (Ind.) University next Thursday, Jan. 10, for the first Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) match of the season. Action inside the Cutler Event Center gets under way at 7 p.m. The match is Olivet's lone home dual for the rest of the year, so the team would like to pack the stands with students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of OWC.
• In 2019, the MIAA is sponsoring wrestling for the first time since the 1983-84 season.