MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State wrestling team concluded its open season on Saturday with nine different place winners at the MSU Moorhead Dragon Open.
Hunter Pfantz led the Mustangs, picking up four wins against NSIC opponents. Pfantz started his day defeating Robby Horsman (St. Cloud State) by an 8-5 decision, then he picked up victories against a pair of MSU Moorhead wrestlers, Thomas Carillo and Hunter Hayes, by 18-6 and 19-7 major decisions, respectively, in the finals Pfantz won by 9-4 decision against Minot State’s Logen Fischer to place first at 133.
Elijah Sterner finished second at 174, picking up a victory over Hayden LeMonds (St. Johns) by a 6-5 decision before falling to Cannon Potts (Minot State) in the finals.
Jace Paplow placed third at 174, losing by fall to Potts before picking up victories against teammates Kevin Bostwick and Nye Becker.
Luke Peterson placed third at 149. Peterson opened with a decision loss before rallying back with back-to-back major decision wins.
The Mustangs ended the open with one fall, five major decisions and 72 points via takedown.
“Coming back from break and seeing conference opponents for the first time, we knew this weekend would be tough.” Said second-year head coach Chayse Jackson. “It was encouraging to see the guys get after it, work for bonus points, and stay aggressive. Even in the matches we lost, guys continued to fight and often scored the final point of the match. I couldn’t ask for a better mindset. I’m confident it will pay dividends this upcoming week when we open conference dual competition at home in the PE Gym!”
MSU Moorhead Dragon Open Results
SMSU Results
133 – Hunter Pfantz 4-0 (1st place)
149 – Luke Peterson 3-1 (3rd place)
149 – Tyler Soltau 0-2 (4th place)
157 – Joseph Anderson 0-2
157 – Tallin Johnson 0-4 (5th place)
165 – Brandon Lalla 3-2 (4th place)
174 – Nye Becker 1-2 (4th place)
174 – Kevin Bostwick 0-2 (5th place)
174 – Jace Paplow 2-1 (3rd place)
174 – Elijah Sterner 1-1 (2nd place)
SMSU will begin its conference dual meet schedule in the PE gym on Friday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. when they host Northern State for Military Night. The Mustangs will then host the MSU Moorhead Dragons on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 3 p.m.
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