CORBIN, Ky.— The Montreat College men's wrestling team wrapped up the 2025 portion of its 2025-26 slate on Friday by competing at the Battle in the Bluegrass, an invitational tournament hosted by the University of the Cumberlands. With nine wrestlers participating across six different weight classes, the Cavaliers ultimately placed eighth out of 16 squads.
 
In total, the Cavs accrued 57.5 points, 2.5 more than Cleary University and 6.5 fewer than Brewton-Parker Christian University. Cumberlands won the event with 218.5 points.
 
Five individuals scored top-eight finishes in their respective weight classes. Kane Bryson achieved the best official placement of the day, concluding fifth after going 2-2 in the 125-lb bracket. After suffering a 9-5 decision loss, Bryson bounced back with a 13-3 major decision triumph. While the Canton, N.C. native dropped a major decision to the NAIA's No. 3-ranked wrestler during the ensuing bout, Bryson swiftly claimed fifth place in the following matchup via a medical forfeit.
 
Boedi Kirkland also reached the fifth-place bout on Friday, doing so at 149. The freshman notched a 4-2 record across his tournament journey. Both of Kirkland's losses were decision defeats, while his wins featured two pins, a 15-1 major decision and an 8-1 decision. According to the official bracket, both Kirkland and his opponent forfeited the fifth-place battle.
 
A trio of Cavaliers qualified for the seventh-place matchup in their respective weight classes. At 285, Grayson Burleson tallied a 3-2 record en route to finishing seventh. The Salisbury, N.C. native alternated wins and losses along the way, starting with a 4-1 decision victory before later triumphing thanks to a pin in 3:31. Burleson eventually secured seventh place behind a medical forfeit.
 
Louis Mehaffey and Sam Gosnell captured eighth at 141 and 125, respectively. The former went 2-3, bagging a major decision and a tech fall in his favor prior to losing a narrow 16-15 decision in his final bout. Meanwhile, the latter capitalized on a medical forfeit as part of his 1-3 record. Both wrestlers dropped matches to their weight classes' No. 5-ranked competitors.
 
Dylan Hogan, Josh Mojica-Smith and Reese Ferm each went 1-2 at the Battle in the Bluegrass. Hogan and Mojica-Smith participated in the 174-lb weight class and fell once to ranked opposition. Ferm wrestled at 285 on Friday.
 
"The guys competed well," said head coach Jim Connaghan. "There was a lot of good competition today, and we are definitely trending in the right direction."
 
For a look at results from the Battle in the Bluegrass, click here.
 
Taking some time off for the Christmas season, the Montreat College men's wrestling team returns to action on Jan. 3-4 for the Hawk Duals and the Hawk Classic Open at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala.