Worthington, MN (NSUWolves.com) – The Northern State University wrestling team took 15 student-athletes to the Worthington Open on Saturday, recording nine top-8 finishes. The Wolves tallied the second most wins by fall (14) and technical falls (9) and finished third in the team points standings with 435. Travis Smith led the way for NSU with a second place finish at 174-pounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Teagan Block and Rayden Zens finished fifth and sixth in the 133-pound bracket with a combined 29.5 team points
- Block went 4-1 on the day with wins over Kaden Golder of Iowa Central (TF 15-0), Thurman Christensen of Augustana (Dec 12-5), Jarrod Gilliam of Briar Cliff (Fall 1:59), and Zens (TF 17-0)
- Zens notched a 4-2 record with victories over Zachary Mayo of Northwestern (Fall 4:20), Clyer Ruhoff of Sioux Falls (TF 19-3), Logan Schroeder of Northwestern (Maj 17-3), and Noah Hile of RCTC (Fall 1:22)
- Karstyn Lhotak posted a 3-1 record and third place finish at 141-pounds with wins over Sinko Vukas of Iowa Central (Fall 1:10), Hudson Burnett of St. Cloud State (Maj 16-4), and Dylan Enriquez of RCTC (MFF)
- In the 149-pound bracket, Cole Holien took fifth with a 4-1 record and wins over Gary Walker of Iowa Central (Dec 2-0), Ryan Griffin of Iowa Central (MFF), Kade Sammons of Augustana (Dec 4-3), and Kain Sanders of Minnesota State (FF)
- Smith opened with four straight wins and scored 18 team points at 174-pounds before a decision loss in the championship match; he defeated Sean Cardoso-Thomas of Iowa Central (Fall 2:03), Connor Manske of UMary (Dec 7-1), Kaleb Lochner of Minnesota State (Dec 3-2), and Dominic Mann of St. Cloud State (Dec 5-2)
- Tyler Voorhees took eighth in the 174-bracket with a 3-3 record overall and wins over Giles Cowell of Ellsworth (Maj 18-9), Corbin Hood of Iowa Central (Fall 1:17), and teammate Spencer Roth (Dec 8-1)
- Ryan Hirschkorn added a third place finish at 197-pounds with wins over Nathan Adras of Briar Cliff (Fall 1:39) and Giovanni Hernandez of Iowa Lakes (Fall 2:34)
- Ayden Viox was the final placer for the Wolves, taking seventh at 285-pounds with a 4-2 record and wins over Tyreik Davidson of Iowa Lakes (TF 15-0), Landon Griffin of Iowa Central (Maj 13-1), Tanner Hennings of Dakota Wesleyan (Fall 4:46), and Phillip Malone of Iowa Lakes (Fall 5:46)
UP NEXT
The Wolves return to league competition next Friday at No. 3 Wisconsin Parkside. The dual will kickoff at 5 p.m. in Kenosha.