KEARNEY, Neb. Western Colorado wrestling earned a 23-19 victory over Fort Hays State University in the Mountaineers' second of three matches Saturday at the Midwest Duals.
Bouncing back from an early loss to University of Central Oklahoma (40-9), Western grabbed the lead in the Fort Hays match with
Dean Noble's 13-4 major decision at 141, pushing the Mountaineers in front with a lead, 10-9, that it would not relinquish, though the Tigers made things close with wins in the final two matches.
The third match of the Duals, against host University of Nebraska at Kearney, went the way of the Lopers who dealt the Mountaineers a 32-12 defeat.
JUST THE FACTS
Final scores: Central Oklahoma def. Western Colorado, 40-9; Western Colorado def. Fort Hays State, 23-19; Neb.-Kearney def. Western Colorado, 32-12
Event: Midwest Duals
Location: Buffalo County Fairgrounds; Kearney, Neb.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Fort Hays match opened with the heavyweights, where Sammy deSeriere dropped a narrow 2-0 decision to allow the Tigers to take the early 3-0 lead on the team scoreboard.
- Cody Fatzinger's forfeit victory at 125 put Western in front, 6-3, but Fort Hays edged back in front with a fall at 133.
- Noble's major at 141 elevated the Mountaineers into the lead, and Jason Hanenberg's 4-0 decision at 149 added three more points to the team total.
- Fort Hays inched closer with a decision at 157, but Hunter Mullin at 165 and Cole Hernandez at 174 built an 11-point cushion for the Mountaineers. Mullin took a 15-5 major decision and Hernandez followed with a fall at the 7:03 mark to push the lead to 23-12.
- Though Cole Gray dropped a narrow 4-3 decision at 184, his efforts in keeping the match to only a decision clinched the win for Western.
- Hananeberg and Mullin were the lone victors for Western against Central Oklahoma. Hanenberg earned a second period fall and Mullin earned a 4-3 overtime victory.
- Fatzinger got the Mountaineers off on the right foot against Kearney, with an 11-5 decision at 125, but the Lopers won the next three bouts to take a 12-3 edge before Ryan Wilson could stop that streak with his 8-5 decision at 157.
- Western, though, would not add another victory until the 285 match, where deSeriere won by fall at the 6:28 mark.
UP NEXT
Western leans into Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action with its next match – the first of five consecutive conference bouts – in taking on Colorado School of Mines at home in Paul Wright Gym on Saturday, January 29.
