MARIETTA, Ga.— The Montreat men's wrestling team spent Friday and Saturday down in Marietta, Ga. for the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Men's Wrestling Championships. With 11 men competing across nine weight classes, the Cavaliers racked up seven wins and 13.0 team points, good for 11^th out of 11 AAC squads. Life University notched 210.0 points to win the conference title for a third consecutive season.
 
Elijah Amaya-Perez made the deepest run among those participating for the Cavs. Wrestling at 197, Amaya-Perez began his tournament with a tech fall defeat to the NAIA's 20^th-ranked competitor.
 
The Lenoir, N.C. native rebounded though, utilizing a bye to gain some valuable rest. Amaya-Perez snatched a 9-3 decision triumph in the second round of the consolation bracket before claiming a thrilling 9-6 sudden victory via a takedown in overtime. The freshman dropped his final two bouts to ranked foes. As a result, Amaya-Perez concluded sixth in the 197-lb weight class, just one placement shy of an automatic berth to nationals.
 
Mikai Brinson represented Montreat in the 141-lb bracket. A native of Grayson, Ga., Brinson began the weekend with a 7-3 decision win. After falling to the No. 8-ranked wrestler via tech fall in the quarterfinals, Brinson bounced back with a tech fall of his own, 17-2, in the consolation rounds. The freshman's journey ended with a 2-2 record following a major decision loss to his next opponent.
 
A trio of Cavaliers went 1-2 at the AAC Men's Wrestling Championships in similar fashion. After suffering defeat to ranked foes in the championship bracket, each answered with a consolation victory during their ensuing bouts. Milosz Gargol lost to the nation's top-ranked competitor at 184 before bagging an 18-2 tech fall victory. Josh Mojica-Smith utilized a 14-6 major decision to extend his tournament effort at 174. Dylan Hogan rounded out the group with a high-scoring 30-25 decision in between his two losses.
 
For a complete look at results from the AAC Men's Wrestling Championships, click here.
 
With no automatic berths secured, the Montreat men's wrestling team will wait to find out if any of its wrestlers captured wild card spots for the NAIA Men's Wrestling Championships, which are slated for March 6-8 in Park City, Kan.