GUNNISON, Colo. and ATHERTON, Calif. – Fresh off Christmas break, California Baptist University split its squad to take on two challenges at the Tracy Borah Duals and Menlo Open Saturday. The Lancers were awarded with three of four dual wins and an individual tournament champion.
CBU defeated New Mexico Highlands (39-3), Southwest Minnesota State (36-3) and Minnesota-State Mankato (33-15) and fell to NCAA Division I Air Force (22-15) at Western State Colorado's Tracy Borah Duals, while
Christian Smith won the 174-pound bracket as an unattached wrestler in Menlo. The ninth-ranked Lancers improve to 5-6 in duals this season, while Air Force climbs to 2-1, NMHU and SMSU drop to 0-1 and 2-6, respectively. Minnesota-State Mankato sits at 3-3.
Â
Four Lancers –
Peter Cunningham (141 pounds),
Daxton Gordon (149), Nick Fiegner (184) and
Jacob Waste (197) – went 4-0 at the Tracy Borah Duals. Heavyweight
Paul Head, 174
Nolan Kistler,
Donovin Guerrero (133),
Dominic Kincaid (165) all went 3-1 to help their team produce the same result on Saturday.Â
Back in California, Smith started his championship run with a 9-6 decision over Tyler Mullen and then majored Christian Mendez, 16-3, before stamping his ticket to the finals with an 8-2 victory over Isaac Rangel. Smith did away with any dramatics in the championship by shutting out Justin Pichedwatana 5-0. Â
Two of CBU's dual wins were absolutely dominant performances, with nine of 10 match wins against New Mexico Highlands and Southwest Minnesota State. The Lancers won their first four bouts over the Cowboys for an 18-0 lead, and then six-straight to open up against the Mustangs for a 21-0 cushion.
Â
Seven of CBU's wins went for bonus points against NMHU. Cunningham pinned his opponent, while Kistler, Fiegener and Gordon each logged technical falls.
Mario Barrios, Waste and Head posted major-decision wins in the first dual of the day.
Â
In the next dual, Waste and Head pinned their Mustang opponents, while Cunningham and
Dominic Kincaid won by a respective tech and major.
MSUM started with a pin at 125 in CBU's final round of the Tracy Borah Duals, but Guerrero and Cunningham teched their counterparts and Gordon majored his to give the Lancers a 14-6 lead four matches into the action. Kincaid logged a 16-0 technical fall and then Fiegener won by injury default to help secure the win, with CBU up 25-12. Â
Air Forced jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first two matches, but Cunningham and Gordon broke the run. Cunningham defeated John Twomey, 5-3, at 141 and Gordon knocked off Conor O'Hara 9-4.
The Falcons won the next two to push their cushion to 19-6 but the Lancers weren't close to being done. Kistler, Fiegener and Waste rattled off three-straight wins to pull within four, 19-15, but Air Force came away with a narrow win at heavyweight to secure the victory.
Jacob Cooper won two matches in the Menlo Open's 157 bracket. He majored Noah Marquez of Simpson, 11-3, and then pinned Great Falls' Hunter Myers in 3:44.
Bryce Benlian (197) and
Harlan Kistler (285) each won a match in Atherton, as well.Â
NMHU RESULTS
AIR FORCE RESULTS
SMSU RESULTS
MSUM RESULTS
MENLO OPEN BRACKET
Â
