Men’s wrestlers finish fifth out of 24 teams at Cougar Open in Danville
11/12/2023 10:42:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
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Liberty sent five of its 16 wrestlers to first-, third-, or fifth-place finals during Sunday's tournament at Averett University.
Despite sending only 16 competitors, most of whom were reserves, Liberty University's men's wrestling team posted a fifth-place showing out of 24 teams at Sunday's Cougar Open hosted by Averett University in Danville, Va.
Carder Miller won at 197 pounds.Carder Miller earned a championship at 197 pounds while fellow Flames freshman Wade Wheeler (heavyweight) placed third, junior Gabe Hayes (184 pounds) finished fourth, freshman Zack Lovell (125 pounds) came in fifth by going 4-1, and freshman Jakob Brown (141 pounds) settled for sixth after reaching his six-match limit for the day in the consolation semifinals, despite finishing 5-1.
Miller, who was runner-up to graduate teammate Josiah Murphy in the 197-pound final at last weekend's season-opening Messiah (Pa.) Invitational, started the tournament with a 21-4 technical fall over Bluefield (Va.) State's Landon Marquis before recording four consecutive falls to cruise to the title.
The nearby Bedford, Va., native pinned Southwest Virginia Community College's Karin Sein in 5 minutes, 7 seconds, before finishing off his last three opponents in the first period — pinning Averett's Noah Harris in 53 seconds, West Virginia Tech's Jackson Evans in the semifinals in 1:12, and Roanoke College's Cam Cavins in 44 seconds in the final.
Heavyweight Wade Wheeler
At heavyweight, Wheeler started and ended his run through the championship bracket on the winning and losing side of third-period pins as he decked West Virginia Tech's Thomas Mullins in 5:48 to start the day. He then scored a 5-2 decision over Queens' Joshua Voelkel and won by a 4-1 count over Roanoke's Brady Elswick to reach the semifinals before being sent to the consolation final with a 5:00 fall at the hands of Ferrum's Rayshawn Dixon, the eventual champion. In the third-place bout, Wheeler needed only 41 seconds to pin Apprentice School's Dustin Uribes.
Gabe Hayes placed fourth at 184.
Hayes began competition in his 184-pound bracket in impressive fashion, scoring a 16-1 technical fall over Ferrum's Zahne Ruis before decking Averett's Carter Erickson in 3:45. He then scored a 7-2 decision over Roanoke's Alex Taylor before dropping a 13-10 decision to Averett's Noah Gerwitz. That put him in a consolation final against Shenandoah's Hunter Thompson, who sealed third place by 12-3 major decision.
Jakob Brown placed sixth at 141.
Brown fell to the 141-pound consolation bracket quickly after losing by 17-1 technical fall to Averett's Anthony Gaskin in their opening match, but he rallied through the wrestlebacks to win his next five matches — by 12-1 major decision over Roanoke's Alex Choi, pinning Queens' Riley Curran in 3:16, scoring a 16-3 major decision over Ferrum's Rubyn Semedo, a 7-0 decision over Averett's Jackson Higgins, and a 13-9 decision over Shenandoah's Christian Johnson-Hunte. Bluefield State's Enrique Sanchez won the fifth-place final by default.
Zach Lovell placed sixth at 125.
Lovell started the day with a 15-0 technical fall of Averett's Dominic Pascoe and by pinning Allen (S.C.) University's Reco Robinson in 3:16 before being pinned by Ferrum (Va.) College's Quantez Watkins in 51 seconds. In the consolation bracket, Lovell scored a 16-5 major decision over Roanoke College's Michael Policarpio before advancing to the fifth-place match with an overtime decision over Marymount's Dylan Cowerd. He clinched fifth with a win by default over Averett's Alexander Logsdon, who had reached his six-match limit for the day.
Liberty will send 20 or more of its top wrestlers to next Friday's dual match against Lindenwood (Mo.) University, an NCWA program transitioning to the NCAA ranks. The Lions will then host the Flames in their annual Lindenwood Open on Saturday featuring several NCAA Division I, II, and III wrestlers from throughout the Midwest.
