Wrestling team posts 1-2 record at Kalahari Duals

SANDUSKY, Ohio – The No. 25-ranked Olivet College wrestling team posted a 1-2 record today at the 2019 Kalahari Duals, hosted by Heidelberg (Ohio) University and at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Sandusky, Ohio. The Comets slipped past University of Wis.-Oshkosh, 22-21, before falling to No. 7-ranked Baldwin Wallace (Ohio) University, 21-13, and No. 6-ranked University of Mount Union (Ohio), 28-18.

• The teams split the 10 bouts, with the outcome not decided until the conclusion of the final bout. The difference in the match was a major decision victory for Olivet at 157 pounds.
• The Titans won the first three bouts – two minor decisions and a pin – to take a 12-0 lead.
• The Comets cut the deficit in half when senior Drew Mandell pinned his opponent in the second period of the 149-pound match.
• Junior Cole Hersch made the score 12-10 after posting 9-1 decision at 157 pounds.
• Junior Dylan Briggs put Olivet ahead 13-12 with a 4-2 decision at 165 pounds. An escape point and takedown in the second period was the difference in the bout.
• Wis.-Oshkosh went ahead, 18-13, on a pin in the 174-pound bout.
• Senior Kamyab Kamali gave the lead back to the Comets, 19-18. He pinned his opponent at the 1:27 mark of the 184-pound bout.
• A close 3-2 loss in the 197-pound bout helped the Titans take a 21-19 lead.
• Sophomore Owen Miller scored takedown in overtime to win the 285-pound bout, 3-1.

• The Yellow Jackets won 6-of-10 bouts. Eight of the bouts were minor decisions and six of the eight were decided by two or one point.
• BW started the match with a 3-0 win at 125 pounds and a pin at 133 pounds.
• Sophomore Reese Wallis picked-up Olivet's first three points with a 4-2 decision at 141 pounds, with a takedown in the second period being the difference.
• Mandell used a takedown and four-point near-fall to pull away for a 12-4 major decision at 149 pounds.
• The Yellow Jackets claimed a 9-6 win at 157 pounds and 4-3 win at 165 pounds to extend their lead to 15-7.
• Freshman Owen Guilford won 2-0 at 174 pounds. The only points of the match were a takedown in the first period.
• BW posted two decision wins – 3-2 at 184 pounds and 5-3 at 197 pounds – to go ahead 21-10 and seal its win.
• Sophomore Dominick Wilson closed the match with a 2-0 victory at 285 pounds. His points were an escape to start the second period and riding time point at the end of the match.

• The Purple Raiders won 6-of-10 bouts, scoring bonus points in four of the wins.
• Junior Cameron Mahlich posted a 4-3 win at 125 pounds.
• Mount Union won by major decision at 133 pounds and fall at 141 pounds to go up 10-3.
• Mandell got three team points back when he scored a reversal in the final seconds to win 10-8 at 149 pounds.
• Four straight Purple Raiders wins – two pins and two minor decisions – pushed their lead to 28-6.
• The Comets closed the match with back-to-back pins. The first was by junior Trevor Piggott at 197 pounds and Wilson at 285 pounds.

• The Comets are off until Tuesday, January 7, 2020, when it hosts Adrian College for a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association dual match, starting at 7 p.m. It is Olivet's annual benefit match, with $1 from each admission and donations being accepted for the Ronald McDonald House of Western Michigan.