LEBANON, Ill. – The No. 9-ranked University of Indianapolis wrestling team lost their first dual of GLVC action in a road bout with the, also No. 9-ranked, McKendree Bearcats by a score of 24-12.
The dual saw nine different ranked wrestlers see the mat, with only 157, 184 and 285 being the only matches not to feature anyone in the top-12 of a weight class.
INS & OUTS
Lightweight excellence was the name of the game early for the Bearcats, as they secured extra point victories at 125 and 133, quickly jumping to a 9-0 lead. The first top-12 battle came at 141, where No. 6
Blake Mulkey and No. 3 Ronan Schuelke put on a masterclass of defense and aggression. After three periods of action, the pair were tied up at a point apiece. An attempted takedown by Mulkey, which Schuelke cartwheeled out of and countered, allowing for a sudden victory for the Bearcats.
The home squad followed up the sudden victory with a decision at 149, further stretching the lead.
Owen Zablocki, at 157, played the bleeding stopper, using some stall calls to his advantage to sneak past with a 9-8 victory in front of a rowdy and hostile McKendree crowd. The tight matches continued as No. 4 Cory Petersen barely squeaked by
Dawson Combest at 165.
In the second top-12 battle, No. 5
Trey Sizemore proved his ranking, downing No. 11 Matt Ortiz 6-1, in the most dominant performance a Greyhound showed up to that point. It was not the first meeting between Sizemore and Ortiz, as at the
Midwest Classic, Sizemore upset the then No. 5 Ortiz in the consolation bracket.
Owen Butler and No. 2
Derek Blubaugh closed out the victories for the Greyhounds. Butler, getting given a chance in the starting lineup at 184, made the most of it, securing a tight 6-5 win. Blubaugh on the other hand, was cool and calculated, winning 2-0, with supreme control through the match.
#9 MCKENDREE 24, #9 UINDY 12
125: #4 Christian Mejia over
Nathan Smith (MD 9-1)
133: #10 Ryan Ripplinger over
Noah Cantu (TF 15-0 4:18)
141: #3 Ronan Schuelke over #6
Blake Mulkey (SV-1 4-1)
149: Joey Semerad over #7
Jackson Hoover (Dec 4-2)
157:
Owen Zablocki over Josh Laubach (Dec 9-8)
165: #4 Cory Peterson over
Dawson Combest (Dec 4-2)
174: #5
Trey Sizemore over #11 Matt Ortiz (Dec 6-1)
184:
Owen Butler over Zeke Waltz (Dec 6-5)
197: #2
Derek Blubaugh over Logan Kvien (Dec 2-0)
285: Tyler Haynes over
Jay Thompson (Fall 4:40)
UP NEXT
The regular season is over for the Greyhounds, as in just a weeks' time, the Greyhounds will travel to St. Louis for the GLVC Championships. The Hounds will face off against Maryville and Upper Iowa in their final GLVC duals for the season and a chance to repeat as the GLVC Champions.
