SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — No. 12 University of Central Missouri Mules Wrestling completed the first two sessions of the NCAA-II Championships at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center on Friday, March 13.
Damon Ashworth and
James Wright both secured All-American honors. Ashworth made it to the semifinals and
James Wright will compete in the consolation finals.
The top eight wrestlers in each weight class receive All-American accolades.
No. 4 Ashworth opened the 184-pound bracket against Colorado School of Mines' Wyatt Reisz, winning by a 4-2 decision. In the quarterfinals, the senior utilized an escape and a takedown to secure a 4-1 decision, clinching his All-American slot. He will face Sullivan Ramos of Wisconsin-Parkside in the semifinals tomorrow morning.
At 141 pounds, No. 6
James Wright dropped his opening bout to Lander's Elijah Lusk in a 7-2 decision. The junior bounced back in the consolation preliminary round, defeating Minnesota State-Moorhead's Pedro Velazquez in a narrow 5-4 decision. The Illinois native then dominant Shorter's Brayden Gibson in a 17-0 (6:13) tech fall before grinding out a 6-5 decision over Colton Stoneking of Fairmont State to advance to Day 2. The All-American will face Minnesota State's Colton Hush on Saturday.
Anthony Erickson picked up a win in the 174-pound preliminary round with an 8-1 decision over No. 9 Kane Kettering of Seton Hill. The senior continued his momentum in the first round with a 4-1 sudden victory over Ashland's Sevriano Garza to advance to the quarterfinals. The Oak Grove, Mo. native then dropped his bout to No. 1 Hunter Jump of Central Oklahoma via a 17-1 tech fall (5:27) and was eliminated following a narrow 1-0 decision against Tyler Morrison of Pitt-Johnstown.
No. 7
Gage Bernall won his first-round 165-pound bout against Trent Hoover of Pitt-Johnstown. In the quarterfinals, he fell in a 4-2 decision to Lander's David Hunsberger. Bernall's senior season came to a close in the consolation bracket following a 7-3 decision loss to Lane Ewing.
No. 8
Torin Forsyth fell to Colorado Mesa's Tyler Doyle via pin (6:59) in the first session. The heavyweight then faced UNC Pembroke's James Bankston, falling in a 5-2 sudden victory decision. This marked the sophomore's first national competition with UCM.
Drew Stanfield competed in the 133-pound preliminary round against Grand Valley State's Jak Keller, who took a 13-10 decision. The redshirt junior then dropped his consolation bout against Zach Ourada of Nebraska-Kearney. This was Stanfield's inaugural tournament appearance for the Mules.
Up Next: Ashworth and Wright return for Session III on Saturday, March 14, at 10 a.m. CT.
