RESULTS
MARSHALL, Mo. – Competing in a who's who of NAIA wrestling, the Missouri Baptist University men's team more than held its own at this weekend's Missouri Valley College Invitational. With three student-athletes competing on the second day of the two-day invite, the Spartans finished in the top half of the field placing 21
st of 41 overall.
Among the teams in Marshall, Missouri included the top three-ranked squads in the NAIA – No. 1 Grand View, No. 2 Indiana Tech and No. 3 Montana-State Northern. The elite talent didn't stop there. In total, 13 teams ranked among the NAIA Men's Wrestling Coaches' Top 20, and 16 receiving votes in the latest poll were at the invitational.
Highlighting the Spartan finishers was junior
Bryce Bachowski, who placed fifth overall and earned 13 of MBU's 36.5 team points. At 149 pounds, Bachowski reached the semifinals after defeating No. 14-ranked Garret Anderson of Lourdes (4-3) and No. 11-ranked Dante Preciado of Northwestern (3-2). The junior from Cottleville, Mo. got bounced to the consolation bracket after encountering No. 2-ranked Devin Reynolds of Grand View in the semifinals. Bachowski finished on a high note winning his fifth-place match with a pin at the 5:22 mark to go 4-2 on the weekend.
Other Spartans that joined Bachowski on the second day of action were Sedrak Sheppard at 197 pounds and
Cory Flemming in the heavyweight division. Sheppard reached the quarterfinals by winning his first two bouts, one by major decision and one by fall. Flemming collected a win over a Top-20 opponent when he won 10-6 over No. 19-ranked Jase Stokes of Montana State-Northern.
Steven Weathers (149), Nick Olejnik (165) and
Jake Mattson (174) all scored two wins in their respective divisions. Weathers rattled off a pair of impressive performances back-to-back defeating American Midwest Conference (AMC) opponent Carlos Cuevas (Lyon) by tech fall, 20-3, followed by a pin of Dickinson State's Matt Carlso in a speedy 21 seconds.
The Spartans will have two tune ups before the AMC Championships on Feb. 16. Up next for Missouri Baptist is a dual at (RV) Lindenwood University-Belleville on Jan. 31 at 6 p.m.
