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Wabash College Athletics

Daniel Uribe
Jimmy Naprstek, Kodiak Creative

Wrestling

Uribe Takes 149-Pound Title at Indiana Little State Tournament

Seven Little Giants earn top-eight finishes

Wabash scored seven top-eight finishes, led by an individual title for Daniel Uribe at 149 pounds, at Saturday's non-scoring 2023 Indiana Little State Tournament held at Indiana Tech University. 

Uribe started his tournament run with a 7-3 victory over Zach Haughton from the University of Indianapolis, then pinned Marian University's Ian Heath 30 seconds into the second period to move to the semifinal round. Uribe defeated UIndy's Jackson Hoover 8-5, then scored a 10-3 win against Cumberlands' Bryce Nickel to claim the 149-pound title. 

Blake McGee posted three consecutive victories in the 141-pound bracket to earn a second-place finish. McGee opened the day with an 11-4 decision over Chris Barthelemy from West Liberty, then defeated Gavin Garcia from the University of Indianapolis 10-7 in the quarterfinals. McGee earned a technical fall with a 23-7 victory in the semifinals against Dru Wilson from Lourdes University before a 17-3 loss in the finals to Logan Wagner from Marian University, which ended with a second-place finish.

Tim Smith finished second in the 157-pound weight class. Smith scored a 4-1 win against Elijah Chacon from Indiana Tech, then pinned Marian University's Jeff Nixon at the four-minute mark of their second-round match. A 4-2 win against Carter Winegardner sent Smith to the finals, where he lost to Nate Wheeler from Indiana Tech. 

Jesse Herrera wrestled to fourth place at 165 pounds with five victories in the tournament. He scored an 18-1 tech fall against Jordan Fulks from Marian, followed by a pin at 1:37 against Elijah Brown from UIndy in round two. After losing in the quarterfinals, Herrera dropped to the consolation bracket but rebounded with a pin from Dylan Preston from Cumberlands and a 5-1 victory over Weston Melvin from Cumberlands. Herrera received a medical forfeit in the semis before losing in the finals, which ended with a fourth-place finish. 

Neil Johnson also captured fourth place at 197 pounds for the Little Giants. Johnson lost his opening bout but rallied for back-to-back pins in the consolation bracket. After advancing due to a medical forfeit, Johnson defeated Carter Kroll from Lourdes in the consolation fifth round. A 12-4 major decision over Marian's Liam Begley put Johnson into the finals, where a loss provided the fourth-place finish.  

Andrew Punzalan scored a sixth-place finish at 125 pounds with three victories, including a 15-4 major decision over Dallas Stanton from Rochester University. Ethan Cooper recorded a first-round pin, a 6-4 victory, and a 15-0 tech fall for his three wins at 165 pounds on the way to an eighth-place finish. 

Wabash travels to Naperville, Illinois, next Saturday to compete at the North Central College Invitational.

 
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Players Mentioned

Jesse Herrera

Jesse Herrera

165
Sophomore
Blake McGee

Blake McGee

133
Junior
Daniel Uribe

Daniel Uribe

149
Senior
Ethan Cooper

Ethan Cooper

165
Freshman
Neil Johnson

Neil Johnson

197
Freshman
Andrew Punzalan

Andrew Punzalan

125
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Jesse Herrera

Jesse Herrera

Sophomore
165
Blake McGee

Blake McGee

Junior
133
Daniel Uribe

Daniel Uribe

Senior
149
Ethan Cooper

Ethan Cooper

Freshman
165
Neil Johnson

Neil Johnson

Freshman
197
Andrew Punzalan

Andrew Punzalan

Freshman
125