WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Central Missouri Mules Wrestling placed nine individuals at their home tournament, the Roger Denker Open, Sunday, Jan. 14 at the Multipurpose Building. Of those nine, five punched a ticket to the finals.

At 133-pounds, Tommy Frezza took third place going 3-1 on the day. Frezza garnered a 13-3 major decision in the quarterfinals before dropping to the consulation bracket in the semifinals. From there, Frezza bonused his way to third place, outscoring his opponents 23-2. 

Next, Jack Lage earned a spot in the semifinals before sustaining an injury which caused a medical forfeit. His performance earned him a sixth place finish at 141-pounds. 

Then, at 157-pounds, Conner Johnston took runner-up and Anthony Erickson finished third. Johnston pinned returning National Qualifier Will Kuster to earn his place in the championship match, before falling to Northern Illinois' Brayden Shelton to take second place. Erickson battled his way to the quarterfinal before dropping a decision, sending him to the consolation bracket. From there, Erickson bounced back with three consecutive pins before winning third place via decision (4-2). 

Next, John Ridle won the 165-pound bracket in dominate fashion. Ridle pinned his way to the semifinals before receiving two wins due to injury default and medical forfeit, giving him the title. 

At 174-pounds, Paul Hernandez bonused his way to the semifinals with a 15-0 techfall and a first period pin. Following, Hernandez sustained an injury, resulting in a medical forfeit to claim sixth place. 

Then, Damon Ashworth outscored his opponents 32-2 in his first two matches, before pinning Drury's Jeremiah Halter in the second period to claim the 184-pound title. 

At 197-pounds, Brayden Dillow also pinned his way to the finals, where he fell to University of Missouri's Jesse Cassatt in a 4-1 decision to claim runner-up. 

Finally, Trent Strong earned a spot in the semifinals in a dominate fashion. Once there, Strong defeated Oklahoma's Ryder Wiese by securing a takedown in the ultimate tiebreaker. To win the bracket, Strong finished with a 12-5 decision over Air Force Prep's Myles Johnson.

The Mules return to the mats Sunday, Jan. 21, hosting Maryville.