ST. LOUIS – The No. 3-ranked University of Indianapolis wrestling team opened up its schedule with a familiar tournament, taking on the Kaufman Brand Open, hosted by GLVC-foe Maryville University. The highlight of the day came when No. 2-ranked Derek Blubaugh became a three-time winner at the event, claiming the 197-lb crown in the elite tournament.

INS & OUTS
Blubaugh proved he was deserving of that No. 2 ranking early, winning his first match of the day by pinfall in 4:08. Following his first win, the Bloomington, Ind.,  native started his GLVC gauntlet, first taking down Alexander Drmac out of McKendree by another pinfall. His semifinal match was a familiar foe, challenging teammate Phoenix Rodgers. He eventual took the victory in a 8-0 major decision to advance to a finals match against McKendree's Logan Kvien. Blubaugh closed out his day with another decision, taking the 197 title with a 4-0 win.

The Greyhounds saw two champions in the amateur brackets, the first of which coming in the 125-lb class. Aidan Sprague and Nathan Smith, competing unattached, dominated their sides of the bracket, setting up a Greyhound vs. Greyhound matchup in the final. Sprague would win the dogfight with a 4-1 decision, setting up a quality collegiate debut for the freshman out of Kendallville, Ind.

The final man on top of the podiums was Porter Keevers, who competing unattached made a trip through the bracket to capture the 184-lb amateur crown. He won his first two matches by pinfall – the first in 2:50 and the second in 2:11 – before capturing the title with a 4-2 decision win.

Also in the 197 class, Rodgers had himself a quality day, finishing in third place. He started his day out hot, winning by major decision over Maryville's Dylan Shotwell. He followed that up with a quick 44-second pinfall to send him to matchup with eventual champion Blubaugh. After falling to the No. 2-ranked Blubaugh, he battled teammate Griffin Stine in the consolation semifinal, winning 7-0. He dominated the third-place match, winning in a 17-1 tech fall.

Stine, after losing to Rodgers, went on to win his final match of the day against Kentucky Wesleyan's Drayden McKerrow to claim fifth place. Drew Kreitzer (165) and Owen Butler (174) rounded out the top finishes for the elite group. Kreitzer picked up a pair of pinfall victories, his first in 87 seconds and his next in 40.

Other top amateur performers included Tyler Conley, who grabbed bronze in the winning his first match with a 1:52 pinfall. After losing his quarterfinal match by a tight tiebreaker, he took back-to-back pinfall victories, sending him to the semifinals. He ended his day with two more wins by decision.

Tabor Lock grabbed fourth in the amateur 184, taking down two William Jewell Cardinals in the process.

HOUND BYTES
Head Coach Jason Warthan on Blubaugh's continued success at the Kaufman Open...
"We start the season off with this tournament, so I think it's just more of a testament to his hard work over the summer, in preseason and continuing to evolve and improve as a wrestler, and I think he showcased that pretty well today. Last year he had a couple close matches, and I think this year it was a little about proving that last year wasn't a fluke. And so he definitely had a target on his back (this year) where last year he was more of an unknown; people didn't know who he was."

Warthan on the finals match-up between Sprague and Smith...
"It was nice that they were on opposite sides of the bracket, so we got to see that one in the finals. It's always weird with teammates; it's always one of the those where it's hard to coach against one of your guys, so we just kind of sat back and watched and gave guidance as as needed. That's always like a pretty good pat on the back when you have two guys, and they both end up in the finals against each other."

Warthan on the value of bringing a large team...
"It was nice. I had Ivan and Gavin with me this weekend as assistants to sit in the corner, but we also had Dawson Combest, Breyden Bailey, Logan Bailey and Jack Eiteljorge that were also sitting in corners and helping us coach. So it's nice for them to get that perspective a little bit too and help coach and look at it from from a different perspective. I think it will benefit them when it's their turn to start competing."

UP NEXT
The Greyhounds stay on the road, taking a trip to Glennville, W.V., for the Glenville State Duals. They open with Mercyhurst on Nov. 10, with action starting at noon. They follow that up at 2 p.m. against Glenville State.