MARSHALL, Mo.- The Missouri Baptist University men's wrestling team competed at the toughest in-season tournament, the Missouri Valley Invite hosted by Missouri Valley College. Three wrestlers made it to the second day of the tournament, but due to inclement weather, they did not compete in the remainder of the tournament.
Geno Cardenas finished 3-1 on the weekend at 133. The Colorado native dropped his first bout of the tournament in a barnburner, where Cardenas led late in the third. Still, his opponent found a reversal and the fall to put Cardenas in the consolation bracket. Cardenas went on a backside tear and picked up three bonus-point victories, which included two falls and a technical fall, to close his first trip to the Missouri Valley Invite. His second consolation win came over No. 16 Kipp Cordes of Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)
At 141, senior
Daryl Mills picked a pair of falls on the frontside to shoot him into the quarterfinals. In Mills' first two bouts, he outscored his opponents 21-6 ahead of the falls. In his quarterfinal bout, Mills grabbed a takedown in the first eight seconds of the match. His opponent escaped, but Mills did not let off the gas and garnered a stall warning against the opposition. Mills chose bottom in the second, but his opponent was able to find four near-fall points to take the lead. In the final minute of the second period, Mills was to escape and find a takedown as time expired, as Mills led 7-5 at the end of the period. His opponent chose down to start the third, quickly escaped, and made it a one-point match. Mills kept great defense, but his opponent found the takedown in the final ten seconds, and despite a quick escape, Mills fell 9-8 in the quarters to finish his final outing in Marshall.
In the 157-pound weight for MBU,
Brandon Bollinger collected three bonus-point wins to place him in the quarterfinals. In Bollinger's first round match, he outscored his opponent 12-0 before he picked up the fall at the five-minute mark. Bollinger went on to pick up a major and another fall to go to the quarterfinals. Bollinger had not given up a single point and outscored his first three opponents 23-0 as he headed to the quarters. Bollinger was pitted against the No.16 wrestler from the University of Providence (Mont.), Irish Furthmyre, in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, Furthmyre controlled the bout and picked up the 8-2 victory to end Bollinger's run.
Other highlights for the Spartans included
Noah Richardson, who went 3-2 with two falls,
Jacob Sinn, who went 3-2 with two technical falls and a fall, and
Joel Campbell, who went 3-2 with a fall.
The Spartans host Missouri Valley College on Thursday, Jan. 29, for their next match, with wrestling starting at 7 p.m.
