Wabash honored the four senior members of the 2022-23 wrestling team before the Little Giants captured seven individual titles and 18 top-four finishes and a team title at the 2023 Wabash Invitational.
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Wabash seniors
Evan Burge,
Jack Heldt,
Austin Johnson, and
Grant Johnson were honored before the finals of the four-team tournament with West Liberty University, Mount St. Joseph University, and Huntingdon College. Heldt and
Grant Johnson followed the senior ceremony with individual victories in their respective weight classes.
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Heldt scored two pins in his heavyweight bracket to win that title. He pinned Huntingdon's Steven Flagg 1:14 into their semifinal bout. Heldt finished the tournament with a pin of Jack Haury from Huntingdon at the 4:20 mark of their finals match.
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Grant Johnson won the 197-pound weight class with a 3-0 record on the day. He opened with a 10-2 major decision over Kaleb Gelter of Mount St. Joseph. Johnson scored a 5-4 victory in the semifinals against Chance Morgan from West Liberty, then pinned Parker Bentley from West Liberty 1:55 into their finals match to claim the individual title.
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Wabash had the only competitors entered in the 125-pound and 133-pound weight classes.
James Day scored a pin over
Ethan Bednarczyk to claim the 125-pound title. Bednarczyk claimed second place by advancing to the finals with a victory over
Atticus Waddell in the semifinal round.
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Arlie Benson won the 133-pound title with an 8-3 win over teammate
David Gelman in the finals. Gelman placed second in the bracket with a semifinal round victory over
Garson Matney.
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Daniel Uribe won the 149-pound weight class with a pair of victories on the day. He defeated teammate
Dominic Litchfield with a 17-2 tech fall in the semifinals before scoring a 9-3 victory over Brock Wygle from West Liberty in the championship bout. Litchfield placed third in the weight class with two victories over teammate
Andrew Ross. Litchfield won the first meeting with a 16-2 major victory in the quarterfinals. Litchfield captured third place with an 8-2 win over Ross in the finals, with Ross finishing in fourth place. Ross earned a spot in the third-place bout by defeating Jorden Zigo from Mount St. Joseph 11-6 in the consolation semifinals.
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Mawuli Nevis captured the 165-pound title with an 11-4 finals victory over Cade Sousa from Huntingdon. Nevis earned a place in the finals with a 7-6 semifinal win against Jayson Spencer from Huntingdon. Dylan Baron scored two wins, including a victory over teammate
Rylan Hendricks in the finals. Hendricks finished sixth in the weight class.
Chase Baczek won the 184-pound weight class bracket by picking up two wins on the day. He won a 15-0 tech fall against Jeffrey Tubbs from Huntingdon in the semifinals, then scored a 17-0 tech fall over Nicholas Brashear from Huntingdon in the championship match.
Trescott Duffy placed third in the 184-pound weight class with back-to-back wins starting with a 16-0 tech fall against West Liberty's Marshall Whipkey in the consolation semifinals. Duffy defeated Tubbs in finals 6-3 to claim third place in the bracket.
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Blake McGee placed second at 141 pounds. He scored a 15-3 major decision in the semifinal round against Bryson Neidigh from West Liberty before a one-point 4-3 defeat at the hands of Dylan Stroud from West Liberty in the finals.
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Jordan Hodge won two matches at 157 pounds to finish third in the bracket. He defeated Brody Gray from Mount St. Joseph 7-6 in the consolation semifinals before facing teammate
Daniel Alves and picking up a 6-4 win to claim third place. Alves finished fourth by advancing to the finals with an 8-4 victory against Breagan Pearson from West Liberty in their consolation semifinal bout.
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Sammy Saunders picked up a pin at the 1:48 mark of a consolation semifinal bout versus Mount St. Joseph's Noah Johnson to finish in fourth place in the 174-pound bracket.
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Wabash ran away with the team title, scoring 250.5 points. Huntingdon placed second with 151.5 points. West Liberty finished third with a score of 136.5. Mount St. Joseph scored 50 points in the tournament.
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Wabash College Invitational Results for Wabash
Open 125
James Day's place is 1st and has scored 13.0 team points.
Open 125
Ethan Bednarczyk's place is 2nd and has scored 9.5 team points.
Open 125
Atticus Waddell's place is 3rd and has scored 4.0 team points.
Open 133
Arlie Benson's place is 1st and has scored 11.0 team points.
Open 133
Garson Matney's place is 3rd and has scored 4.0 team points.
Open 133
David Gelman's place is 2nd and has scored 8.0 team points.
- Semifinal - David Gelman (Wabash) won by decision over Garson Mattney (Wabash) (Dec 3-0)
- 1st Place Match - Arlie Benson (Wabash) won by decision over David Gelman (Wabash) (Dec 8-3)
Open 141
Blake McGee's place is 2nd and has scored 15.0 team points.
- Quarterfinal - Blake McGee (Wabash) received a bye () (Bye)
- Semifinal - Blake McGee (Wabash) won by major decision over Bryson Neidigh (West Liberty) (Maj 15-3)
- 1st Place Match - Dylan Stroud (West Liberty) won by decision over Blake McGee (Wabash) (Dec 4-3)
Open 149
Andrew Ross's place is 4th and has scored 10.0 team points.
Open 149
Daniel Uribe's place is 1st and has scored 19.5 team points.
Open 149
Dominic Litchfield's place is 3rd and has scored 12.5 team points.
Open 157
Jordan Hodge's place is 3rd and has scored 11.0 team points.
- Quarterfinal - Breagan Pearson (West Liberty) won by tech fall over Jordan Hodge (Wabash) (TF 18-0)
- Cons. Round 1 - Jordan Hodge (Wabash) received a bye () (Bye)
- Cons. Semi - Jordan Hodge (Wabash) won by decision over Brody Gray (Mount St. Joseph) (Dec 7-6)
- 3rd Place Match - Jordan Hodge (Wabash) won by decision over Daniel Alves (Wabash) (Dec 6-4)
Open 157
Daniel Alves's place is 4th and has scored 10.0 team points.
- Quarterfinal - Brody Gray (Mount St. Joseph) won by decision over Daniel Alves (Wabash) (Dec 6-0)
- Cons. Round 1 - Daniel Alves (Wabash) received a bye () (Bye)
- Cons. Semi - Daniel Alves (Wabash) won by decision over Breagan Pearson (West Liberty) (Dec 8-4)
- 3rd Place Match - Jordan Hodge (Wabash) won by decision over Daniel Alves (Wabash) (Dec 6-4)
Open 165
Rylan Hendricks's place is 6th and has scored 8.5 team points.
- Quarterfinal - Cade Sousa (Huntingdon) won by tech fall over Rylan Hendricks (Wabash) (TF 16-0)
- Cons. Round 1 - Rylan Hendricks (Wabash) won by medical forfeit over Eero Gross (Wabash) (MFF)
- Cons. Semi - Jayson Spencer (Huntingdon) won by major decision over Rylan Hendricks (Wabash) (Maj 14-2)
- 5th Place Match - Dylan Baron (Wabash) won by fall over Rylan Hendricks (Wabash) (Fall 0:52)
Open 165
Mawuli Nevis's place is 1st and has scored 18.0 team points.
- Quarterfinal - Mawuli Nevis (Wabash) received a bye () (Bye)
- Semifinal - Mawuli Nevis (Wabash) won by decision over Jayson Spencer (Huntingdon) (Dec 7-6)
- 1st Place Match - Mawuli Nevis (Wabash) won by decision over Cade Sousa (Huntingdon) (Dec 11-4)
Open 165
Dylan Baron's place is 5th and has scored 12.0 team points.
- Quarterfinal - Dylan Baron (Wabash) won by injury default over Eero Gross (Wabash) (Inj. 5:00)
- Semifinal - Cade Sousa (Huntingdon) won by decision over Dylan Baron (Wabash) (Dec 10-3)
- Cons. Semi - Skyler Cowgill (Mount St. Joseph) won by decision over Dylan Baron (Wabash) (Dec 14-7)
- 5th Place Match - Dylan Baron (Wabash) won by fall over Rylan Hendricks (Wabash) (Fall 0:52)
Open 165
Eero Gross's place is 7th and has scored 4.0 team points.
- Quarterfinal - Dylan Baron (Wabash) won by injury default over Eero Gross (Wabash) (Inj. 5:00)
- Cons. Round 1 - Rylan Hendricks (Wabash) won by medical forfeit over Eero Gross (Wabash) (MFF)
- 7th Place Match - Eero Gross (Wabash) received a bye () (Bye)
Open 174
Sammy Saunders's place is 4th and has scored 11.5 team points.
- Quarterfinal - Sammy Saunders (Wabash) received a bye () (Bye)
- Semifinal - Gabriel Pittman (Huntingdon) won by decision over Sammy Saunders (Wabash) (Dec 7-1)
- Cons. Semi - Sammy Saunders (Wabash) won by fall over Noah Johnson (Mount St. Joseph) (Fall 1:48)
- 3rd Place Match - Nick Kendrick (Huntingdon) won by fall over Sammy Saunders (Wabash) (Fall 0:53)
Open 184
Chase Baczek's place is 1st and has scored 21.0 team points.
- Quarterfinal - Chase Baczek (Wabash) received a bye () (Bye)
- Semifinal - Chase Baczek (Wabash) won by tech fall over Jeffrey Tubbs (Huntingdon) (TF 15-0)
- 1st Place Match - Chase Baczek (Wabash) won by tech fall over Nicholas Brashear (Huntingdon) (TF 17-0)
Open 184
Trescott Duffy's place is 3rd and has scored 12.0 team points.
- Quarterfinal - Trescott Duffy (Wabash) received a bye () (Bye)
- Semifinal - Nicholas Brashear (Huntingdon) won by decision over Trescott Duffy (Wabash) (Dec 11-6)
- Cons. Semi - Trescott Duffy (Wabash) won by tech fall over Marshall Whipkey (West Liberty) (TF 16-0)
- 3rd Place Match - Trescott Duffy (Wabash) won by decision over Jeffrey Tubbs (Huntingdon) (Dec 6-3)
Open 197
Grant Johnson's place is 1st and has scored 21.0 team points.
- Quarterfinal - Grant Johnson (Wabash) won by major decision over Kaleb Gelter (Mount St. Joseph) (Maj 10-2)
- Semifinal - Grant Johnson (Wabash) won by decision over Chance Morgan (West Liberty) (Dec 5-4)
- 1st Place Match - Grant Johnson (Wabash) won by fall over Parker Bentley (West Liberty) (Fall 1:55)
Open 285
Jack Heldt's place is 1st and has scored 15.0 team points.
- Semifinal - Jack Heldt (Wabash) won by fall over Steven Flagg (Huntingdon) (Fall 1:14)
- 1st Place Match - Jack Heldt (Wabash) won by fall over Jack Haury (Huntingdon) (Fall 4:20)
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