Four individual champions lead wrestling team at Muskegon Open

MUSKEGON, Mich. – The Olivet College wrestling team crowned four individual champions today at the Ben McMullen Open, hosted by Muskegon Community College.

• Overall, the Comets had 14 wrestlers finish in the top six of their respective weight class.
• The breakdown was four champions, two runner-ups, three third-place finishers, one fourth-place, two fifth-place finishers and two sixth-place finishers.
• No other school had more than two champions.
• The meet was unscored, as teams were allowed unlimited entries in each weight class.

• Sophomore Reese Wallis won the 141-pound title with a 5-0 record. He won his quarterfinal and semifinal matches by pin before edging DeAnte Evans from University of Toledo club team, 5-3, in the championship match.
• Junior Cole Hersch captured the 157-pound championship with a 5-0 record. Three of his wins were a major decision or better, including a 10-0 decision over Brandon Turner from Grand Valley State University in the title match.
• Junior Dylan Briggs posted a 4-0 record to win the 165-pound title. He won his first two matches by technical fall, and the next two by decision. Briggs beat Jayce Kuehnlein from Alma College, 11-4, in the championship match.
• At 285 pounds, sophomore Dominick Wilson and freshman Donovan King faced off in the championship match. King used a takedown and four-point near-fall late in the second period to beat Wilson, 11-7. King reached the title match by pinning his first three opponents in the first period, including Alex Trim from Muskegon in 24 seconds in the semifinals. That pin was the fastest in school history for the 285-pound weight class. The previous record was 27 seconds by Bob Fowler in 2001.
• Also finishing in second-place was sophomore Hunter Murphy at 149 pounds. He had two pins and a decision to reach the championship match, which he lost 3-1. A first-period takedown by Frankie Gissendanner from Niagara County Community College was the difference.
• Third-place performances were turned in by freshman Hayden Campbell at 141 pounds, freshman Jerry Hall at 165 pounds, and junior Adam Hall at 174 pounds.
• Senior Drew Mandell battled back to finish fourth at 149 pounds. After losing his first match, he won five straight matches, including three by fall and one by technical fall. His third win was a pin in 19 seconds to break his own school record for the fastest pin in the 149-pound weight class. Mandell could not wrestle the fifth-place match since he had reached the six-match rule.
• At 157 pounds, freshman Zach Wells and freshman Owen Guilford at 174 pounds placed fifth. Guilford had two pins and one technical fall.
• At 133 pounds, junior Bradley Payne and at 184 pounds, sophomore Hiram Robinson were sixth.

• The Comets participate in the Trine (Ind.) University Invitational next Saturday, Nov. 16.