The Ashland University wrestling team was in eighth place after the first day of the 2011 Midwest Classic. The two-day event concludes on Monday (Dec. 19).
AU, ranked 10th in the country, finished the first day with 43.5 points. Newberry led a field of 25 teams with 87.5 points. Upper Iowa (74.0) was second and West Liberty (62.5) was third.
Three AU wrestlers earned spots in the semifinals. That trio included senior Brandon Davis (Greensboro, N.C./Page) at 125 pounds, senior Marc Hoff (Liberty Center, Ohio) at 149 and senior Tommie Graszl (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison) at 165.
This is considered one of the deepest Midwest Classic fields in years and this AU team is not competing at full strength. Starters Dan Mandara (Canandaigua, N.Y.) at 133, junior Dan Genetin (Navarre, Ohio/Massillon Perry) at 141 and senior Jacob Southwick (Bowling Green/Otsego) are all out of the lineup this weekend.
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