WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — The Montreat College men's wrestling team sent 18 of its student-athletes to West Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday to compete at the Grand View Open, hosted by Grand View University. With six wrestlers in the open tournament and 12 participating in the freshman/sophomore tournament, the Cavaliers combined for 16 wins at one of the largest single-day events of the year.
Emmanuel Ortiz delivered the most successful outing of the six Cavs in the loaded open tournament. The freshman competed six times in the 165-pound weight class, compiling a 4-2 record overall. Ortiz began the event with a victory via pin in 3:16 prior to being pinned by the NAIA's No. 5-ranked wrestler during the second round. From there, the Tampa, Fla., native rattled off three consecutive triumphs. Ortiz kicked off his consolation bracket journey with a dominant 18-0 technical fall in 4:11. He then secured a 14-11 decision over an NCAA Division II wrestler and an 11-2 major decision against a Division I participant from the University of Northern Iowa. Ortiz concluded his effort with a 17-1 tech fall defeat during the fifth consolation round.
Louis Mehaffey,
Sam Gosnell and
Tafari Parker also seized a triumph and notched 1-2 records in the open tournament. Competing at 141, Mehaffey lost his initial championship round via pin before registering an impressive 19-3 tech fall victory in the consolation bracket. His showing ended with a 4-1 decision in overtime. Gosnell suffered a fall during his first 125-pound match but responded with a 15-6 major decision over DII opposition. He finished his weekend in the next round with a 19-2 tech fall defeat. Parker started and ended the day at 285 with losses via pin to DII and NAIA opposition, but he also grabbed a 14-1 major decision win in between.
In the freshman/sophomore tournament, both
Aiden Frank and
Donovan Cavender reached the fifth round of the consolation bracket. Participating in the heavyweight division, Frank went 3-2 overall and secured victories in his first two matchups. The Mount Airy, N.C., native bagged an 11-3 major decision and a pin in 6:57 against NAIA and NJCAA competition, respectively. Frank then bounced back from a third-round defeat with a 20-4 tech fall triumph in 3:58. Ultimately, Frank's tournament wrapped up with a 15-0 tech fall loss. Meanwhile, Cavender etched a 2-2 record at 184. The sophomore opened with a bye and a defeat via pin against a DI Northern Iowa wrestler. Cavender stormed back with a bye, a 16-1 tech fall in 3:37 and a 17-13 decision to advance to the fifth round of the consolation bracket. There, Cavender dropped a tight 9-7 decision to finish his weekend.
Alex Lopez also went 2-2 in 133-pound division of the freshman/sophomore tournament. Alternating wins and losses, Lopez pinned his initial foe in 6:19 prior to being pinned during the ensuing round. The Rutherfordton, N.C., native rebounded with a 10-7 decision before concluding his journey via an 18-1 tech fall defeat.
Landon Morrison and
Grayson Burleson accounted for the Cavs' other two victories, each going 1-2 in the freshman/sophomore event. The former garnered a bye and a 15-0 tech fall shutout in advance of suffering back-to-back losses in the 149-pound weight class. Meanwhile, the latter competed at 285, sealing a consolation triumph by fall in just 1:11 prior to being eliminated by a DI wrestler.
"We came out to see the best competition we could find this time of year, and we competed well," said Head Coach
Jim Connaghan. "We're looking forward to getting back to work. Be brutal."
For a look at results from the Grand View Open, click
here.
The Montreat College men's wrestling team now takes a few weeks off before returning to action on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Central Baptist College for the CBC Invitational in Conway, Ark.
