Brew and Vanderhyde help wrestling team win team title at ONU Invitational

Behind first-place finishes by seniors Jason Brew (Sparta) and Kyle Vanderhyde (Sparta), the Olivet College wrestling team finished in first-place (out of 19 schools) today at the Ohio Northern University (ONU) Invitational in Ada, Ohio. The tournament field consisted of four NCAA Division II schools, three NAIA schools and 12 NCAA Division III schools. For his efforts, Brew was selected as the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler.

The Comets collected 128 points to beat the host Polar Bears by 17 points. West Liberty (W.Va.) College, No. 14 in the NCAA D2 rankings, was third with 108 points. Limestone (S.C.) College, No. 16, in the NCAA D2 rankings was fourth with 104.5 points, followed by Trine (Ind.) University with 97 points.

Brew captured the 157-pound championship with four wins. In his first match, he pinned Waynesburg's Jared Roberts in 5:00 and followed that with a 12-5 win over University of Indianapolis' Bryce Givens. In the semifinals, Brew beat Ohio Northern's Luke Miller, 7-5 and in the championship match, he defeated Heidelberg's Zach Mizer, 7-0.

With the championship, Brew is a three-time ONU champion and a two-time ONU Outstanding Wrestler. In addition, the win in the championship was his 100th career victory at Olivet.

Vanderhyde also brought home a championship at 174 pounds. He had three straight wins (1:16, 22-7, 12-5) to advance to championship match against West Liberty's Brandon Neifeld. Vanderhyde took the championship when Neifeld was unable to wrestle.

Sophomore Vince Tucker (Clio) placed second at 141 pounds. He had four straight wins (20-5, 9-4, 15-5, 5-1) to advance to championship match against West Libery's Doug Surra, who pinned him in 4:01. Despite not being an unseeded wrestler, junior Joe Bargerstock (Livonia/Churchill) had a 3-2 record at 184 pounds, which placed him fourth.

Junior 149-pounder Nick Leon (Sterling Heights/Henry Ford II) recorded a 5-2 record to finish in fifth-place. Sophomore 165-pounder Jim Neal (Marysville) had a 4-2 record, which placed him seventh. Junior 197-pounder Joe Yurisich (Battle Creek/Harper Creek) was eighth with a 3-3 record.

Sophomore Adam Wilson (Battle Creek/Harper Creek) did not place with a 1-2 record at 125 pounds. Junior 133-pounder Blair Mellish (Silverwood/North Branch) had a 3-2 record but did not place. After losing his first match, he came back with three straight wins (24-12, 4:22, 4:31). Wrestling for the first time this season, junior 285-pounder Sean Misko (Casco/Richmond) had a 2-2 record but did not place.

Olivet will return to action this Thursday, Dec. 18, when it hosts University of Chicago. The match is being held at Sparta High School, and it gets started at 7 p.m.