Wabash College Wrestling News Articles



Wabash College Crawfordsville, IN
Wabash Wrestlers Top 600, Win Max Servies Duals

1/21/2012 | Wrestling

In fitting tribute to the man who guided the Wabash College wrestling program to a majority of its all-time dual victories, the Little Giants won the 2012 Max Servies '58 Duals Tournament Saturday afternoon. Wabash claimed its 600th all-time dual meet victory on the way to the team title.
The Little Giants defeated Central College 22-16 in the championship round of the duals, named for the legendary former Wabash wrestling coach. Wabash rallied from an early 9-0 deficit thanks, in part, to a pin by Jake Strausbaugh at 149 pounds (2:50). Jake Moore brought Wabash closer with a decisive 13-4 win at 165 pounds, followed by Drew Songer's 6-2 victory at 174 pounds.
Wabash took the lead when Greg Rhoads scored a pin at the 2:50 mark of his 184-pound bout. Austin O'Neal put the match away to give the Little Giants the championship with a thrilling double-overtime victoryat 197 pounds. O'Neal scored a late escape to force the extra time, then picked up another escape in the first 30 seconds of the second overtime period.
The Little Giants' 600th dual-meet victory came in a 40-12 win against the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Wabash fell behind in that match as well before earning seven straight victories - including five consecutive pins - to close out the competition. Strausbaugh started the string with a pin at the 1:22 mark of his bout against Josh Wengerter. Josh Sampson scored a 9-1 major decision at 157 pounds. After Moore received a forfeit at 165, Songer picked up the first of five pins, sticking Kyle Perea 2:22 into their 174-pound match. Rhoads added a late pin at 6:25 in his 184-pound affair, preceding O'Neal's pin at 2:20 in the 197-pound bout. Zach Stone closed out the victory with a pin at 2:58 in the 285-pound event.
Wabash started the day with a 48-6 win against Knox College. Tommy Poynter scored a technical fall at 6:30 into his 125-pound bout. Pat Parham picked up an 8-2 win at 133 pounds, while Colin Downey recorded a pin 6:20 into the 141-pound competition.
Strausbaugh started his day with an 11-2 win against Eric Steingruber. Sampson pinned Kin Vong at 1:10 in the 157-pound match. Dalton Stanley also picked up a pin, with his coming at 4:35 in the 165-pound bout. Songer and Rhoads both added pins before O'Neal received a forfeit for the final Wabash team points.
The Little Giants scored a 37-3 win against the Ohio Northern University reserve squad. Poynter began the competition with an 11-7 win prior to a Marc Escobedo 6-4 victory at 133 pounds. Garrett Payne was a 9-4 winner at 141 pounds. Strausbaugh added a 13- win, while Samspon added a technical fall at 3:13 (17-0) into his 157 bout.
Moore recorded a 9-5 victory at 165 pounds. Logan Cooper received a forfeit at 174 pounds, followed by a 9-4 win by Rhoads. O'Neal closed out the scoring with a pin at the 1:35 mark of his 197-pound bout.
Wabash battled Wisconsin-Platteville to a 33-12 win in the third round of the tournament to produce a perfect 3-0 record in pool competition. After Poynter received a forfeit, Downey took a 7-2 victory at 141 pounds. Strausbaugh added another win to his career totals with a 19-2 victory over Tyler Ledbetter. Sampson picked up a 5-1 win at 157 pounds, while Stanley pinned his opponent at the 4:22 mark of the 165-pound match.
Cooper added a victory at 174 pounds, while Rhoads scored a pin (2:51).
The tournament is named for Servies, who spent 40 seasons as the head coach wrestling coach at Wabash. He finished with a career record of 487-118-8 in dual meets, including 38 consecutive winning seasons.
Wabash- Strausbaugh Joins 100-Win Club; Wabash Seventh at Whitehill Duals

1/14/2012 | Wrestling

Junior Jake Strausbaugh became the seventh Wabash wrestler to record 100 career victories, helping the Little Giants take seventh place at the Bud Whitehill Annual Duals on Saturday.
Strausbaugh earned his 100th victory in the Little Giants first match of the day against Williams College. He recorded a pin 3:57 into his 149-pound bout against Carson Brooks for the milestone win. That victory helped Wabash to a 31-12 overall win over Williams.
Josh Boyer started the successful run with a forfeit victory at 125 pounds. Williams rallied for the next two victories before Strausbaugh's pin. Josh Sampson added a 9-1 major decision at 157 pounds before Dalton Stanley picked up a second forfeit for the Little Giants, this time at the 165-pound weight class. A 6-2 decision by Logan Cooper at 174 pounds and forfeit victory by Greg Rhoads at 184 pounds gave Wabash a commanding team lead before Williams picked up wins in the final two bouts.
The victory moved the sixth-seeded Little Giants into the next round to face second-seed York College of Pennsylvania. Strausbaugh, Sampson, and Rhoads would score the only victories for Wabash in a 24-14 defeat. Strausbaugh earned a 10-2 major decision, while Sampson equaled that effort with another 10-2 victory. Rhoads added a pin at the 1:30 mark of his bout.
Wabash dropped to the seventh-place bout of the finals against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Tommy Poynter got the Little Giants off to a good start with an 11-4 decision at 125 pounds. Strausbaugh added a 16-2 major decision in the fourth bout of the competition to give Wabash a 7-6 team lead. Dalton Stanley scored a 9-1 major decision at 165 pounds to put the Little Giants in front 11-9. Rhoads answered a Stevens Point major decision with a 6-0 victory to once again put Wabash in front 14-3.
Austin O'Neal then scored what may have been the most important victory of the match, taking a 4-3 double-overtime victory at 197 pounds to put Wabash in front 17-13 with one bout remaing. Stevens Point would win the heavyweight match by a major decision to tie the team score at 17-17. Wabash claimed the seventh place team title by virtue of the tiebreaker criteria, winning on total number of points scored in the match (49-41).
Wabash returns to action Saturday by serving as hosts for the annual Max Servies Duals. Action begins at Chadwick Court at 9 a.m.
Wabash- Rhoads Moves to Second on All-Time Wins List

1/14/2012 | Wrestling

Senior wrestler Greg Rhoads scored a 3-2 decision in his 184-pound bout Friday afternoon at the Budd Whitehill Duals. The victory was the 120th of Rhoads' career, moving him past Chris Ervin for second on the Wabash all-time wins list.
Rhoads was one of four Wabash wrestlers to score individual wins in the team's dual competition against third-seeded Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Little Giants lost to Whitewater 22-12. Jake Strausbaugh scored the first individual victory for Wabash with a 5-1 decision at 149 pounds. The win was the 99th of Strausbaugh's career, moving him to seventh on the Wabash wrestling all-time wins list. Logan Cooper earned a 4-3 decision at 174 pounds, while Austin O'Neal picked up the final individiual win for the Little Giants with a 3-2 decision at 197 pounds.
Wabash, seeded sixth in the pre-duals team rankings, will face Williams College in the consolation bracket Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. The winner will advance to the semifinals to compete against the winner of the York College and The College of New Jersey bout. The losing team will compete for seventh place in the finals.
Wabash Opens Budd Whitehill Duals with Win over Lycoming

1/13/2012 | Wrestling

The Little Giant wrestling team knocked off the host school at the 2012 Budd Whitehill Duals on Friday morning. Wabash defeated Lycoming 18-16 to advance to the next round in the winners' bracket of the two-day team dual meet competition.
Wabash trailed early after Lycoming posted a major victory at 125 pounds and decision in the 133-pound weight class. The Little Giants scored victories in the next three matches, starting with a 9-5 win by Garrett Payne at 141 pounds. Jake Strausbaugh earned his 12th victory of the season and 98th of his career with a pin at 3:09 of his 147-pound bout against Lucas Wisniewski. Strausbaugh, who is seventh in this week's D3wrestle.com rankings, will tie Will Clarke for seventh on the Wabash all-time victories list with his next win, and needs two more to become the seventh wrestler in school history with 100 or more career victories.
Josh Sampson helped put Wabash in front with a 6-1 victory at 157 pounds. The Warriors took the next two matches to keep things close before Greg Rhoads scored a 7-6 victory at 184 pounds. Rhoads is now 19-4 for the season and is ninth in the D3wrestle.com rankings in his weight class. His victory in the Lycoming bout tied him with Chris Ervin for second on the Wabash all-time wins list with 119.
After Lycoming took the 197 bout, the team competition came down to the heavyweight match, where Wabash grappler Ryan Sandwith scored a 6-2 decision to take the bout and give Wabash the victory.
The Little Giants, seeded sixth as a team in the tournament bracket, advance to face number-three seeded Wisconsin-Whitewater at 3:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Whitewater knocked off Case Western Reserve 39-14 in the first round of the duals, then beat Rhode Island College 31-12 in the second round.
Wabash Finishes 3-1 at Chuck Porter Duals

1/8/2012 | Wrestling

The Wabash College wrestling team posted wins over Central College, Loras, and Chicago Saturday at the Seventh Annual Chuck Porter Duals at Knox College.
The Little Giants opened the competition with a 25-16 team victory over Central. Tommy Poynter started the day with an 11- major victory at the 125-pound weight class. Pat Parham battled to a 5-2 win at 133 pounds, outscoring his opponent with escapes in both the second and third period to secure the win. A 5-3 victory by Colin Downey at 149 pounds put Wabash in front 10-6, with then increased to a seven-point advantage after a 6-4 win by Josh Sampson at 157 pounds. Sampson scored the victory with a takedown in overtime to secure the three team points for the Little Giants.
Drew Songer added a 4-2 win at 174 pounds, while Greg Rhoads battled to a 3-1 victory thanks to a takedown in the third period of his 184-pound bout. Austin O'Neal locked up the team victory in decisive fashion with a pin 4:48 into his 197-pound match.
Wabash scored a 25-11 win over Loras in round two of th duals. Poynter began with an 8-6 win at 125 pounds. Garrett Payne added a 10-3 win at 141 pounds by scoring seven points in the final period in addition to getting a point of riding time. Sampson scored a pin at the 4:38 mark of his 157-pound match. Logan Cooper held on for a 14-11 win at 174 pounds, thanks in part to a pair of early takedowns and a two-point near fall in the first period. Rhoads blanked his 184-pound opponent 4-0, while O'Neal earned a 7-4 win at 197. Ryan Sandwith wrestled at heavyweight, scoring an impressive 13-3 victory with a trio of three-point near falls in the first two periods.
The Little Giants only team loss came in the third round with a 32-11 defeat to Luther College. Sampson scored the first points for Wabash with a 12-0 major victory at 157 pounds. Songer forced overtime in his 174-pound bout before scoring the two-point victory with a takedown in the extra session. Rhoads added the only other team points for Wabash by cruising to a 13-3 victory at 184 pounds. Luther finished 4-0 for the duals competition to claim the team title.
Wabash responded to the loss with a 22-14 victory over Chicago in the final dual meet of the day. Josh Boyer picked up an 8-6 win in overtime at 125 pounds. Payne won 13-5 at 141 pounds, while Sampson scored a 7-3 win at 157 pounds to go 4-0 for the day. Rhoads also finished 4-0 individually for the competition by recording a pin at the 4:54 mark of his final 184-pound bout. O'Neal recorded an overtime takedown to win 7-5 at 197 pounds before Sandwith earned the final victory of the day with a 16-12 win at heavyweight.
The Little Giants were one of two teams to finish 3-1 for the day, joining Augustana College with only one loss.
Wabash College Wrestling News

Strausbaugh Captures Midwest Classic Title

12/19/2011 | Wrestling

Jake Strausbaugh won the 149-pound weight class at the 2011 Midwest Wrestling Classic Monday afternoon. The junior was one of three Little Giant wreslters to earn top-eight finishes at the two-day competition.
Dalton Stanley and Tommy Poynter joined Strausbaugh with podium finishes. Stanley finished fifth at 165 pounds, while Poynter took sixth place at 125 pounds. Strausbaugh entered the event as the number-one seed. He opened competition on Sunday with a 7-2 decision against Zach Vargo from Lake Erie College. A 20-4 technical fall over Newman's Greg Delk in the next round, followed by another technical fall (24-7) against Bobby Manning from Limestone sent Strausbaugh to the championship semifinals. He scored a 10-2 major decision over Art Hobley from West Liberty, who enterd the tournament with a 15-3 record. Strausbaugh met Marc Hoff from Ashland University in the finals, posting an 8-2 victory to claim the weight class title.
Strausbaugh improved to 26-2 for the season with a 5-0 record over the two days in Indianapolis.
Stanley came into the tournament with a record of 14-7, adding another victory with an 11-4 decision over Sam Thomas from Fort Hays State in his opening bout. A 7-2 loss to second-seeded Sean Byrnes from Newberry sent Stanley the consolation bracket. He put together back-to-back victories with a pin (4:40) against Blake Lundgren from Northern State an another (3:59) in a match against Mason True from Findley. Stanley lost his next bout 9-2 to Tommie Graszi from Ashland, but picked up a medical forfeit in the finals for a fifth-place finish at 165 pounds.
Poynter scored a major decision in his firsth 125-pound bout against Terrell McKinney from Maryville. A 9-5 loss to Brandon Davis from Ashland sent Poynter to the consolation bracket, where he picked up an 11-9 victory over Mount St. Joseph wrestler Will Bryant. Poynter dropped a 9-0 decision to eventuall third-place wrestler Josh Kieffer from the University of Indianapolis before losing 10-5 to Davis for the second time in as many days in the finals to take sixth place.
Wabash finished 12th out of 25 teams with a score of 57.5 points. Newberry claimed the team title with 117 points.
Wabash-Strausbaugh Named Little State Outstanding Wrestler

12/2/2011 | Wrestling

Jake Strausbaugh defeated two top-seeded opponents to win the 149-pound weight class, and was voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the 2011 Indiana Little State Tournament held Friday and Saturday at Wabash College.
Strausbaugh posted a 3-0 record for the weekend in his weight class to earn the award. He opened Friday's action with a 6-0 win over Blake Wood from the University of Indianapolis, then knocked off fifth-seeded Forrest Romer from Trine by a score of 10-7 in the semifinals. A 10-7 victory against sixth-seeded Reece Lefever in the finals gave Strausbaugh the victory.
Strausbaugh was one of 14 Little Giants to earn top-eight finishes in the tournament.
Dalton Stanley was also an individual champion at 165 pounds, finishing with a record of 3-0. Entering as the number-four seed, Stanley defeated Andre Foster from Lincoln College 8-1 to move into the championships semifinals for a match against James Bennett. Bennett had already defeated the top seed in the tournament, but Stanley vanquished him by a score of 5-4. The win put Stanley in the championship, where he defeated number-two seed Cedric Gibson from Wisconsin-Whitewater 6-5.
Josh Boyer finished second in the 125-pound weight class. The top seed heading into the tournament, Boyer scored a pin at the 3:43 mark of his match against Paul Beck from Indianapolis. He followed with a 7-6 victory against fourth-seeded Andre Sanders from Indiana Tech, but lost 7-2 to second-seeded Anthony Hawkins from Calumet College of St. Joseph's in the finals.
Colin Downey, Drew Songer, and Dylan McBride each grabbed third place finishes at the tournament. Downey was 3-1 at 141 pounds, while Songer posted a 5-1 record at 174 pounds. Joran Fenton added a seventh-place finish in the 174-pound weight class bracket. McBride finished the weekend with a 4-1 record at heavyweight.
Tommy Poynter finished sixth at 125 pounds. Pat Parham finished eighth at 133 pounds. Josh Sampson was 5th at 157 pounds, while teammate Cody McKinnon finished seventh. Logan cooper was fourth at 184 pounds, with Greg Rhoads finishing in fifth place. Austin O'Neal was sixth at 197 pounds.
Wabash- Strausbaugh Takes Concordia Open Title

11/19/2011 | Wrestling

Jake Strausbaugh was perfect on the day, including a victory over the number-one seed in the finals of the Concordia Wrestling Open Saturday. Strausbaugh, the number three-seed, finished 6-0 to win the 149-pound weight class title.
The junior opened with a convincing 13-3 win against Mike Anderson of Kennedy King, then scored his only pin of the competition in the second round 2:20 into his bout against Zach Fisher from Wisconsin-Platteville. A 15-0 technical fall against Tim Crimm from the host Concordia team advanced Strausbaugh to the championship quarterfinals where he dispatched second-seeded Drew Wagenhoffer from Wartburg with a 13-3 major victory. That put Strausbaugh against top-seeded Kodie Silvestri from Wartburg, but the Wabash wrestler was up to the task. Strausbaugh won 9-8 to take the title.
Greg Rhoads and Logan Cooper each tallied top-eight finishes at 184 pounds. Rhoads grabbed third place with an overall record of 5-1 for the day. He started with a14-4 major victory against Andy Borchardt from Steven Point, then followed with back-to-back pins against Matt Beelher (2:59) and seventh-seeded Seth Crane (3:10). Rhoads, a two seed for the tournament, lost 5-1 to third-seeded Dylan Azinger. Rhoads rallied for an 8-4 win over fifth-seeded Mitchell Steed in the consolation semifinals before defeating fourth-seeded Jordan Richardson 10-4 in the finals.
Cooper, unseeded in the tournament, scored a pin in his first match of the day at the 2:06 mark of the bout against Ameer Bogan. A 6-0 loss to Steed sent the freshman to the consolation bracket where he rolled off two consective 5-3 victories. Cooper pinned Crane at the 4:53 mark of the consolation quarterfinals bout to drop to the seventh-place match, where eighth-seeded Sam Upah won by pin (1:00).
Austin O'Neal added a fifth-place finish at 197 pounds. The eight-seed in the weight class, O'Neal defeated Mario Palmisano 10-5 in his first bout of the day, then knocked off top-seeded Dustin Wozniak 3-1 in the championship quarterfinals. Fifth seed Punahele Soriano won by pin (5:41) in the semifinals, sending O'Neal to the consolation bracket. He lost 7-1 to second seed Danny Vargas, but picked up a medical forfeit in the finals to take fifth overall.
Dalton Stanley and Drew Songer also added top-eight finishes for Wabash. Songer was seventh at 174 pounds, while an injury sent Stanley to eight place in the final standings. The unseeded Songer picked up an early victory by pin (1:30) in the first round, but lost 9-7 in the next bout. two pins, including one just 36 seconds into a bout against Josh Porter, put Songer up against sixth-seeded Jacob Brown. Songer won 9-6, but lost to second seed Bradley Banks in the next round. Songer was declared the winner in the finals over Stanley, who withdrew due to his injury.
Stanley started strong with a 15-0 technical fall and pin at the 1:32 mark of his second bout. The fourth-seeded Stanley lost 7-0 to fifth seed Ben Scott, but rallied for a pin against Joshua Lowy in the consolation bracket. A 7-6 defeat in the next round to Matt McCrary ended Stanley's day.
Wabash will be back on the mats at home when the Little Giants serve as hosts for the annual Little State Wrestling Tournament December 2-3 at Chadwick Court.
Grapplers Open Season at Loras Open
Greg Rhoads, Marc Escobedo, Austin O'Neal, Josh Boyer, and Logan Cooper all placed at the season-opening Loras College Wrestling Open on Saturday. Rhoads and Escobedo were third-place finishers in the Gold Division portion of the tournament, while O'Neal scored a fifth-place finish and Boyer took sixth place. Cooper took third place in the Silver Division.
Gold Division Results Silver Division Results:
Rhoads, a 2011 All-American, dropped his opening match at 184 pounds to John Vogt in a tight 3-2 decision, but returned to score five consecutive victories in the consolation bracket to earn his third place finish. He started with a 13-5 major decision over Jerem Weiderin, then picked up his first pin of the season at the 3:26 mark of his match against Travis Mundt. A 3-1 decision over Andrew Roberts sent Rhoads to the semifinals, where he faced Vogt for a second time. In the rematch, it was Rhoads who captured the 3-2 win, leading to a 1-0 victory in the third-place match against Mike Kelly.
Escobedo started his season with a pin in the first 1:54 of his 125-pound bout against Joe Lamer, then scored a 3-2 decision against Venel Rene in the next round. Another pin - this time 2:54 into his match against Jordan Ng - moved Escobedo into the championship semifinals. A 10-3 loss to eventual second-place finisher Jimmy Gotto dropped Escobedo to the consolation bracket where he faced teammate Boyer. Escobedo scored a pin at 1:31 against Boyer to move to the finals and an 8-6 victory against Pat Pfantz.
Boyer socred a 9-6 victory over George Illioolous in his first match of the season, but fell to the consolation bracket after a technical fall against eventual 125-pound champion Jesse Delgado. Boyer rallied for an 18-4 win against Brand Mailberg, then added a 3-1 victory over Ben Rosen before losing to Escobedo. A 3-2 loss to Tim Hood in the finals gave Boyer his sixth place finish.
O'Neal lost 8-4 in his first match at 197 pounds before taking the four bouts. A 7-2 win against Espen Fredriksen in the first round of consolation bouts was followed by a pin at 1:57 against Andrew Hartshorn. O'Neal added a 3-1 victory against Josh Kirkland and a 2-1 win over Louis Pimentel. However, a 5-4 loss to Julian Smith in the quarterfinals sent O'Neal to fifth-place bout where he was declared the winner by forfeit.
Cooper competed in the 184-pound weight class of the Silver Division, starting with a commanding 10-1 victory against Aaron Satterwhite. A 3-1 loss to the eventual champion Ryan Sheldon led to two straight victories for Cooper in the consolation bracket. The first was by pin at 2:47 against Quinn Sedlak, followed by a 10-2 major victory in the finals over Satterwhite once again for the third place showing.
Wabash returns to action on November 19 at the Concordia Open.
WABASH COLLEGE Wrestling News Update
Dear Wrestling , Here's the latest Wabash College wrestling news. Experts Provide Instruction at Wrestling Camp Date: June 15, 2011
Two six-year-olds hang on every word that University of Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands delivers. A few minutes later the pair heads off to a corner of the practice to put Brands' instruction to work. The two are part of the close to 300 participants at the sixth annual Brian Anderson Little Giant Wrestling Camp taking place at Wabash College this week.
"We have another large group of campers back this year," Anderson said. "We have the most youth campers we've ever had in the six-year history of the camp. We've definitely been able to create a steady following for this camp." View photos from the camp <http://www.wabash.edu/photo_album/home.cfm?photo_album_id=2877>here. Anderson has brought another outstanding group of instructors to camp. Brands earned a gold medal for the US at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He has also earned gold medals a the 1993 World Freestyle Championships, the 1994 and 1995 World Cup events, and the 1995 Pan American Games. Brands is currently the head coach at Iowa, leading the Hawkeyes to national championships in 2008, 2009, and 2010. "I really like the way this camp is set up because the message of the camp is in line with what the Wabash wrestling program is all about," Brands (left) said. "The Wabash program wants to do well by doing the right things, and my message is the same. It's a like-minded mentality. "The facility is unbelievable because of the space it provides. A lot of times I'll work camps where you don't really have space like this to work. A camp like this takes a lot of work to be done right. There's just a lot of overlap with Coach Anderson being about the same things our program at Iowa is about. We both want to make sure we're doing a good job teaching the sport." Joining Brands on the list of instructors is Olympic silver medalist Sammy Henson. Henson finished second at the 2000 summer games in the 54 kg weight class. He earned a gold medal in freestyle wrestling for the USA at the 1998 FILA Wrestling World Championships and a bronze medal at the 2006 FILA World Wrestling Championships in China. Camp instructor Ben Askren was the 2006 Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA Championship meet after winning the 174-pound weight class title with an overall record of 45-0. He was a repeat champion in 2007 with a perfect 42-0 record, becoming the second person to win the Dan Hodge Trophy. Askren also competed in the 75 kg weight class for the United States at the 2008 Olympics. Rob Koll, head coach at Cornell University, and University of Wisconsin wrestler Andrew Howe will work at the camp on Wednesday. Koll has guided his team to five top-five finishes at the NCAA Championship tournament. His team finished second in 2010 and 2011. Koll was also a four-time All-American wrestler at North Carolina. Howe was named Big Ten Freshman Wrestler of the Year in 2009 and won the 2010 national title at 165 pounds. He finished third at 165 pounds at this year's NCAA tournament. Former Indiana University wrestler Angel Escobedo also served as a coach at the camp. Escobedo is no stranger to the Wabash campus, competing against Anderson's Little Giant teams during his time at IU. Escobedo was a four-time All-American at IU, earning IU Male Athlete of the Year honors. He won the 2008 NCAA title at 125 pounds and competed at the Olympic trials that same season. Escobedo plans to participate in the 2012 and 2016 US Olympic team trials. "It's an honor for me to be included with the group of instructors Coach Anderson has at the camp this year," Escobedo said. "I feel deeply privileged to come back to Indiana - my home state - and be able to give back to the wrestling community. "This is such a great camp. Between the amount of kids and coaches that Coach Anderson has brought together is tremendous. There are so many different aspects of wrestling represented in one room. You don't find that at too many places. Coach Brands and I have two completely different wrestling styles. We get an opportunity to share our styles with all of these campers. That's what really attracted me to the camp. " In addition to the outstanding list of experts serving as instructors at the camp, many members of the 2011-2012 Wabash wrestling team work as instructors and counselors. Sophomore Aaron Davis (right wrestling with Henson) serves as an instructor throughout all four days. He has also had a close look at the instruction provided by the national instructors, serving as an opponent for Henson and others during the training sessions. "I've had a great week being able to learn all of the different techniques and approaches," Davis said. "Just learning all of the little things that each of these guys do and trying to perfect their drills, trying to get to their level has been tremendous. It's been a great experience." "I've been able to work with a lot of the younger kids throughout the week," Davis said. "That's the future of our sport, and maybe someday the future of Wabash College wrestling. It's great to see them working on the technique. Their faces all light up when they see a new move pay off in the practices or the evening competitions. It's just great to see the excitement they have for the sport. These kids keep coming back every year. That's what we want." "Our guys get a chance to bond for a week on campus," Anderson said. "While a lot of their focus is on the wrestling. They get to rub elbows with some of the best wrestlers in the entire world. You can't put a price tag on that. "Our wrestlers also get to work with a lot of young athletes from as young as six years old all the way up to high-school-aged kids. I think that helps our athletes with their wrestling because they really have to think through their moves as they instruct these younger students. As athletes a lot times you don't work with that approach in practice. I believe you're educating yourself while you're teaching someone else. That's huge."
Wabash 20th on NWCA Scholar Wrestling Team List
The Wabash wrestling team has been named to the 2010-2011 National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar Wrestling Team. Little Giant wresters Josh Boyer, Pat Clegg, and Graham Youngs have been named to the NWCA Scholar All-America team.
Wabash posted a team GPA of 3.271 to finish 20th out of 89 Division III programs. The team GPA is calculated as an average of the top ten students on each team. At least six of the ten athletes chosen must have competed in the NCAA qualifying tournament, and the other athletes must have competed in 50% of the team's scheduled contests.
Boyer, a junior, finished the season with an overall record of 22-12 in the 125-pound weight class. A biology major, Boyer has a cumulative GPA of 3.236.
Clegg posted a 20-12 overall record as a heavyweight for the Wabash program. The sophomore is a chemistry major with a cumulative GPA of 3.507.
Youngs wrestled to a 32-22 overall record as a senior at 157 pounds. He is a philosophy major and has a cumulative GPA of 3.597.
Wrestlers must have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher and either be an NCAA qualifier, place in the NCAA-qualifying tournament, or have won more than 66 percent of his matches to be named a Scholar All-American by the NWCA.
Wabash Grapplers Finish Second at Servies Duals

A hard-fough championship bout between Wabash and Lincoln College ended with the Little Giants losing 23-15 to finish second at the 2011 Max Servies Wrestling Duals.
View photos from the Servies Duals Lincoln jumped out to victories in the first two matches. Wabash wrestler Garrett Payne received a forfeit in his 141-pound weight class bout, followed by a victory by sophomore Jake Strausbaugh at 149 pounds. Graham Youngs scored another win for Wabash at 157 pounds. Junior Jake Moore fought to the final seconds of his 165-pound bout before scoring the final win in the dual contest against Lincoln. The Lynx picked up the final four wins to take home the championship title.
Wabash earned a place in the championship bout by scoring three early victories. The Little Giants opened with decisive 41-3 win against Ohio Northern. Josh Boyer, Marc Escobedo, Payne, Strausbaugh, and Youngs all scored victories in the match. Greg Rhoads (above left), Dalton Stanley, Austin O'Neal, and Pat Clegg were also individual winners for Wabash in the team victory.
A 46-3 win against Wilmington College gave Wabash a spot in the next round of duals. Boyer, Escobedo, Payne, Strausbaugh, Youngs, Moore, Rhoads, O'Neal, and Clegg were all individual victors.The Little Giants' third win came in a 28-12 contest against the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Boyer, Strausbaugh, Moore, Rhoads, O'Neal, and Clegg were joined by Drew Songer as individual winners for Wabash.
Wabash Grapplers Dominate in 33-9 Win Over Manchester

Wabash 33, Manchester 9

Wabash won eight of the ten wrestling matches in Wednesday night's 33-9 home victory over in-state rival Manchester College. The 28th-ranked Little Giants improved to 8-3 in duals this season with the win.
View photos from the Little Giants' victory <http://www.wabash.edu/photo_album/home.cfm?photo_id=20234&photo_album_id=2690>here.
Josh Boyer started the scoring for Wabash by receiving a forfeit at 125 pounds. Garrett Payne added four more points to the Little Giants' score with a 10-3 major decision over Charles Holmquest at 141 pounds.
Jake Strausbaugh, a national qualifier in 2010, fought a tough battle against MAnchester Cameryn Brady at 149 pounds. Brady scored a late takedown to tie the bout at 3-3, but Strausbaugh rallied for a takedown of his own in overtime to earn the 5-3 victory.
Graham Youngs followed with a 12-4 major decision at 157 pounds. Jake Moore received the second forfeit of the night, this time at 165 pounds to put Wabash in front comfortably at 23-3. Freshman Dalton Stanley needed a third-period take down to rally for a 5-3 win in his 174-pound bout against Ryan Monce from Manchester.
Greg Rhoads dominated the third period of his 184-pound contest against Chad Ulmer, scoring 10 of his 17 points in final two minutes on the way to a 17-4 major decision. Austin O'Neal closed out the scoring for the Little Giants in a tight 4-2 victory at 197 pounds.
The Little Giants and Manchester will both compete this Saturday at the Max Servies Duals, hosted by Wabash at Chadwick Court. Competition begins at 9 a.m.
Wabash Grapplers Perfect at Knox Wrestling Duals

Wabash claimed victories in all four of its team matches at Saturday's Porter Invitational Wrestling Duals hosted by Knox College.
The Little Giants opened with a 23-9 victory over Central College, followed by a 25-10 win against Loras. Wabash dominated in a 41-3 win in its match against the host school, then completed the sweep with a 25-10 victory against Augustana.
Sophomore Jake Strausbaugh (left), senior Jake Moore, and junior Greg Rhoads each finished 4-0 individually for Wabash. Strausbaugh posted a 13-9 win at 149 pounds in the Central match, then won 21-8 in his bout against Loras. A 10-1 victory in his third match versus Knox and a 15-5 win in the finale against Augustana completed the sweep.
Moored started with a perfect 15-0 win at 165 pounds in the Central bout. He scored a tight 3-2 win against Loras, then picked up a pin at 3:43 into his bout against Knox. He closed with a 7-4 victory in the Augustana contest.
Rhoads (below right) won 9-2 at 184 pounds in the first round against Central, then scored an 11-2 victory versus Loras. Two pins finished his 4-0 record for the day. He pinned his opponent from Knox College in 2:40 and recorded a pin at the 1:16 mark of his bout against Augustana.
Graham Youngs went 3-0 at 157 pounds. He started with a 3-1 victory against Central, then picked up a 7-2 win versus Loras. He closed with a 10-7 win in the final bout against Augustana.
Austin O'Neal also scored three victories at 197 pounds. He scored a 14-5 win in his first bout of the day against Loras, received a forfeit in the Knox match, then ended the event with a 3-1 victory in the Augustana bout.
Dylan McBride, Josh Boyer, Garrett Payne, and Pat Clegg each scored two individual victories. McBride won a 4-1 decision wrestling up a weight class at heavyweight in the Knox contest after scoring a 4-1 victory at 197 pounds in the opener against Central. Boyer picked up an 18-7 win against Loras and a 25-8 victory versus Knox. Payne won 8-2 at 141 pounds against Central and 11-6 against Loras in his only two bouts of the day. Clegg picked up a 5-3 win at heavyweight in the opener against Central and closed with a 15-8 win against Augustana.
Dalton Stanley recorded a 16-4 win at 174 pounds versus Knox College, while José Perez won 2-1 at 141 pounds against Knox College. Jimmy LaRowe pinned his opponent from Knox College at the 2:01 mark of their bout to record a win in his only match of the day. v
The Little Giants will travel to Pennsylvania this weekend to compete at the annual Budd Whitehill National Duals on Friday and Saturday.
Wabash's Strausbaugh, Moore Place at 2010 Midwest Classic

Sophomore Jake Strausbaugh finished in second place at 149 pounds and senior Jake Moore took fourth place at 165 at the 2010 Midwest Wrestling Classic hosted over the weekend by the University of Indianapolis.
Strausbaugh entered the talent-laden competition seeded third in his weight class. He opened with an 11-1 victory over Beau Voegeli from Northern State, followed by a 7-2 victory against Derek Allen from Calumet St. Joseph. A 14-9 victory by Stausbaugh against sixth-seeded Daniel Genetin from Ashland moved the Wabash wrestler to the championship semifinals, where he knocked off second-seeded Mark Marianovich from Lincoln College 12-7. The win put Strausbaugh up against top-seeded Dale DeBacco from Newberry. Strausbaugh lost a tight 7-4 decision to finish in second place.

Moore advanced to Sunday's second day of competition after posting a 10-2 win aver Cory Disbennett from Mount St. Joseph. Moore, the seventh-seeded wrestler in the 165-pound bracket, lost to second-seeded Mike Williams from North Carolina-Pembroke in the championship quarterfinals. Moving to the consolation bracket, Moore scored an 8-4 win over fourth-seeded Thomas Graszl from Ashland, folloed by a 4-3 win against Ryan Pieper from Trine after Pieper had defeated the third-seeded wrestler in the weight class. A 12-8 win against fifth seed Patrick Spano from King College in the consolation semifinals sent Moore to the championship round, where he lost 11-4 to sixth-seeded Blake Ridenour from Newberry.
Wabash finished 14th out of 21 teams at the two-day event. The Little Giants will return to action next week at the Midlands Championships at Northwestern University December 29-30.Indiana 44, Wabash 0

The Wabash wrestling team took on Division I program Indiana University Thursday night in a dual meet at Chadwick Court. The Little Giants hung tough in several matches despite losing 44-0 to the Hoosiers.

Freshman Marc Escobedo opened the competition at 125 pounds against Justin Brooks from IU. Escobedo recorded two escapes in the second period to draw within two points of Brooks before eventually losing 8-2.
Sophomore Jake Strausbaugh (left) stayed even with Geno Capezio through two periods at 149 pounds, scoring a takedown on a quick leg-scissors move before heading into the third period. Capezio scored the only points in the final period with a take down, eventually adding a point for riding time in a 5-2 decision.
Sophomore Tyler McCoy (below right) recorded a takedown in the third period of his 165-pound bout against Ross Powell to make the score 6-4. McCoy could not get any more points in the period, losing by the two-point decision.
Dalton Stanley, a freshman from Topeka, Kansas trailed early before matching Nick Avery move for move in their 174-pound bout before the final 8-3 win by Avery. Greg Rhoads was within two points of Eric Cameron at 184 pounds before two takedowns and riding time gave the IU wrestler a 10-5 decision.
Wabash travels to Wisconsin Concordia for the Falcon's Open Invitational
Results - Indiana 44, Wabash 0
125 - Justin Brooks (IU) defeated Marc Escobedo (W) 8-2
133 - Matt Ortega (IU) pinned Bobby Perry (W) at 2:45
141 - Mitchell Ritchey (IU) pinned Garrett Payne (W) at 1:05
149 - Geno Capezio (IU) defeated Jake Strausbaugh (W) 5-2
157 - Ryan Konz (IU) pinned Graham Youngs (W) at 1:41
165 - Ross Powell (IU) defeated Tyler McCoy (W) 6-4
174 - Nick Avery (IU) defeated Dalton Stanley (W) 8-3
184 - Eric Cameron (IU) defeated Greg Rhoads (W) 10-5
197 - Matt Powless (IU) won by technical fall over Dylan McBride (W) 26-11 (fall time 5:00)
285 - Ricardo Alcala (IU) pinned Zach Stone (W) at 2:05
Nine Wabash Wrestlers Place at Loras Open Tourney

Wabash began the 2010-2011 wrestling season with nine wrestlers placing at the Loras College Open on Saturday. Graham Youngs, Jake Strausbaugh, Greg Rhodes, and Ryan Lutz earned top finishes in the Gold Division, while Mark Escobedo, Jimmy LaRowe, Dalton Stanley, Dylan McBride, and Von Wasson each grabbed top places in the Silver Division.
Youngs took fourth place in the 157-pound weight class, finishing with a record of 5-2 for the day. He opened with a 7-5 victory and followed with a thrilling 11-9 victory in overtime to move into the next round against Jackson Morse. Morse, the eventual 157-pound champion, won 11-2, but Youngs rallied with two consecutive victories (6-2, 5-2) and a medical forfeit to advance to the finals. Youngs lost a 9-2 decision in the finals to John Prezzia.
Strausbaugh finished with a 4-2 overall record in the 149-pound weight class. He started the day with a tough 7-6 loss before posting dominating 13-6, 17-2, and 14-7 wins in the consolation bracket. A 14-0 loss in the consolation semifinals sent Strausbaugh to the fifth-place match, where he scored a 15-7 win over Johnny Siegel from Coe College.
Rhodes scored an early 7-3 win in the first round of the 184-pound weight class bracket, but dropped to the consolation bracket with a 14-2 loss in the next round. A 4-1 victory in the bottom bracket was followed with a 20-5 technical fall win by Rhodes, but a 13-2 loss in the consolation semis moved him to the fifth place bout. Rhodes won 6-3 in the finals over teammate Ryan Lutz. Lutz had scored two consolation bracket victories after losing a tough 3-2 decision in the opening round of the bracket. Lutz scored a 2-1 overtime win in the first round of the consolation bracket, then earned a 6-2 victory before a pin in the semifinals dropped him to match against Rhodes in the finals.
Escobedo won three matches in the 125-pound weight class of the silver division of the tournament. A decisive 10-0 win in the opening round, followed by 6-5 and 3-2 wins in the subsequent rounds.The victories put Escobedo against Levi Wolfensperger in the finals, with Wolfensperger coming away with the championship with a 14-2 major decision.
LaRowe finished second at 157 pounds. He scored three consecutive victories, starting with a pin at the 3:33 mark of his opening match. 11-0 and 7-3 victories moved him into the championship finals, where he lost 7-2 to Wartburg's Brett Yonkovic.
Stanley scored five straight pins in the consolation bracket of the 165-pound weight class after losing in the opening round by pin to take third place. McBride went 3-2 to take fourth place in the 197-pound weight class, while Wasson finished the day with the same 3-2 record to take fifth place at 174 pounds.
The Little Giants return to action on November 18 with a dual meet against Indiana University at Chadwick Court at 6:30 p.m.
Wabash College Wrestler Jake Strausbaugh Has Been Named to the D3Wrestle.com All Freshmen Team
Strausbaugh was named the top Division III freshman wrestler at 141 pounds by the online site after finishing 41-11 and earning a berth to the 2010 NCAA National Championship Tournament in his first season of competition. Strausbaugh was named the Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Wrestler after winning his weight class. He finished 1-2 at the nationals, losing in the second round of competition to defending national champion Myanganbayar Batsukh from St. John's, who went on to win the weight class to claim his second title.
This is the first year for D3Wrestle.com to announce an All-Freshmen team.
Saturday Loss Ends Wabash's Strausbaugh's Season

A successful freshman season came to an end Saturday for Jake Strausbaugh at the 2010 NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championship Tournament. Strausbaugh lost 11-3 to Kevin Donahue from Cornell in the consolation bracket of the 141-pound weight class.
Strausbaugh finished the season with an overall record of 41-11. His first loss at Nationals came in an 8-2 match against Myanganbayar Batsukh from St. John's, who went on to win his second individual national championship in as many years.
SAAC Honors Outstanding Achievements to Wabash College

A combination of new records and accomplishments earned Team of the Week honors from the Wabash Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for the period ending February 20, 2010.
The SAAC Student-Athlete of the Week Award is a selective process in which the SAAC board, composed of representative athletes from each varsity sport, votes on players who have been nominated by their coaches, based upon the athlete's performance during the past week. The Player of the Week award is announced every week on the Wabash Sports Home page.
A group of athletes share this week honors, starting with freshman track and field runner Jake Waterman. Waterman set a new meet record at the DePauw Indoor Invitational Saturday, winning the 800-meter run with a time 1:52.88. His time met the provisional qualifying time for the upcoming NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship Meet and was 8/100ths of a second away from earning an automatic qualifying berth. He posted the time less than 24 hours after winning the same event at the Ohio State University Tune-Up Invitational with a time 1:56.14. Waterman was also named the North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Distance Runner of the Week.
Two Little Giant wrestlers --- freshman Jake Strausbaugh and senior Michael Burke --- were also named to the Team of the Week by the SAAC. Strausbaugh earned a trip to the NCAA Division III National Championship meet after winning the 141-pound weight class at Saturday's Midwest Regional. Strausbaugh claimed the title after defeating top-seeded Vince Tucker from Olivet in the title bout. Tucker entered the weekend with an overall record of 29-2 and had not lost to a DIII opponent until Strausbaugh defeated him by a score of 9-4. Strausbaugh was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Regional for his efforts.
Burke received a wild card berth to Nationals after finishing second at 197 pounds at the Midwest Regional. He advanced all the way to the finals of the weight class before losing 9-5 to Delaware Valley's Martin Porter. Burke's efforts throughout the tournament and the season provided enough material for the regional coaches to select him for one of six wild card berths.
The final Little Giants named to the SAAC Team of the Week are basketball players Aaron Brock and Wes Smith. The duo led Wabash to two key victories on the hardwood during the week to capture second place in the NCAC standings while securing the number-two seed in the NCAC Men's Basketball Tournament. Brock scored 37 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and had an assist and a blocked shot in wins by Wabash at Wittenberg and at home against Kenyon. Smith added 32 points, 12 boards, eight assists, and two blocked shots. The 72-69 win by the Little Giants last Wednesday night marked the first win by a Wabash team over Wittenberg in Springfield, Ohio in school history.
Wabash College's Strausbaugh, Burke Headed to Wrestling Nationals

Jake Strausbaugh was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the 2010 NCAA Division III Midwest Regional after becoming the first freshman in Wabash College history to qualify for the national championship meet. Strausbaugh won the 141-pound weight class, while teammate Michael Burke received a wild card bid from the coaches after finishing second at 197 pounds.
Strausbaugh and Burke are the first Wabash duo to advance to the NCAA Championship Wrestling Tournament since Phu Hong and All-American Chris Healy earned spots at the 2005 tourney.

Strausbaugh entered Saturday's Regional tournament as the number-two seed with a 37-9 record. He scored a 17-0 win over Manchester's Neeko Paris in the first round, then earned a 23-6 victory over Zac Andrews from Delaware Valley in the semifinals. The freshman took on top-seeded Vince Tucker from Olivet, who entered the finals with a season record of 29-2. Strausbaugh battled to a 9-4 victory to take the weight class title and earn the automatic trip to the National Championship meet.

Burke was the top-seed at 197 pounds. He opened with pin in his first match against Joseph McAllister from Olivet, then scored a 10-4 victory against Robbie Mies from Washington & Jefferson in the semis. Burke met second-seeded Martin Porter from the host school, Delaware Valley, in the finals. Porter picked up a 9-5 victory to take the automatic bid, but Burke's efforts earned him one of six wild cards awarded to the Midwest Region.

Strausbaugh and Burke will compete at the NCAA Division III National Championship meet March 5-6 at U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Greg Rhoads and Rob Arnett each advanced to the semifinals of their respective weight classes. Rhoads opened with a pin at 2:25 of his 174-pound bout against Jacob Kornblatt from Case Western Reserve. A 6-4 upset victory by Trine's Ryan Pieper dropped Rhoads to the consolation bracket, where he finished fourth overall. Rhoads recorded a pin in his first consolation bout before losing 3-1 in the consolation finals.

Arnett won by pin in overtime (10:26) in his first 285-pound match against Melvin Warrick of Waynesburg. A 6-0 loss to Sean Jameson from Mount St. Joseph was followed with a 3-1 win over Taylor Potts from Washington & Jefferson in the consolation semis. Arnett won his final bout 2-0 over Spencer Fulk from Manchester to finish in third place.

Bryan Hugo lost his first 184-pound match 7-5 in overtime before rallying for two straight victories (6-1, 3-1) in the consolation bracket. A 4-0 loss in the finals earned Hugo fourth place overall.

Wabash finished sixth in the team scoring with 81.5 points. Delaware Valley won the Regional with a total of 132.5 points.
Wabash College's Arnett Takes Heavyweight Title at Mid-States Meet

Little Giant senior Rob Arnett posted three victories to win the 285-pound weight class at Saturday's Mid-States Conference Wrestling Tournament, held at Wabash College. The Little Giants finished second in the final team scoring, while Jake Strausbaugh was named the Freshmen Wrestler of the Year.
Arnett, the top seed in the weight class, had two pins --- the first at 1:22 against Trine's Mike Tees and the second versus teammate Pat Clegg at 6:05 into the championship semifinal round. Arnett defeated third-seeded Dylan Forbes from Trine 5-2 in the finals. Clegg finished fourth overall, rallying for a 14-4 major decision in the consolation bracket before losing 12-4 in the finals to second-seeded Spencer Fulk from Manchester.
Josh Boyer finished second at 125 pounds. He opened with a 3-2 victory over Manchester's Alex Filer before falling 13-7 to top-seeded Cody Stewart from Mount St. Joseph in the finals. Oscar Trujillo added a second-place finish at 133 pounds, winning 13-5 in his first match against Chuck Holmquest from Manchester before suffering a 10-1 loss to top-seeded Adam Wilson of Olivet in the finals.
Freshman Johnny Dillon picked up a technical fall in his semifinal match with a 20-5 victory against Nick Odom from Trine. Dillon faced Trace Hall from Trine in the finals. The duo battled into overtime, where Hall scored a takedown, then finished the match with pin to take the title, with Dillon finishing second in the weight class. Garrett Payne defeated Manchester's Adam Ulmer 13-3 in the consolation finals to finish fifth overall at 149 pounds.
Jake Moore scored a third-place finish at 157 pounds. After losing his first match of the day, Moore responded with an 8-4 win against Cory Disbennett (Mount St. Joseph) in the consolation bracket. A 13-4 win in the consolation semis over Zac Leffel (Trine) pitted Moore against second-seeded Ben Hitchcock from Olivet in the finals. Moore took the match with a 9-4 decision.
Tyler McCoy 3-1 for the weekend to finish third at 184 pounds. Martin Lantz finished fourth in the same weight class with a 2-2 record, while Daniel Sandberg went 2-2 to finish fifth overall at 184 pounds. Graham Youngs pinned Justin Meiniek (Mount St. Joseph) at 2:21 in their opening match of the day before finishing 2-2 to take fourth place at 165 pounds. Ryan Lutz was 1-2 to take fourth place at 197 pounds. Bryan Hugo was fifth after going 1-2 at 174 pounds.
Strausbaugh was awarded Freshman of the Year honors by the coaches based upon his efforts throughout the season. He entered the day with a 37-9 overall record and is ranked 10th in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Brute-Adidas individual rankings. The Award is based upon the entire season's efforts. Strausbaugh did not compete in Saturday's Mid-States meet.
Wabash College assistant wrestling coach Danny Irwin joined Mount St. Joseph's Brennan Ryan as the Co-Assistant Coach of the Year.
The Little Giants finished second in the overall team standings with a total of 132-1/2 points. Trine won the team competition with 150 points, followed by Olivet in third place with 129 points. Mount St. Joseph (95-1/2 points) and Manchester (68.5 points) completed the team scoring.
Wabash will compete at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Meet on Saturday, February 20 in Doylestown, PA on the campus of Delaware Valley College.
Wabash Wins 2010 Monon Bell Wrestling Classic

Freshman Jake Strausbaugh named Most Outstanding Wrestler as Wabash posts a perfect 4-0 record to win the 2010 Monon Bell Wrestling Classic Saturday at Chadwick Court. The Little Giants defeated UW-Platteville 19-18 in the final round to finish 4-0 for the day.
Wabash needed two victories in the last two matches of the day to defeat Platteville in the finals. Michael Burke brought the Little Giants to within two points of the Pioneers by winning his 197-pound bout 4-2. Fellow senior Rob Arnett needed to win his heavyweight bout against Tyler Manning to give Wabash the team title and delivered, scoring a 9-4 victory in the one-point team win.

Strausbaugh recorded his fourth individual victory of the day with a 19-9 decision at 141 pounds on his way to the meet's top individual honor. Oscar Trujillo was an 8-6 winner at 133 pounds, while Johnny Dillon received a forfeit at 149 pounds. A key one-point penalty assessed against UW-Platteville proved to be the difference in the match.

Wabash opened pool action with a 44-6 victory over the University of Indianapolis. Josh Boyer started the Little Giants off with a 9-5 win at 125 pounds. Strausbaugh took his opening match 17-2 against Trey Weliver. Dillon followed with a pin at the 2:10 mark of his match against Blake Harvey. Jake Moore added a decisive 11-1 win at 157 pounds, while Bryan Hugo shut out Josh Curry 5-0 at 184 pounds. Burke scored a pin at 2:42 against Kyle Keith, while Arnett and Graham Youngs received forfeits.
The Little Giants advanced to the championship semifinal round with a 26-16 win against Lincoln College. Boyer picked up a 16-1 victory against Jurane Culbreath ahead of a forfeit victory for Trujillo at 133 pounds. Strausbaugh remained unbeaten with a tight 11-9 win against DeMonte Riley at 141 pounds. Youngs scored a 5-1 win at 165 pounds, while Greg Rhoads shut out Tom Fritz 6-0 at 174 pounds. A pin by Bryan Hugo at 2:56 in the 184-pound bout sealed the victory for Wabash.

A 38-13 win against Wilmington sent Wabash to the championship match against Platteville. Strausbaugh put the Little Giants on the scoreboard with a pin at 1:05 against Wilmington's Tim Brown. Dillon added a 14-5 victory over Luke Armand, and Moore scored a 12-4 victory in his 157-pound match against Mark Sedziol. Forfeit victories by Youngs and Hugo came ahead of a pin by Rhoads at 2:15 versus Brendan Leal. Burke also received a forfeit to guarantee the Little Giants a shot at the team title.
Wabash returns to action next weekend at the Wheaton College Pete Willson Invitational.
Wabash Wrestlers Dominate in Win at Manchester

The Little Giants scored seven victories in ten varsity wrestling matches Tuesday night to defeat Manchester College 27-12.
Wabash opened with a victory at 125 pounds by Josh Boyer. The Little Giant sophomore needed overtime to score a 13-12 win. Freshman Oscar Trujillo scored an 11-5 win at 133 pounds to put Wabash in front 6-0 in the team scoring.
Freshman Jake Strausbaugh continued his outstanding rookie season, recording his 29th victory of the season with pin at the 1:49 mark of his 141-pound bout against Manchester's Corey Martinez.
The Spartans scored the next two wins before junior Graham Youngs took his first victory of the season. Youngs, who spent the fall semester as part of the Wabash study abroad program, scored an 8-3 win at 165 pounds for a 15-9 Little Giant lead. Tyler McCoy battled throughout his 184-pound match against Manchester's Chris Chasteen, coming away with a 3-1 victory.
Senior Michael Burke returned to action after missing the last few weeks with a knee injury to score a pin at 2:11 in the 197-pound bout against Shawn Deetz. Fellow senior Rob Arnett finished the night the same way it started for Wabash, going into overtime before picking up a 5-3 sudden victory at heavyweight.
Wabash will serve as hosts for the annual Monon Bell Duals this Saturday at Chadwick Court. Competition begins at 9 a.m.
WABASH 27 - MANCHESTER 12
Score (MC - WAB)
125 - Josh Boyer (WAB) dec. Alex Filer (MAN) 13-12 SV1 (0-3)
133 - Oscar Trujillo (WAB) dec. Chuck Holmquest (MAN) 11-5 (0-6)
141 - Jake Strausbaugh (WAB) pins Corey Martinez (MAN) 1:49 (0-12)
149 - Adam Ulmer (MAN) medical forfeit Garrett Payne (WAB) (6-12)
157 - Chandler Pogue (MAN) dec. Jake Moore (WAB) 9-4 (9-12)
165 - Graham Youngs (WAB) dec. Jeremy Pogorzelski (MAN) 8-3 (9-15)
174 - Chad Ulmer (MAN) dec. Greg Rhoads (WAB) 4-2 (12-15)
184 - Tyler McCoy (WAB) dec. Chris Chasteen (MAN) 3-1 (12-18)
197 - Michael Burke (WAB) pins Shawn Deetz (MAN) 2:11 (12-24)
285 - Rob Arnett (WAB) dec. Casey Bushong (MAN) 5-3 SV1 (12-27)
Wabash Teamwork Nets Third at Elmhurst Wrestling Tourney

The Wabash wrestling team finished third out of 14 teams Saturday at the 28th Al Hanke Wrestling Invitational hosted by Elmhurst College. The Little Giants earned six top-5 finishes, including a first place title by freshman Jake Strausbaugh at 141 pounds.
Strausbaugh entered the weekend as the top seed at 141 pounds and lived up to expectations. He opened with a pin at 4:53 against Concordia's Josh Plate, then received a medical forfeit in the second round. A second pin at 4:54 against fourth-seeded Mike Grice from Elmhurst positioned Strausbaugh for a shot at the weight class title. He won the final bout of the day with a 8-5 victory over number-two seed Ryan Earley from Elmhurst.
Josh Boyer took second place at 125 pounds with two early wins. He started with a 7-3 victory over Javier Carbajal from Waubonsee, followed by a 5-2 win against second-seeded Austin Binish from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Boyer met top-seeded Edurado Dominquez from Harper in the finals, losing 19-2 to earn second overall.
Jake Moore scored a major upset on his way to a third place finish at 157 pounds. After scoring a 5-4 win against Lance Surma (Calumet) in the opening round, Moore met top-seeded Dan Hamilton from Elmhurst. Moore suffered a 12-3 loss, but it would be his last loss of the tourney. An 8-0 win against Ryan May from Illinois State and a pin at 3:16 versus Chris Hamberger from Concordia put Moore up against second seed Ben Chapman from Lakeland. Moore scored a 5-2 victory to move on to the finals, where he defeated Waubonsee wrestler Yoandy Cruz 11-6 to take home third place.
Senior Rob Arnett took third place at heavyweight with a 4-1 record for the day. He started with a pin at 6:10 against Kennedy King's John Price in the opening round. A 4-3 win against fifth-seeded John Grubisch of Harper put the fourth-seeded Arnett up against top seed Mark Corsello of Elmhurst. Corsello took a 5-0 victory. Arnett came back to defeat Artie Grubba from Calumet by pin at 2:46 in the consolation semifinals before receiving a medical forfeit from Grubisch in the finals.
Bryan Hugo added a fifth place finish to the Wabash team totals. Hugo opened his first 174-pound bout with an 8-2 victory against Chris Collins from Lakeland. A 9-6 loss to fourth-seeded Jason Cleary from Elmhurst sent the fifth-seeded Hugo to the consolation bracket, where he scored a pin at 2:15 versus Dustin Strusse from Triton. A medical forfeit in the next round put Hugo up against Ryan Renon from Lakeland. The third-seeded Renon won a close 3-1 decision. Hugo rebounded with a win in the finals, meeting Collins for the second time and scoring a pin at the 1:20 mark of their match.
Tyler McCoy took fifth place at 184 pounds with a 3-2 record for the tournament. After losing to second-seeded Matt Olsen from MSOE in the opening round by pin, McCoy came back to post a 6-1 victory over Takumi Mihama from Chicago in the consolation bracket. A medical forfeit in the next round sent McCoy to the semis against fourth-seeded Chris Weber from Lakeland. Weber won 9-4, but McCoy came back strong in the finals, shutting out Mike McNeil from Elmhurst 9-0 to take fifth overall.
Wabash scored a total of 93-1/2 team points in the tournament. Elmhurst won with 156 points, including three first-place finishes. Harper was second with 141-1/2 points. Lakeland (82) and MSOE (73-1/2) rounded out the top-five places.
Wabash Matmen Finish 2-2 at Knox

Wabash wrestlers Greg Rhoads and Jake Strausburgh each finished with perfect 4-0 records for the day at the Chuck Porter Duals hosted by Knox College Saturday. The Little Giants finished 2-2 as a team, including a victory over 27th-ranked University of Chicago.
The Little Giants lost a close 25-21 contest to Loras in the opening round of competition. Rhoads (left) scored a 16-2 victory over Matt Dickman at 174 pounds after Strausbaugh had scored a 5-2 win against Matt Holmes at 141 pounds. Oscar Trujillo pinned Brendan Murphy 4:52 into their 133-pound bout to score the first team points for Wabash in the match. Gabe Watson added a 10-8 victory at 165 pounds against Kile Beaver.
Wabash pound the host Prairie Fire team in the next round by a score of 52-3. Josh Boyer opened the round with an 8-3 win at 125 pounds against Ryan Olson. Strausbaugh earned the first of four pins in the round, scoring six team points at the 2:15 mark of his 141-pound bout versus Tim Yee. Johnny Dillon defeated Dugan O'Connor 18-5 at 149 pounds. Jordan Dulaney (1:51), Watson (3:58), and Rhoads (2:49) each scored pins at 157, 165, and 174 pounds respectively. Wabash received forfeits at 184 and 197 pounds before Rob Arnett completed the round with a 12-3 victory over Knox's James Wagner.
The key match of the day for Wabash came in round three with a hard-fought 22-16 win over the 27th-ranked Maroons. Strausbaugh picked up a major victory in his third bout of the day with a 15-5 win over Joseph Reuttiger, followed by a 5-3 win by Dillon against Matt Hart. The Little Giants score three consecutive victories at 165, 174, and 184 pounds. Watson pinned Seth Adams in the 165-pound bout at the 1:27 mark. Rhoads added his second pin of the day, needing just 57 seconds to defeat Spencer Burns at 174 pounds. Bryan Hugo held on to a 2-0 shutout against 184-pounder David Kneisel to boost Wabash to the team victory.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville edged the Little Giants 25-21 in the final dual. Strausbaugh cruised to a 23-9 victory against Andy Casper. Dillon pinned Spencer Peterson at 4:55 of the 149-pound bout. Rhoads final victory of the day came in a 13-6 decision against Cory Zuberbier. Rob Arnett closed out the day with a 3-1 win against Tyler Manning at heavyweight.

Wabash College's Dillon, Strausbaugh Earn Top-Eight Finishes at Midwest Classic

Wabash wrestlers Johnny Dillon and Jake Strausbaugh battled through a difficult field of 24 of the top teams in NCAA Division II, Division III, and the NAIA to earn top-eight finishes at the 2010 Midwest Wrestling Classic, hosted by the University of Indianapolis. Dillon took fourth place at 149 pounds, while Strausbaugh finished in sixth place at 141 pounds.
Dillon (right) lost 10-3 in his opening round Sunday morning against third-seeded Mitch Smith from West Liberty, but rallied for a 4-3 win against number-eight seed Dave Lopez of the host Greyhounds in the consolation bracket. An 8-6 loss in the championship round to fourth-seeded Bryan Massong from Mount St. Joseph gave Dillon his fourth-place finish.
Strausbaugh lost three consecutive matches Sunday to top-seeded wrestlers. His opening match against fifth-seeded Adams State's Josh Hensley --- the eventual champion at 141 pounds --- ended in a pin at the 5:32 mark. Strausbaugh dropped a 6-1 decision in the consolation semifinals against fourth-seeded Jeremy Parker from Limestone. Strausbaugh came up short in a 7-6 loss to number-two seeded Vince Tucker from Olivet in the finals.
Josh Boyer, the only other Wabash wrestler to advance to Sunday's second day of competition, lost in his first bout of the day to Corey Stewart. Stewart went on to finish seventh overall at 125 pounds.
Wabash finished in a tie for 15th place in the final team scoring with 40 points.
Wabash College: Robert Beeler: A Back-and-Forth Journey

Like many Wabash students, Rob Beeler initially planned on going to a big state university before ending up here. Beeler had applied to Indiana University and had gotten accepted. However, upon advising his dad on his college search, his dad urged him to consider Wabash.
"My dad really encouraged me to come to Wabash," Beeler said. "He said that a big school probably would not be a good fit for me."
Beeler took his father's advice, but only partially. After one year at Wabash, where Beeler was one of the top wrestlers, he decided to go to Indiana University where he originally applied. Beeler's main reason for leaving was that his financial aid package was not sufficient.
"The transition from Wabash to IU wasn't that tough," Beeler said. "I had already applied and been accepted, so I didn't need to reapply."
The only thing Beeler needed to get used to was the big school environment. Indiana's lecture halls are filled with 300 or 400 students, as opposed to twenty or thirty at Wabash.
"IU is a lot less personal," Beeler said. "I would be in these lecture halls with 300 or 400 students and not know anyone. The classes are taught by TA's, who are horrible about helping you outside of class. It felt more like a high school."
After only one semester at IU, Beeler returned to Wabash, concluding that the big school atmosphere really wasn't for him. Although he was set to be part of IU's wrestling team as a walk-on, his class schedule prohibited him from really being a part of the team. After a few weeks, wrestling was no longer an option.
Although the transition from Wabash to IU may have been easy, the transition from IU back to Wabash would prove to be much more difficult.
"It was tough getting back to both the classroom and wrestling," Beeler said. "IU is pretty laid back, but you are held accountable at Wabash. I came back to C&T and a full course load, where at IU, you didn't even have to read. You did what you wanted. Missing a day of classes at Wabash is like missing a week."
Beeler could tell Wabash was the place for him. He preferred the more personal campus where he knew most of his classmates. He also welcomed the challenge of the rigorous academics. Most of all, he anticipated getting back into the wrestling room after a semester away.
"It was tough," Beeler said. "I wasn't in shape. The other guys had been training for two or three months, and I hadn't."
Beeler has since been training vigorously, in hopes of qualifying for Nationals, and hopefully achieving All-American honors. Along with his personal wrestling goals, Beeler would like to become a history teacher and wrestling coach after Wabash. The summer wrestling camp helped him solidify his decision.
This summer Beeler had the opportunity to help out with the 2009 Little Giant wrestling camp, which featured some big names in Olympic wrestling. The camp featured legendary Olympian and coach, Dan Gable, and Olympian Bruce Bumgartner.
"Meeting Gable and Bumgartner, I came to realize that coaching is a skill," Beeler said. "You have to cater to different skills and personalities."
Beeler has since taken his coaching skills back to his local high school, where he helps the coach on breaks. His coaches welcome his college experience, as he is only one of three guys to wrestle collegiately out of Rushville.
Wabash has offered everything Beeler was looking for when choosing a college. He has gotten personal attention from professors, small classes, and has made several friends on campus. Wabash has also helped him start his career path by allowing him to be involved in several activities, including wrestling and helping with the camps.
Drew Parrish '10 is a reporter for the Wabash College student newspaper, The Bachelor.
Wabash Grapplers Take Second at North Central Tourney

Led by three individual titles and two second-place finishes, Wabash took second place in the final team standings at Saturday's North Central College Wrestling Invitational. Johnny Dillon was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler after winning the 149-pound weight class, while Michael Burke and Rob Arnett were crowned champions at 197 and 285 pounds, respectively.
Dillon entered the tournament as the number two seed. He quickly advanced to the semifinals with a 21-9 major victory in the first round of wrestling and a pin 4:30 into his second match. Dillon defeated sixth-seeded Trent Reinoehl from the host Cardinals program 4-1, then knocked off top-seeded Virgil Pope from the Milwaukee School of Engineering by the same 4-1 scored to take the tournament title.
Burke claimed his second tournament title in as many weeks after winning the 197-pound weight class at the Indiana Little State Tourney. The senior was the top seed in the North Central tourney and received a bye into the semifnals, where he posted a 10-6 victory over fourth-seeded Sean Yarros from Wisconsin-Platteville. Burke then knocked off third-seed Bradley Zellner from Platteville 3-1 in the finals to take the title.
Arnett opened with a pin 1:11 into his first round on the mat at 285 pounds. He socred an 8-3 win as the number one seed over fifth-seeded Tyler Manning from Platteville in the semis before claiming the heavyweight crown with an 11-3 major decision over third-seeded Rodney Knowlton from North Central.
Jake Strausbaugh and Greg Rhoads each added second place finishes at 141 and 174 pounds. Strausbaugh, the WWSport.com Wrestler of the Week, scored two straight pins in the opening rounds (4:46 and 1:32) before defeating third-seeded Andrew Zobac from North Central. Strausbaugh, the two-seed, faced top-seeded Olivet wrestler Vince Tucker in the title bout. Tucker came away with a hard-fought 7-5 win.
Rhoads was seeded third at 174 pounds heading into the tournament. He started with a 13-4 major victory in the opening round, then scored a pin 1:26 into his second-round bout against North Central's Taylor Trim. A 15-6 major decision over second-seededCory Zuberbier from Platteville put Rhoads up against Cowan Brown from North Central. The Cardinal wrestler defeated Rhoads 8-4 in the title bout.
Gabe Watson added a fourth-place finish at 174 pounds by scoring two opening round victories before losing to Brown in the championship semis. A 6-3 win over Simpson's Jordy Ammons sent Watson to the finals where he lost 10-6 to Justin Tomal from Wheaton.
Bryan Hugo scored two wins by scores of 3-1 and 14-12 before losing 6-4 to second-seed Joby Bodi at 165 pounds. Hugo rallied for a 3-1 tiebreaker victory in the consolation semis before losing 15-4 to Jim Neal in the finals to take fourth place. Bill Wood added a fourth-place finish at 149 pounds with a pin in his first bout of the tournament at 3:19 and three consolation bout victories. Pat Clegg took fourth place at heavyweight with 7-2 and 4-3 victories in his first two matches along with a 12-3 major decision in the consolation semis before falling in the finals. Jordan Dulaney scored two early victories before being upset in the semifinals at 157 pounds to score a fourth -place finish at 157 pounds. Teammated Jake Moore finished fifth in the weight class with four wins in the consolation portion of the bracket.
North Central won the tournament with a total of 157.5 points. The Little Giants were second with a score of 119 points, followed by Platteville (111) and Olivet (84.5). Wabash will be back on the mats at the end of the month at the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Illinois.
Josh Boyer was fifth in the 125-pound bracket with a 2-2 record, including a 17-11 win in the finals.
Wabash Foursome Earns Top-6 Spots at Concordia Invite

Seniors Michael Burke and Rob Arnett were joined by freshman Jason Strausbaugh and Johnny Dillon as top-six finishers at the Concordia Invitational wrestling tournament Saturday. Burke finished third at 197 pounds, while Arnett took fifth place in the heavyweight class. Strausbaugh was third in the 141-pound weight class, while Dillon added a fifth place finish at 149 pounds.
Burke scored a 6-2 win over Sam Johnson from Dubuque in his opening match, then followed with an 8-5 win over fourth-seeded Brandon Jochem from Wisconsin-Stevens Point to advance to the semifinals of the championship bracket. Burke faced top-seeded Byron Tate from Wartburg, who won 16-3 to send the Wabash senior to the consolation bracket. Burke earned a 7-1 victory over Steve Wozniak from UW-Stevens Point, then won the third-place bout against Brad Zellner from UW-Platteville 8-3 in the finals.
Strausbaugh opened with 9-2 and 12-6 victories in the first two rounds, then nearly knocked off the top-seeded wrestler in the bracket before losing 5-3 to UW-Whitewater's Austin Bautista. Dropping to the consolation bracket, Strausbaugh rolled off six consecutive victories on his march to a third-place finish. An 11-4 victory over sixth-seeded Mark Puckhaber from UW-Stevens Point was followed by a 15-6 major victory against Andy Casper from UW-Platteville. Strausbaugh faced tenth-seeded Dave Edwards from UW-Parkside next, coming away with a decisive 16-9 win. Strausbaugh pinned Kasey Cates 49 seconds into the consolation semifinals to set up a match between the Wabash freshman and third-seeded Arik Yde from UW-Parkside in the finals. Strausbaugh took the third-place title with a 6-4 win.
Arnett faced a tough battle in his opening match, going to overtime before scoring a 6-4 sudden victory over UW-Whitewater's Nick Gibson. Another close match led to a 4-2 by Arnett over Carmen Mirandola from Elmhurst. A 5-4 victory by the Little Giant senior in the championship quarterfinals against Bret Oswald from UW-Stevens Point put Arnett up against second-seeded John Helgerson from Wartburg in the semifinals. Helgerson won by pin followed by a 4-1 loss to Augsburg's Dave Wyper, but Arnett rallied in the consolation bracket championship round with a 9-7 win against Jeremy Klein from Loras.
Dillon scored two opening wins at 149 pounds --- an 11-6 decision against AJ Knoll from Dubuque and a 6-0 victory against Hayden Silver from UW-Stevens Point. A 14-6 loss to third-seeded Virgil Pope dropped Dillon into the consolation bracket. The Hobart rookie picked up four consecutive victories, starting with a 16-12 win over Josh Smith from LaGrange. A 10-5 upset over 11th-seeded Brice Gretch from Wartburg came just before an even bigger win --- an 8-3 victory over fourth-seeded Ben Strobel from UW-Stevens Point --- advanced Dillon along in the bracket. A 9-4 win in the next round put Dillon up against third-seeded Pope for the second time in the tournament. Pope came away with the win again in a much closer match, winning 3-1. Dillon's final match was an 8-1 victory over sixth-seeded Dillion Potnack from UW-Platteville, giving the Wabash freshman three victories over seeded opponents for the day.
Freshman Gabe Watson won four matches at 174 pounds before losing for the final time in the quarterfinals of the consolation bracket. Sophomore Greg Rhoads also advanced to the consolation quarters of the 184-pound weight class with four victories in the tournament.
Wabash Battles DI Indiana University on the Wrestling Mat
IU 45, Wabash 0

Wabash took on Division I nationally-ranked Indiana University at Chadwick Court Tuesday evening. The Little Giants took away some valuable lessons for the remainder of the season in the 45-0 loss to the Hoosiers.

"Our guys went out there and they attacked," Wabash head coach Brian Anderson said. "We learned you have to put more than just one good attack on an opponent to get a score out of it. That's why we wrestle a team like IU. The lessons we learn competing against them carry over to the rest of the season."
Sophomore Greg Rhoads gave his best effort to provide an upset against IU's Eric Cameron in the 184-pound weight class. Rhoads stayed close throughout the match before Cameron eventually came away with the 7-4 victory. Senior Michael Burke got to within a point of Hoosier wrestler Matt Powless late in their 197-pound bout. Powless held on to post a 9-5 victory.
Freshman Jake Strausbaugh lost 8-1 to Dan Monaco at 141 pounds.
Wabash falls to 4-2 with the loss in dual meets for the season. The Little Giants will compete in the Concordia Open in Mequon, Wisconsin this Saturday.
Matmen Improve to 4-1 with Tuesday Home Win Wabash 35,Calumet College of St. Joseph 9

Wabash scored a dominating 35-9 win Tuesday night in the Little Giants' 2009 home debut against Calumet College of St. Joseph.
The Little Giants took an early 6-0 lead when Josh Boyer's move late in his 125-pound bout against Chris Head ended in an injury default. The Crimson Wave responded with three straight victories at 133, 141, and 149 pounds and had a lead heading into the final period of the 157-pound match.
Sophomore Tony Conway scored a late reversal in the 157 bout to after tying the match at 2-2 to give Wabash the 4-2 victory and tie the overall scoring at 9-9.
"That was a great win for Tony," head wrestling coach Brian Anderson said. "We were geared up for that match because he was wrestling one of Calumet's top guys. Tony just stuck with it, he didn't falter at all and kept moving forward with his game plan. It worked out in his favor at the end."
Two consecutive forfeit wins by Bryan Hugo and Robert Beeler put the Little Giants up 21-9.
Sophomore Greg Rhoads added to the score by recording a major victory at 184 pounds with a 12-4 win over Dustin Boyd. A forfeit victory by Wabash wrestler Michael Burke put the Little Giants in front 31-9 heading into the final bout of the night.
Senior Rob Arnett picked up the final four points for Wabash with a 16-7 major victory at heavyweight to move the Little Giants to 4-1 in dual meets for the season after going 3-1 Saturday at the Lakeland Duals.
"I was definitely pleased with the team effort tonight," Anderson said. "There were some tight matches. We knew Calumet was going to be solid despite the fact they are a first-year program. They have a lot of good wrestlers in their lineup.
"We came out well. We definitely dropped a couple of matches I expected us to win, but overall it was a good effort."
Wabash will wrestle against Indiana University Tuesday, November 17 at Chadwick Court beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Wabash Grapplers Take Three at Lakeland Duals

Wabash opened the 2009-2010 wrestling season Saturday with three victories at the Lakeland Duals in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
The Little Giants opened with a 24-13 win over the Milwaukee School of Engineering before falling 36-6 to Morehead. Wabash rebounded with a dominating 46-3 win over Wisconsin-Eau Claire before scoring a 25-16 victory over the host school in the final round.
Senior Rob Arnett earned his first win of the season with a 4-0 victory at 285 pounds in the first round against MSOE. Oscar Trujillo won easily at 133 pounds with a 16-3 final against LaMichael Joseph. Jake Strausbaugh picked up a 10- win at 141 pounds for the Little Giants.
Jake Moore added a 14-8 win at 157 pounds, while Bryan Hugo picked up a 3-1 win at 165 pounds against Bryce Howard. Robert Beeler continued the Wabash win streak with an 11-6 victory at 174 pounds.
Arnett and Michael Burke scored the only wins for the Little Giants against Morehead. Arnett defeated Nick Nadeau 7-1 at 285 pounds. Burke took a 5-4 win over Nathan Schmitz at 197 pounds.
Wabash rallied for a victory at 141 pounds against Lakeland when Strausbaugh pinned Cody Gust 1:37 into their 141-pound bout. Garrett Payne followed with a 13-3 major victory over Nate Campbell. Beeler added a 10-4 win at 174 pounds just ahead of a 13-5 win by sophomore Greg Rhoads at 184 pounds. Burke pinned Rob Forgette in their 197-pound bout before Arnett scored his third victory of the day with a pin against Brad LeClair in the closing moments of their heavyweight match (5:55).
No individual results were available from the Wisconsin-Eau Claire match.
The Little Giants (3-1) return to action Tuesday night with a home match at Chadwick Court against Calumet College of St. Joseph at 6:30 p.m.
Wabash Little Giants Place Six at 2009 NCAA Wrestling RegionalDate: February 22, 2009

Junior Michael Burke took second place at 197 pounds, while a broken hand ended senior Jared Tribbett's final match at Saturday's NCAA Division III Midwest Wrestling Regional at Trine University. Burke and Tribbett were two of six top-eight finishers for Wabash.

Burke opened with a pin 1:47 into his match against Greg Williams from Rose-Hulman, one round after Williams knocked off fifth-seeded Alex Cressley from Washington and Jefferson. Burke faced number-one seed and eventual champion Corbin Semple from Waynesburg, losing by a 5-1 decision. Burke came back with pins against sixth-seeded Aaron Stewart from Olivet (6:01) and Brice Mertiff from Thiel (3:45) to take third place. He added a victory in the final bout of the day against second-seeded Martin Porter from Delaware Valley in a true second bout. The victory left Burke just shy of receiving a wild card bid to advance to the NCAA Nationals.

Tribbett received the number-one seed at 149 pounds and started with a pin of Abdul Yusuff from Waynesburg at the 1:16 mark of their bout. The win moved Tribbett into the championship bracket semifinals against fourth seed Dale Fava from Delaware Valley. The two battled through three periods tied at 5-5 before Fava scored a takedown in overtime for a 7-5 win. Tribbett moved into the consolation bracket, but suffered a broken hand in his next match against Mount St. Joseph's Dave Harris, forcing Tribbett to forfeit his last two matches and earn a sixth-place finish.

Freshman Greg Rhoads finished fifth at 174 pounds. He scored a pin at 2:52 against Jacob Benczo from Waynesburg in the first round of the consolation bracket after Rhoads lost 6-2 to fifth-seeded Brad Greenman from Case Western Reserve. Rhoads recorded anothe pin, this time at the 1:33 mark against Anthony Scarillo from Thiel. The tables were turned in the semifinals when Rhoads was pinned by third-seeded Nick Kraus from Trine before the Wabash freshman rallied for a final pin 3:50 versus Jesse Hooven from Mount St. Joseph in the last round.

Bryan Hugo finished with a record of 2-2 at 184 pounds to take fifth place. Robert Beeler finished sixth at 165 pounds, while Stephen Iles was eighth at 133 pounds.

Wabash finished eighth in the team scoring with 63.5 points. Delaware Valley defended its Regional title from last year by scoring 183 points. Olivet and Trine tied for second with 128.5 points. Mount St. Joseph's (99.5) was third, followed by Thiel (97.5), Waynesburg (83.5), and Case Western (66). Manchester (51) took seventh place, with Rose-Hulman (45.5) and Washington & Jefferson (39.5) rounding out the team scores.

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