FORT WAYNE, Ind. – A long two weeks removed from the Purdue duals, the No. 7-ranked UIndy wrestling team came out hungry for action at the annual Indiana Little State tournament. This year's competition took place on the campus of Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, Ind. with UIndy having 25 wrestlers competing.
 
The Hounds went a combined 79-42 on the day, capturing titles at 197 and 174, while having 11 other placers.
 
INS & OUTS
Derek Blubaugh at 197 and Trey Sizemore were the two-Greyhound champs for this tournament, with Blubaugh now owning three titles this season. Sizemore, a 174-pound grad-transfer from Division 1 Illinois, captured his first tournament title while donning the crimson and grey.
 
Blubaugh was fall crazy from the first round all the way to the semifinal's bout, winning his first and third match by pin and his second and fourth by tech fall. In the finals Blubaugh changed it up however for his finals match, claiming a 2-1 decision victory over the host institutions Nathan Critchfield, who sits at No. 4 in the NAIA rankings for 197.
 
Sizemore, much like Blubaugh succeeded in falls, forcing pins in all five of his matches on the way to the title. On the day, Sizemore wrestled only 17 minutes and 33 seconds, pinning the No. 6-ranked Elliot Rodgers of NAIA Marian in just 2:01.
 
184 was a busy weight-class for the Hounds, as it saw Phoenix Rodgers, Porter Keevers, Aidan Petersen and Robert Gurley all compete. Petersen had the best day out of the four, fighting his way to the finals behind three falls, but fell just short landing himself in second.
 
Jackson Hoover (149) and Logan Farnell (165) both claimed third place on their days. Hoover recovered from a 8-5 loss in the semis to battle back for his top-three finish. Farnell suffered a first-round fall, but went off in the consolation bracket, racking up five falls on route to his third-place day.
 
Of the other placers, the Hounds saw Nathan Smith land at fourth at 125, grabbing extra points in three of his matches. Noah Cantu would also finish fourth at 133. Both Owens, in Owen Butler at 175 and Owen Zablocki at 165 finished their day in fifth place. Jay Thompson, representing the heavyweights, landed in sixth and Rodgers landed in eighth for 184.
 
UP NEXT
The time everyone has been waiting for has arrived as the 44th Midwest Classic is just two weekends away. The yearly super-tournament will bring in over fifty schools within Division two to Indianapolis, with seven of the top 10 making the trip. Action is set to begin on Saturday, December 16 and will conclude the day after. Stay on the lookout for more information on this year's classic on UIndyAthletics.com and on all our social medias.