RESULTS
ST. LOUIS – In a final tune-up before this weekend's American Midwest Conference (AMC) Championships, the Missouri Baptist University men's wrestling team outperformed NCAA DII opponent Truman State University and defeated the visitors by a score of 40-15.
The Spartans, which improved to 4-5 in dual meets this season, celebrated Senior Night and recognized the contributions from seniors
Nick Olejnik (165) and
Jake Mattson (174).
With the dual beginning at 184 pounds, the stage was set for the senior duo to serve as the match finale. Olejnik and Mattson certainly closed out the final dual meet of their careers with a bang.
Olejnik pinned Truman State's Zach Taylor shortly after the second period began to register his second victory by fall this season. He is now 7-3 overall and 4-1 in dual meets at the 165-pound weight class.
Mattson won his bout in a flash. The senior out of Francis Howell Central HS pinned TSU's Vin Kriegshauser just 40 seconds in to give the Spartans their third pin of the night and six more team points for the 40-15 victory. Heading into the AMC Championships this weekend, Mattson is 9-6 overall with two pins, two major decisions and one tech fall.
Freshman
Cody Donnell set the tone early for MBU with a pin in 2 minutes, 24 seconds. It marked his fourth match this season with a pin.
Others that earned the Spartans points on Tuesday were Joseph Stegall with an 11-3 major decision over Nathan Wunderlich (TSU) along with
Cameron Steinhoff (125), 13
th-ranked
Bryce Bachowski (149) and
Cory Flemming (285), who all won by forfeit.
Sedrak Sheppard was edged by Bulldogs' Sam Reeve at 197 pounds, as his push at the end of the third period was too little too late in a 3-2 decision.
The 2019 AMC Men's Wrestling Tournament is set to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday (Feb. 16) in Batesville, Ark. The Spartans will look to improve on their fourth-place team finish from last year in addition to positioning themselves well to qualify individuals for the NAIA Men's Wrestling Championships.
