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Final Round Highlights

Saturday Morning Session Highlights

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CHICAGO – The University of Chicago wrestling team was back in action as hosts of the Chi-Town Invite on Sunday afternoon at Henry Crown Field House.

The four-mat invite saw Triton College and University of Dubuque come out for the round-robin format, with a total of 56 wrestlers in action. The Maroons ultimately came away with six weight class champions on the day, including senior Steve Bonsall (157 pounds), junior Will Britain (165 pounds), senior Kyle Peisker (174 pounds), sophomore Ben Sarasin (184 pounds), senior Nick Carola (197 pounds) and first-year Cole Fibranz (285 pounds).

“This was kind of a unique event where three teams brought their entire squads with the idea that each get a few matches to shake the rust off after the holidays,” said Head Coach Leo Kocher. “Although we established weight class winners, the limited number of matches in each weight class prevented us from establishing other placers.”

Chi-Town Invite Weight Class Winners
125 – Memo Juarez (Triton)
133 – Bradley Ritter (Triton)
141 – Jaylan Claudio (Triton)
149 – Luke Radeke (Dubuque)
157 – Steve Bonsall (UChicago)
165 – Will Britain (UChicago)
174 – Kyle Peisker (UChicago)
184 – Ben Sarasin (UChicago)
197 – Nick Carola (UChicago)
285 – Cole Fibranz (UChicago)

NEXT MEET:

• Saturday, Jan. 4 @ 11:00 AM (ET) – UChicago at D3 National Challenge (Cleveland, Ohio)

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(FORT WORTH, Tex. – Dec. 22) – The McKendree University women’s wrestling team closed out the 2019 calendar year at the 2019 Senior Nationals and Trials Qualifier before the Christmas holiday week. Natalie Reyna (Hesperia, CA/Whittier High School), Felicity Taylor (Spillville, IA/South Winneshiek High School), Emma Bruntil (), Alara Boyd (Muncie, IN/Yorktown High School), Alexandria Glaude (West Sacramento, CA/Christian Brothers High School), Andrea Sennett (Wheeling, IL/Wheeling High Shcool) and Kori Bullock(Cahokia, IL/Cahokia High School) all placed in the top-8 of their respective weight classes.

The Bearcats had 10 wrestlers compete in the tournament, where seven placed in the top-8 of their weight classes, including a National Championship title and two qualifying spots for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Below are the individual results for the Bearcats.

50 kg.
Natalie Reyna (Hesperia, CA/Whittier High School) defeated by fall (VFA 3:56 6-3) Mariah Anderson of Rise Wrestling in the first round of competition. Reyna went on to win a 13-9 decision over unattached wrestler Asia Ray. In the quarterfinals round, Reyna was defeated by technical fall (VSU 10-0, 0:42) to Alyssa Lampe of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. Reyna was placed in the consolation bracket for the 5^th place title, where she was defeated by fall (VSU 11-2, 5:56) to Alleida Martinez of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. Reyna placed sixth and went 2-2 on the weekend.

Katherine Sumner (Port Byron, NY/Dana L. West) was defeated by fall at (VFA 4:3, 12-8) to unattached wrestler Ira Jean Navarro in the first round of competition. Sumer moved into the consolation bracket, where she was defeated by technical fall (VSU 10-0, 1:23) to unattached wrestler Hannah Peterson. Sumner went 0-2 on the weekend.

53 kg.
Felicity Taylor (Spillville, IA/South Winneshiek High School), ranked No.6 going into the tournament, defeated Danielle Garcia of Team Tornado Wrestling Club on a VPO 6-0 decision in the first round of competition. Taylor went on to defeat Allena Gomez of Colorado Mesa Wrestling Club in a technical fall (VSU 10-0, 3:21). In the quarterfinals match, Taylor was defeated by technical fall (VSU 11-0, 4:41) to Katherine Shai of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. Taylor moved into the 5^th place match where she was defeated by technical fall (VSU 11-0, 5:24) to Ronna Heaton of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. Taylor placed sixth and went 2-2 in the weekend.

57 kg.
Graduate Student Gabrielle Weyhrich received a bye in the first round of competition. Weyhrich defeated Alexandria Herle of Lion Wrestling club in a technical fall (VSU 10-0, 3:59). Weyhrich was defeated by fall (VFA 5:03, 6-4) to Tiana Jackson of Menlo Wrestling Club. Weyhrich moved into the consolation bracket there she defeated Allison Petix in of Team Tornado Wrestling Club in a 7-5 decision. Weyhrich’s final competition of the day was a 4-3 defeat to Gracie Figueroa of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. Weyhrich went 2-2 on the weekend.

62 kg.
Emma Bruntil (), ranked No 3 going into the tournament, defeated unattached wrestler Andrea Schlabach by technical fall (VSU 2:28, 10-0) in the first round of the tournament. Bruntil went on to defeat Marlee Smith of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club in an 8-0 decision. Bruntil continued her winning streak by defeating Teshya Alo of Titan Mercury Club in a 6-0 decision. Bruntil defeated Macey Kilty of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club in the semifinals match in a 6-4 decision. In the final match of the tournament, Bruntil defeated Maya Nelson of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club by injury fault, placing first and taking the title. Bruntil placed first, awarded the National Championship title, went 5-0 on the weekend, and qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Alara Boyd (Muncie, IN/Yorktown High School), ranked No. 7 going into the tournament, defeated Viktorya Torres of Victory Wrestling-Central WA by fall (VFA 2:34, 8-0) in the first round of the tournament. Boyd went on to win by fall (VSU 2:49, 14-1) over unattached wrestler Mattison Parker. Boyd was then defeated in a 5-0 decision to Macey Kilty of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. Boyd was placed in the consolation bracket and defeated unattached wrestler Andres Schlabach by technical fall (VSU 2:43, 10-0). Boyd advanced to defeated Michaela Beck of New York Athletic Club in a 9-0 decision. Boyd was then defeated by Julia Salata of New York Wrestling Club in a 7-4 decision. In the 5^th place match, Boyd was defeated by technical fall (VSU 5:07, 12-2) to Jennifer Page of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. Boyd placed sixth and went 4-3 on the weekend.

68 kg.
Joye Levendusky (Avon, NY/Avon High School) received a bye in the first round of the tournament. Levendusky’s was defeated in an 8-6 decision to Rachel Watters of New York Wrestling Club. Levendusky was placed in the consolation bracket and defeated Alma Mendoza of Colorado Mesa Wrestling Club by technical fall (VSU 4:24, 12-1). Levendusky advanced to defeat unattached wrestler Aine Drury by fall (VFA 1:56, 2-2). In her final match of the tournament, Levendusky was defeated in an 11-9 decision to Iman Kazem of Menlo Wrestling Club. Levendusky went 2-2 on the weekend.

Alexandria Glaude (West Sacramento, CA/Christian Brothers High School), ranked No. 3 going into the tournament and wrestling for Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, defeated unattached wrestler Adrianna Orozco by technical fall (VSU 1:25, 10-0). Glaude went on to defeat Hunter Robinson of Grand View Wrestling Club by technical fall (VSU 3:22 11-0). Glaude advanced to defeat Skylar Grote of New York Athletic Club in a 2-1 decision. Glaude was then defeated by Victoria Francis of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club in the semifinal match, in a 3-2 decision. Glaude placed fourth, went 3-1 on the weekend, and qualified (for the second time) for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

76 kg.
Andrea Sennett (Wheeling, IL/Wheeling High Shcool) defeated unattached wrestler Nessa Martinez by fall (VFA 1:25, 6-0) in her first round of the tournament. Sennett went on to defeat Marilyn Garcia of Menlo Wrestling Club by technical fall (VSU 4:56, 14-3). Sennett was defeated in the quarterfinals match by Precious Bell of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club in a 10-4 decision.  Sennett was placed in the consolation bracket, where she went on to defeat Brittany Marshall of Cardinal Wrestling Club by fall (VFA 1:21, 4-2). Sennett was then defeated by Alyvia Fiske of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club in a technical fall (VSU 4:08, 10-0). In the 7^th place match Sennett won by forfeit against school teammate Kori Bullock(Cahokia, IL/Cahokia High School). Sennett placed seventh and went 4-2 in the weekend.

Kori Bullock (Cahokia, IL/Cahokia High School), ranked No. 4 going into the tournament and wrestling for Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, received a bye in the first round. Bullock’s first competition was Yelena Makoyed of Cardinal Wrestling Club and was defeated in a 6-3 decision. Bullock was placed in the consolation bracket, where she defeated unattached wrestler Jesaphine Lee in a 2-1 decision. Bullock went on the defeat unattached Wrestler Paige Baynes in another 4-2 decision. Bullock advanced to defeat another unattached wrestler Nkechinyere Nwankwo in a 12-3 decision. Bullock was then defeated by Rani Beltz of Army WCAP. In the 7^th place match Bullock lost by forfeit to school teammate Andrea Sennett (Wheeling, IL/Wheeling High Shcool). Bullock placed eighth and went 3-3 on the weekend.

The McKendree University men’s and women’s wrestling teams will open the new year Jan 10 – 11 in Louisville, Ken. The Bearcats will be competing in the 2020 U.S Marine Corps/ NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championship, presented by ARMS Software & Defense Soap, hosted by NUWAY. The two-day competition will take place in the Kentucky Exposition Center.-McK-Print Friendly Version

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HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Justin Ruffin stood on the medal stand representing SIUE wrestling at one of the most prestigious regular season tournaments in the country Monday, placing seventh at the 2019 Ken Kraft Midlands Championship.

Ruffin left no doubt in his first match of the day with a 18-2 technical fall over Wisconsin’s Drew Scharenbrock at 157 pounds. He made it to the final eight before being stopped by Central Michigan’s Logan Parks in a consolation match. Ruffin earned seventh with a medical forfeit over South Dakota State’s Cade Devos.

“He got to a lot of offense in his first match,” said SIUE Head Coach Jeremy Spates. “I know he’d like to have that second match back, but I think it was a good learning opportunity for hoim as well as the whole team. We’ll use it as a stepping stone to get better.”

Tyshawn Williams also competed Monday but was eliminated by Michigan’s Kanen Starr 6-3 in a consolation match.

SIUE’s next action is a road Mid-American Conference doubleheader Jan. 7 at Kent State and Clarion.

COMPLETE SIUE RESULTS
125 – Noah Surtin (Missouri) TF Tommy Dineen (SIUE), 16-1 2:56
125 – Beau Bayless (Harvard) MD Tommy Dineen (SIUE), 8-0
141 – Dresden Simon (Central Michigan) DEC Saul Ervin (SIUE), 6-4
141 – Alec Mckenna (Northwestern) DEC Saul Ervin (SIUE), 3-2
149 – Jeren Glosser (Iowa) TF Max Kristoff (SIUE), 15-0 7:00
149 – Denton Spencer (Virginia) F Max Kristoff (SIUE), 0:59
149 – Tyshawn Williams (SIUE) DEC Pj Ogunsanya (Army West Point), 5-2
149 – Tyshawn Williams (SIUE) DEC Griffin Parriott (Purdue), 3-1 SV
149 – Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) DEC Tyshawn Williams (SIUE), 4-3
149 – Kanen Starr (Michigan) DEC Tyshawn Williams (SIUE), 6-3
157 – Justin Ruffin (SIUE) DEC Jace Luchau (Fresno State), 6-0
157 – Justin Ruffin (SIUE) MD Ethan Karsten (American), 10-0
157 – Anthony Artalona (Penn) DEC Justin Ruffin (SIUE), 3-1
157 – Justin Ruffin (SIUE) TF Drew Scharenbrock (Wisconsin), 18-2
157 – Logan Parks (Central Michigan) F Justin Ruffin (SIUE), 2:42
157 (7th place) – Justin Ruffin (SIUE) M FOR Cade Devos, South Dakota State
157 – Paden Moore (Northern Iowa) MD Coleman Brainard (SIUE), 14-2
157 – Kyle Mosher (Columbia) F Coleman Brainard (SIUE), 3:00
165 – Philip Conigliaro (Harvard) DEC Chase Diehl (SIUE), 6-1
165 – Jake Lizak (Penn) DEC Chase Diehl (SIUE), 4-0
174 – Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) TF Kevin Gschwendtner (SIUE), 16-1 7:00
174 – Kevin Gschwendtner (SIUE) DEC Jake Hendricks (Penn), 5-3
174 – David Riojas (Illinois) DEC Kevin Gschwendtner (SIUE), 11-5
197 – Jake Boyd (Oklahoma) F Jake McKiernan (SIUE), 3:25
197 – Pete Christensen (Wisconsin) TF Jake McKiernan (SIUE), 17-2 6:59
197 – J.t. Brown (Army West Point) F Aric Bohn (SIUE), 0:45
197 – Aric Bohn (SIUE) DEC Danny Balderas (Omega Training Center), 10-4
197 – Landon Pelham (Central Michigan) F Aric Bohn (SIUE), 2:58
197 – Drew Phipps (Bucknell) F Austin Andres (SIUE), 6:29
197 – Noah Glaser (Northern Iowa) DEC Austin Andres (SIUE), 10-5
285 – Tommy Helton (SIUE) DEC Spencer Trenary (South Dakota State), 3-1
285 – Carter Isley (Northern Iowa) MD Tommy Helton (SIUE), 10-1
285 – Ben Goldin (Penn) DEC Tommy Helton (SIUE), 3-1 SV
285 – Bobby Heald (Army West Point) DEC Colton McKiernan (SIUE), 11-4
285 – Jack Delgarbino (Princeton) F Colton McKiernan (SIUE), 3:55

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HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Fighting Illini Wrestling placed third at the 2019 Midlands Championships with 94.5 team points. Third place is the best finish for Illinois at Midlands since finishing second during the 2014-15 season. No. 18 Illinois beat out six teams nationally-ranked by InterMat, including No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 12 Princeton, No. 15 Northwestern and No. 16 Army West Point. 

Four Illinois wrestlers placed to help lead the Illini to the third-place team finish. Senior Travis Piotrowski (133) and redshirt senior Joey Gunther (174) both earned third-place finishes. Redshirt junior Dylan Duncan (141), redshirt freshman Danny Braunagel (165) and redshirt freshman Zac Braunagel each finished fourth in their weight classes.  

“Overall I’m really pretty pleased with our effort,” said head coach Jim Heffernan. “It’s a big tournament and we let some matches slip out of our hands, but we beat a lot of really good people. The Braunagel’s (Danny & Zac), Joey Gunther, Travis Piotrowski and Dylan Duncandid a fantastic job fighting the way back. I’m really proud of the effort, and more importantly I think we learned some lessons and found some things we need to improve on as well. We’ve got a couple of days now to recover and get back to work.” 

Redshirt senior No. 22 (FloWrestling Ranking) Joey Gunther took on No. 21 Ben Harvey in the third-place bout at 174-pounds. Gunther got out in front late in the first period with a takedown, going up 2-0. With the score at 2-1, Gunther tacked on another takedown late in the third, and would go on to win the match, 4-2, over Harvey. Third place is the the best Midlands finish for Gunther in his career. He went 5-1 at the tournament, and improves to 10-2 on the season.

Junior Travis Piotrowski finished third at 133-pounds after winning his matchup with No. 3 Sebastian Rivera on injury default by Rivera midway through the second period. Piotrowski, ranked ninth nationally, went 5-1 at the tournament en route to the best Midlands finish of his career, and is now 13-2 overall for the 2019-20 campaign. 

Redshirt freshman Danny Braunagel placed fourth at the 2019 Midlands Championships with a 5-2 record over the course of the two day tournament. Three of Braunagel’s five victories came against wrestlers ranked in the national top-25 by FloWrestling, with wins over No. 15 Shayne Oster (Northwestern), No. 18. Zach Hartman (Bucknell) and No. 20 Kennedy Monday. Braunagel rattled off three victories this afternoon in wrestlebacks to advance to the third place bout. The 5-2 record puts him at 13-4 on the season. 

Redshirt junior Dylan Duncan finished fourth at 141-pounds at Midlands, the best finish of his career at the tournament. He tallied the most wins on the team at the tournament, finishing with a 6-2 record over the two days. Duncan is now 11-4 this season. 

Redshirt freshman Zac Braunagel would finish 4-2 at the tournament and place fourth at 184-pounds. Braunagel, who entered the tournament ranked No. 21 nationally at 184 by FloWrestling, knocked off No. 9 Nelson Brands (Iowa) and No. 13 Noah Stewart (Army) for two of his wins. Braunagel improved his overall record for the 2019-20 season to 12-4. 

Up next, the Illini begin their Big Ten schedule at No. 5 Penn State on Friday, January 10. The dual is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT. Illinois will then return home to host Indiana at Huff Hall on Sunday, January 12, at 1 p.m. CT. The promotion for the dual vs. Indiana is The Great Escape, featuring a pre-dual youth wrestling clinic, free foam fingers to the first 100 fans, and a post-dual autograph session. 

Final Team Scores

1. No. 1 Iowa, 196.5
2. No. 17 Northern Iowa, 101
3. No. 18 Illinois, 94.5
4. No. 8 Wisconsin, 93
5. No. 12 Princeton, 84.5
6. No. 25 Central Michigan, 80
7. No. 16 Army West Point, 78.5
8. Purdue, 75
9. No. 15 Northwestern, 70.5
10. No. 23 North Carolina, 65

-3rd out of 35 

Full Illinois Place-Winner Results

133: #9 Travis Piotrowski (Sr.) | 5-1

Champ Round of 32: #9 Travis Piotrowski tech. fall Dominic Dentino (Wisconsin), 15-0
Champ Round of 16: #9 Travis Piotrowski dec. Brock Bergelin (Central Michigan), 6-1
Quarterfinal: #9 Travis Piotrowski dec. #10 Noah Gonser (Campbell), 5-3
Semifinal: #1 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) dec. #9 Travis Piotrowski, 10-4
Cons. Semifinal: #9 Travis Piotrowski dec. #21 Louie Hayes (Virginia), 6-4
Third Place Match: #9 Travis Piotrowski inj. default #3 Sebastian Rivera, 4:20
Travis Piotrowski places 3rd.

174: #22 Joey Gunther (r-Sr.) | 5-1

Champ Round of 32: #22 Joey Gunther dec. Lennox Wolak (Columbia), 8-4
Champ Round of 16: #22 Joey Gunther TB-2 Brandon Martino (Fresno State), 2-1
Quarterfinal: #22 Joey Gunther dec. Jared Krattiger (Wisconsin), 3-2
Semifinal: #5 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) major dec. #22 Joey Gunther, 9-1 
Cons. Semifinal: #22 Joey Gunther dec. #20 Jacob Covaciu (Indiana), 3-1 
Third Place Match: #22 Joey Gunther dec. #21 Ben Harvey (Army). 4-2
Joey Gunther places 3rd.

141: Dylan Duncan (r-Jr.) | 6-2

Champ Round of 64: Dylan Duncan Fall Lawrence Saenz (Fresno State), 4:08
Champ Round of 32: Dylan Duncan Fall Lukus Stricker (Harvard), 5:26
Champ Round of 16: Dylan Duncan dec. #23 Matt Kazimir (Columbia), 8-2 
Quarterfinal: #7 Max Murin (Iowa) dec. Dylan Duncan, 8-5
Cons. Round of 8 #2: Dylan Duncan dec. Gabriel Tagg (North Carolina), 10-5
Cons. Round of 4: Dylan Duncan dec. #17 Dresden Simon (Central Michigan), 7-4
Cons. Semifinal: Dylan Duncan med. forfeit #8 Tristan Moran (Wisconsin), MFF
Third Place Match: Zach Sherman (North Carolina) dec. Dylan Duncan, 3-2
Dylan Duncan places 4th.

165: Danny Braunagel (r-Fr.) | 5-2

Champ Round of 32: Danny Braunagel Fall Mason Smith (Army), 4:27 
Champ Round of 16: Danny Braunagel dec. #15 Shayne Oster (Northwestern), 10-6
Quarterfinal: #6 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) dec. Danny Braunagel, 5-2 
Cons. Round of 8 #2: Danny Braunagel dec. Cameron Amine (Michigan), 3-1
Cons. Round of 4: Danny Braunagel SV-1 #20 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina), 3-1
Cons. Semifinal: Danny Braunagel dec. #18 Zach Hartman (Bucknell), 10-4
Third Place Match: #3 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) major dec. Danny Braunagel, 13-3
Danny Braunagel places 4th.

184: #21 Zac Braunagel (r-Fr.) | 4-2 

Champ Round of 32: #21 Zac Braunagel tech. fall Jed Smith (Army), 20-2
Champ Round of 16: #21 Zac Braunagel major dec. Anthony Orozco (Menlo), 10-4
Quarterfinal: #21 Zac Braunagel dec. #9 Nelson Brands (Iowa), 3-2 
Semifinal: Abe Assad (Iowa) Fall #21 Zac Braunagel, 2:05
Cons. Semifinal: #21 Zac Braunagel dec. #13 Noah Stewart (Army), 3-1
Third Place Match: Cash Wilcke (Iowa) dec. #21 Zac Braunagel, 5-3
Zac Braunagel places 4th.

#- National ranking from FloWrestling

For complete coverage of Fighting Illini Wrestling, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@illiniwrestling) and Instagram (illiniwrestling) and like Fighting Illini Wrestling on Facebook. Print Friendly Version

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HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – A pair of Huskie wrestlers placed at the 57th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships after the final day of competition at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates on Monday.

“The guys wrestled hard and we had some nice individual performances,” said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. “We have a lot to build on and a lot to learn from. Freshmen Izzak and Gage competed with maturity to secure podium finishes.”

Gage Braun (197) and Izzak Olejnik (165) placed fifth and eighth, respectively, after battling their way through Monday’s bouts. Both wrestlers opened the round of 12 with victories.

Down 5-4 late in the third period, Olejnik recorded a reversal with 30 seconds left to defeat Jake Keating of Virginia, 6-5. However, he suffered a 7-4 decision to Phillip Conigliaro of Harvard in his next match before getting pinned in the first period in the seventh-place match by North Carolina’s Kennedy Monday.

Braun was aggressive early in his first match of the day. The Huskie redshirt freshman recorded a first period takedown over his opponent, Brandon Whitman of North Carolina. Braun earned a 6-5 decision to stay alive in the tournament.

He won his next match 7-5 over Army’s Alexander Hopkins to continue to advance through the tournament. However, Braun fell, 18-5, to Princeton’s Pat Brucki, putting him into the fifth-place match. A medical forfeit by Minnesota’s Hunter Ritter allowed Braun to take fifth place at 197.

Bryce West (125) and McCoy Kent (149) also competed Monday, but suffered defeats in their bouts.

NIU finished in 13th place with 44 points, while Iowa won the event with 196.5.

The Huskies return to action Sunday, Jan. 5 when NIU welcomes Central Michigan to Victor E. Court. The match begins at 2 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN+.

-NIU-