LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Dec. 17) – The Saint Vincent wrestling team took part in five matches against a strong field at The Desert Duals, hosted by Wartburg College at The Flamingo in Las Vegas.
In the opening match, the Bearcats picked up victories in two of the first three matches, but would fall to Albion by a 36-9 score. Against host Wartburg, ranked No. 2 in the most recent National Wrestling Coaches Association poll, the Bearcats were defeated 51-0, before SVC lost 40-11 to NAIA foe Arizona Christian, 51-3 to defending University Athletic Association Champion University of Chicago, and 33-18 to Menlo College, ranked No. 3 in the most-recent NAIA national poll.
Kyle McCollum and
Charlie Mesich were each two-time winners on the day for the Bearcats.
In the Bearcats' opener against Albion, the 141-pound McCollum gritted out a 6-5 decision, before he closed the day with a 12-5 win over Menlo.
Mesich had the Bearcats' most dominant win of the afternoon, with a 15-0 technical fall over Arizona Christian's Aiden Brian, before the rookie wrapped up his day with a pin in 1:39 over Menlo's Jonathan-Thomas Nishikawa.
Ryan Klingensmith beat the third-period buzzer with a pin in 6:55 over Albion's Joshua Mars, while
Sean Cain earned an 8-3 decision at 125 pounds against the University of Chicago.
Along with McCollum's and Mesich's wins against Menlo,
Tyler Debnar recorded a pin in 3:55 at 149 pounds, while
Logan Bechtold won a 5-2 decision at 174 pounds.
"I think we wrestled really hard throughout the day," said SVC head coach Dom Nania. "We started 10 freshmen against these programs that we look up to and we want to be one day. We're going to continue to grow to the standard that these teams have set. Being invited to something like this and wrestling these phenomenal teams is a learning experience for our team.
"We're always going to try and schedule the best teams and never run from anyone," he continued. "These are the teams that will prepare us for postseason. We had some great individual matchups today that will get our guys ready. I'm really proud of what our guys did, and these matches are learning experience that will make our guys better for the rest of the year."
The Bearcats will now have a three-week respite over the Christmas holiday before returning to the mat on Thursday, Jan. 11, when they host Presidents' Athletic Conference foe Waynesburg University at 7 p.m. in the Robert S. Carey Center.
