Freshmen, sophomore men’s wrestlers give Liberty a lift at Life University in Georgia

Saturday, November 22

Douglasville, GA

9:00 AM

Liberty University Club Sports

Life University

Liberty brought 15 mostly underclassmen to compete in Saturday's Lucha Open at Life University in Georgia.

Freshmen, sophomore men’s wrestlers give Liberty a lift at Life University in Georgia

11/22/2025 11:02:00 PM | Men's Wrestling

Of its 15 wrestlers who traveled to the Lucha Open Saturday in Georgia, 13 were underclassmen, giving Liberty a glimpse at the program’s future.

Liberty University 133-pound freshman Brodie Altman and 165-pound sophomore Matox Allen — the Flames' only returning NCWA Grand National champion — both placed fourth in the gold division of Saturday's Lucha Open at Life University in Douglassville, Ga.

"It was a huge tournament, with over 600 entries," Liberty first-year Head Coach Chris Williamson said. "It was a very good tournament, probably our toughest to date, with tons of NCAA Division I and DII type of competition and a lot of NAIA programs as well. We had to up our intensity, up our wrestling, and the guys were really impressive today, so I was super happy."

Besides Altman and Allen, Williamson entered freshman heavyweight Braden Ewing into the gold division.

"They are some of the best in the country, and we're going to continue to put them against the best in the country," Williamson said. "If we're going to beat them, we need to compete against them."

Allen finished fourth after beating opponents from Southern Oregon and NCAA Division I Bellarmine and losing his championship semifinal match to a top-10-ranked wrestler from the NAIA and his consolation final in a close decision against an opponent from NCAA Division I The Citadel.

"Brodie Altman was the same way, beating some of the best kids in the country before placing fourth out of the gold division," Williamson said.

The Flames' other 12 wrestlers, mostly underclassmen, wrestled in the silver division, where sophomore Ron Black finished fourth at 184 pounds to lead the pack.

Jalen Fyffe, who placed seventh out of 62 wrestlers in the 125-pound weight class, and heavyweight Josh Hermann were the Flames' only seniors in the field. Both competed in the silver division alongside 10 teammates, all freshmen and sophomores who showed tremendous promise and potential.

Sophomore Christian Knuckles (149 pounds) and freshmen Anthony Saget (157) and Luke Baitzel (174) were all one takedown or one match away from placing in their respective weight classes.

"We saw the future today for sure," Williamson said. "The guys really raised their level of what they're capable of today and rose above where they had been wrestling. We really broke through a barrier today. We told the guys earlier today, you're going to have to raise your intensity, raise your effort. Almost unanimously, everyone answered that call. It was super encouraging."

No team scores were kept but complete individual results are available online.

Next up, after Thanksgiving Break, the Flames will compete against mostly NAIA competition in the Rocky Top Duals in Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Dec. 12, their first dual meet tournament. They will have one more, the Jan. 9-10 Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va., and two single dual matches against the Apprentice School on Jan. 17 and Cumberland (Tenn.) University on Feb. 1 before flying to St. George, Utah, to compete in the Feb. 13-14 NCWA National Duals.

"That is to be determined, up in the air how good we'll be competing in dual meets," Williamson said. "In open tournaments, you can have multiple entries per weight class. With a dual match, it's a winner-take-all thing. You put one guy out at each weight class, and he either wins or loses. Matchups play a key role as well as who you have available, who's healthy."

The Flames have battled their fair share of injuries and illnesses so far this fall semester. Williamson is hopeful the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks will help them get the rest and recovery they will need to gear up for a busy spring semester soon after New Year's Day.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer