CHICAGO, Ill. – No. 18 Saint John’s wrestling went 2-1 at the Chicago Duals on Saturday, Jan. 4.
The Johnnies (6-6 dual record) started the day with a pair of lopsided shutouts, 51-0 over McDaniel (Md.) and 46-0 over Manchester (Ind.), before falling to Dubuque (Iowa) 24-18.
With the match tied 18-18, senior John Scepaniak (Avon, Minn./Holdingford) was ahead 10-0 in the heavyweight match but was pinned in the second period. Junior Joe Hessing (Loretto, Minn./Delano) was also ahead by a 6-0 margin in his match at 149 pounds but was pinned earlier in the dual.
Senior Ryan Arne (Orono, Minn.) went 3-0 at 157 pounds and is now 14-2 on the season. He registered two pins and a 6-1 decision over Dubuque’s Joseph Kubica, who is ranked No. 9 at 165 pounds by D3wrestle.com but wrestled down a weight class. Junior Ryan Michaelis (Monticello, Minn.) improved to 8-4 at 197 pounds with three pins, while sophomore John Wells (Janesville, Wis./Miltona) matched his teammates with a 3-0 mark at 125.
Freshman Teddy Erickson (Annandale, Minn.) returned to action after missing the Vegas Duals on Dec. 21 with a perfect 4-0 record, including an exhibition win, at 174 pounds.
SJU travels to Des Moines, Iowa, for the prestigious National Wrestling Coaches’ Association (NWCA)/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals next Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 11-12, at the Iowa Events Center. The dual tournament is scheduled to feature 16 prominent and/or nationally-ranked schools: No. 2 Augsburg, No. 7 Coe (Iowa), Centenary (N.J.), No. 9 Concordia-Moorhead, Elmhurst (Ill.), Loras (Iowa), No. 12 Luther (Iowa), No. 20 Mount Union (Ohio), New York, No. 18 SJU, No. 21 Springfield (Mass.), No. 10 Wabash (Ind.), No. 1 Wartburg (Iowa), No. 5 Wilkes (Pa.), No. 11 Wisconsin-La Crosse and No. 15 Wisconsin-Whitewater. The bracket is scheduled to be released early this week.
No. 18 Saint John’s 52, McDaniel 0
125: John Wells (SJU) won by forfeit [6-0]
133: Mike Pleski (SJU) won by forfeit [12-0]
141: Ben Henle (No. 5, SJU) dec. Alvontae Drummond, 15-10 [15-0]
149: Joe Hessing (SJU) pinned Mason Goretsas, 1:07 [21-0]
157: Ryan Arne (SJU) pinned Erik Meyer, 4:37 [27-0]
165: Brandon Seppelt (SJU) dec. Luke Yox, 5-3 [30-0]
174: Teddy Erickson (SJU) pinned Ricky Tisinger, 1:17 [36-0]
184: Brock Friesen (SJU) major dec. Nicholas Cross, 15-6 [40-0]
197: Ryan Michaelis (SJU) pinned Dakota Wilhelm, 3:38 [46-0]
285: John Scepaniak (SJU) pinned Taylor Avino, 2:35 [52-0]
No. 18 Saint John’s 48, Manchester 0
125: John Wells (SJU) major dec. Alan Mock, 12-3 [4-0]
133: Mike Pleski (SJU) major dec. Kalib Jackson, 16-7 [8-0]
141: Alex Peck (SJU) major dec. Josh Juarez, 19-9 [12-0]
149: Joe Hessing (SJU) pinned Bryce Roberts, 0:31 [18-0]
157: Ryan Arne (SJU) pinned Collin Wise, 3:40 [24-0]
165: Aaron Brasket (SJU) won by forfeit [30-0]
174: David Rademacher (SJU) dec. Logan Floor, 13-11 [33-0]
184: Brock Friesen (SJU) pinned Brian Clark, 2:22 [39-0]
197: Ryan Michaelis (SJU) pinned Tyler Webster, 0:46 [45-0]
285: Matt Kadrlik (SJU) dec. Dustin Kult, 3-2 [48-0]
Dubuque 24, No. 18 Saint John’s 18
125: John Wells (SJU) dec. Nicholas Rivera, 6-2 [3-0]
133: Stephen Rosenburg (UD) dec. Mike Pleski, 3-1 [3-3]
141: Brian Travis (UD) dec. Ben Henle (No. 5), 5-2 [3-6]
149: Nick Drendel (UD) pinned Joe Hessing, 0:52 [3-12]
157: Ryan Arne (SJU) dec. Joseph Kubica, 6-1 [6-12]
165: Derek Mizaur (UD) dec. Brandon Seppelt, 9-4 [6-15]
174: Teddy Erickson (SJU) pinned Manuel Mendoza, 4:51 [12-15]
184: Derek Minch (UD) dec. Brock Friesen, 13-7 [12-18]
197: Ryan Michaelis (SJU) pinned Logan Chappell, 3:53 [18-18]
285: Martin Flemming (UD) pinned John Scepaniak, 3:50 [18-24]