FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga.— After a couple of head-to-head team duals to start the season, the Montreat College wrestling program sent 14 individuals to compete on Sunday at the Georgia Open, hosted by Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Ga.
 
Louis Mehaffey put together a strong showing in the 141-lb weight class, starting with a pin of his opponent at 2:40 of the first period. In round two, Mehaffey used a 5-2 decision to advance into the quarterfinal round. While his championship bracket run came to an end via a 5-3 decision in the quarterfinals, his day did not. Mehaffey put together back-to-back pins in 2:27 and 2:49 in the consolation bracket to proceed onto the semifinals. Ultimately, his outing ended with a 4-2 record after dropping a 6-4 decision in the consolation semifinals.
 
Wrestling at 149, Landon Chambers took his opening match in 71 seconds via pin. While dropping his second-round matchup by majority decision, Chambers went on a run through the consolation bracket to piece together one of Montreat's best individual outings of the day. Chambers thoroughly handled the competition via a 19-4 tech fall, an 8-5 decision, three pins and a medical forfeit to finish the 149-lb weight class bracket in third place. Chambers' performance at the Georgia Open eventually earned him Montreat's first-ever AAC Wrestler of the Week award.
 
Taquel Young dropped his opening match via pin in the 157-lb weight class wrestling unattached, but he too made a deep run in the consolation bracket. After an initial bye, Young pinned his first consolation opponent in 5:57, followed by a 10-3 decision in the next round. A medical forfeit set up another series of victories for Young via decision (5-3) and pin (5:27), and a medical forfeit in the consolation final earned Young a third-place finish at 157.
 
Several other Cavaliers wrestled their way through some early championship bracket victories. Easton Griffin and Alec Baynard both utilized early pins to advance into the quarterfinal rounds at 165 and 174, respectively, with Baynard wrestling unattached. Antonio Petraglia also moved into the quarterfinals at the Georgia Open via bye. Meanwhile, in the 174-lb weight class, Tyler McDonald and Malik Jenkins advanced through the opening round of the championship bracket before bowing out in the latter rounds of consolation action.
 
Fourteen Montreat wrestlers went head-to-head with wrestlers from opposing schools in their respective weight classes. To see a full list of Montreat's individual results, click here.
 
Montreat wrestling returns to open competition on Saturday at Life University. Matches are slated to begin at 8:00 a.m.