ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Facing some of the toughest competition the NAIA, NCAA, and junior college circuit can muster, the Missouri Baptist University Men's Wrestling team held their own at the Lindenwood Open on Saturday. In fact, three MBU grapplers placed in some stacked brackets.
 
Sophomore Daryl Mills was one bright spot for the Spartans, claiming fourth place in the Black 133B bracket. Due to the large number of entries in most of the weight classes, competitors were randomized into two brackets at the Freshman/Sophomore (Black) level, and while another bracket was contested at the Elite (Gold) level. Mills won his first two matches of the day, one by major decision and the second by fall, to advance to the quarterfinals. There he would encounter the eventual champion in the bracket, Zack Blankenship of perennial NCAA powerhouse Oklahoma State University. OSU is currently ranked No. 11 in the latest NCAA Division I college wrestling rankings. Blankenship would earn the fall in two minutes over Mills. The native of Colorado Springs, Colo. would bounce back to win his first consolation bracket match then advance again via medical forfeit. Those two successive victories placed Mills in the third-place match against another NCAA Division I foe, this time Luis Bazan of Northwestern University. In a back-and-forth nailbiter, Bazan was able to secure the win 10 to three in the first sudden victory period. Northwestern just dropped out of the NCAA Division I rankings earlier this week but they continue to receive votes.
 
Not to be outdone, Joel Campbell turned in his best result of the young wrestling season by going four and one on the day in the Black 157B division. Once again, due to the size of the tournament, the Lindenwood Open got creative with how they structured the consolation bracket. Those who lost in the championship bracket prior to the quarterfinals were placed in the consolation bracket in a traditional sense. Those were suffered their first defeat in the quarterfinals or later were eligible to wrestle back to for third through sixth place. Since Campbell suffered his only defeat of the day in his second match, he was relegated to the Consolation bracket. Following that loss, the sophomore from New Plymouth, Idaho ran off four consecutive victories and won the title of Consolation Champion. In those four victories Campbell earned a major decision, a win by fall, then back-to-back tight decisions.
 
Sophomore Jacob Bader finished sixth in the Black 285B division. In contested matches, Bader actually finished with two wins and three losses, but two of the losses came to the same opponent, Aiden Elsen of Labette Community College, including in the fifth-place match.
 
MoBap's entire contingent of 16 wrestlers competed in the Black division. Meanwhile over in the Gold (Elite) brackets, Oklahoma State claimed the title in eight of the ten weight classes, with the University of Illinois and the University of Missouri each garnering one.
 
The Spartans will take some much-needed time off to rest and get healthy over the Thanksgiving holiday. They won't be back in competition until December 2 when they travel to Crete, Neb. for the Connor/Oppenheim Doane Invite.