Wrestling team posts 3-1 record at Desert Duals

The Olivet College wrestling team made the first-ever trip to the Desert Duals in school history a memorable one, as it posted a 3-1 record inside the ballrooms at the Flamingo Las Vegas. Olivet, ranked No. 23 in the latest NWCA Top 30 poll, won three straight matches – Concordia (Wisc.) University (34-12), No. 18 Williams (Mass.) College (27-18) and No. 20 Johnson & Wales (R.I.) University (26-15) – before losing to No. 2 Coe (Iowa) College, 26-16.

Leading the way for the Comets was sophomore 141-pounder Vince Tucker (Clio) and senior 157-pounder Jason Brew (Sparta), who won all four of his matches. Senior 174-pounder Kyle Vanderhyde (Sparta) finished with a 3-1 record. Sophomore 165-pounder Jim Neal (Marysville) also posted a 3-1 record.

Junior 285-pounder Sean Misko (Casco/Richmond) lost an overtime decision in his first match and bounced back to win three consecutive matches by pin, including two in the first period. Junior 197-pounder Joe Yurisich (Battle Creek/Harper Creek) won two matches by fall.

Against Concordia, the Comets won seven-of-10 matches, earning team bonus points in six of the wins. Senior Kyle Labrecque (Battle Creek/Lakeview) and junior Blair Mellish (Silverwood/North Branch) posted major decision victories at 125 (9-0) and 133 (11-3) pounds, respectively.

Tucker followed with a third-period pin (6:20) at 141 pounds. Brew pinned his opponent in 2:31, and Neal recorded a 9-6 minor decision win.

Vanderhyde accumulated enough points to post a technical fall victory at the end of the second period. Junior Joe Bargerstock (Livonia/Churchill) put the final six points on the scoreboard when he pinned his opponent with eight seconds left in the first period.

Against Williams, Olivet was propelled to victory with wins by fall in the last two weight classes. Tucker put the first three team points on the scoreboard for the Comets with an 8-5 win. Brew added four team points to the score, recording a 12-4 major decision victory. Neal followed with a 5-3 win.

Vanderhyde gave Olivet a 15-12 lead when he posted his second straight win by technical fall in 6:10. Williams took the lead back, 18-15, with a pin at 184 pounds. Yurisich recorded a fall in 2:08 to put the Comets ahead, 21-18. Misko sealed Olivet's win with a pin in 4:14.

A similar scenario took place in the match against Johnson & Wales, as Yurisich and Misko provided the winning margin with pins. The Comets got off to a solid start with a 4-2 victory by Labrecque. Tucker recorded a 10-3 win. Brew kept his season win streak alive with a technical fall victory.

Neal posted a 6-3 win. Vanderhyde had his winning streak snapped with a tough 5-3 loss to Jerome Owens, who is ranked No. 4 in the NWCA poll. Johnson & Wales had a 15-14 lead in the team score entering the final two matches. Yurisich pinned his opponent in 2:25, and Misko followed with a quicker pin in 1:13.

Against Coe, Tucker and Vanderhyde had minor decision wins, 5-3 and 9-3, respectively. Brew ran his season record to 14-0 with a 14-3 major decision victory. Misko closed the Comets' trip to the Desert Duals in style with a pin in 1:59.

As a team, Olivet will be back in action Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 10-11 at the 2008 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, which is being hosted by Northern Iowa University at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Rapids. Brew, Tucker and Vanderhyde will compete at the Midlands Championships Dec. 29-30 at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.