Final Brackets (pdf)

Wabash claimed three individual titles and 22 top-eight finishes at the 2012 Indiana Little State Wrestling Tournament Saturday. Jake Strausbaugh completed a four-year sweep by capturing the 165-pound title.

Strausbaugh entered his final year of competition with three Little State individual championships before winning the 165-pound weight class. Joining Strausbaugh as individual champions were Reece Lefever at 157 pounds and Mark Myers at 184 pounds.

Stausbaugh scored a 10-6 victory in his opening bout, then rolled up consecutie pins at 4:11 and 4:13 of his next two bouts to advance to the finals. He picked up an 8-6 win over Kafuba Donzon from Indiana Tech to win the championship. Teammate Ethan Farmer finished fifth in the 165-pound weight class with a record of 3-2 for the tournament, including two pins and a 5-2 decision in the finals.

Lefever earned a 9-0 win in his first bout at 157 pounds, then earned a 12- major decision in the semifinals. He faced fellow Wabash wrestler Josh Sampson in the finals, winning 16-5. Sampson advanced to the finals thanks to an 11-0 win in the first round, an 8-6 sudden victory in the quarterfinals, and a 7-0 win in the semifinals.

Myers won his weight class with a 4-0 mark, starting with a pin 1:00 into his opening bout. He added two major victories (13-2; 12-1) before battling to a 7-6 victory against Andrew Pettit from Wisconsin-Whitewater in the finals. Josh Sparks finished fourth in the weight class with a record of 4-2. Patrick Marlatt finished seventh by posting a 3-2 overall record with a dominating 19-8 victory in the finals.

Austin O'Neal added a second-place finish at 197 pounds. He opened with a 12-3 win in the first round, then advanced due to an injury default before picking up a 5-2 win in the semifinals. O'Neal lost 8-3 in the finals to Wisconsin-Whitewater's Shane Siefert in the finals. Jake Barclay finished seventh at 197 pounds, while Gabe Watson took eighth place.

Three Little Giants earned top-eight finishes at 125 pounds. Tommy Poynter put together an overall record of 4-1. He started with a 20-4 technical fall, followed by a 6-4 decision in the second round. His lone loss came in a 4-2 decision in the championship semifinals, but rallied for a pair of wins in the consolation bracket to finish third. Marc Escobedo finished sixth with a 3-3 mark. Robbie Carter went 3-2 to finish seventh, winning his final bout with a pin at the 5:43 mark.

Conner Lefever took third place at 174 pounds. He won his opening bout with a pin, then followed an 8-4 loss in the championship semifinals with a pin (0:17) and an injury default. Brett Thumm finished fifth with a record of 3-2, including a 15-4 major victory in the finals.

Michael Venezia added a third-place finish in the 141-pound weight class. He recorded pins at 0:57 and 1:54 in his first two bouts, then lost a tight 4-3 decision in the semifinals. He finished with major victories (10-0; 9-1) in the final two bouts to take third place. Patrick Parham finished fourth with a record of 4-2. He lost his opening bout before posting four consecutive wins before falling to Venezia in the finals.

Justin Dickey finished third at 149 pounds with a record of 5-1. He started with a 9-5 decision before losing his second bout to eventual weight class champion Anthonie Linares from Cumberland. Dickey rallied for four consective wins in the consolation bracket. Kyle Nardi put together a record of 4-2 to finish seventh overall. Garrett Payne finished eighth with a pair of victories.

Abraham Hall finished fourth at heavyweight after finishing the tournament with a record of 4-2. Aaron Davis was the final Wabash wrestler to place, finishing seventh at 133 pounds.

The Little Giants will compete at the North Central College Invitational next weekend.