LINK – ASHLAND UNIVERSITY WRESTLING PAGE
No. 12-ranked Ashland University wrestling won two more duals on Saturday (Jan. 28) in a tri-meet at Lake Erie against the No. 14 Storm and No. 18 Kutztown.
The Eagles have now won four straight, bring their season record to 6-2.
In the first match of the day against the Golden Bears, Ashland took six of 10 matches to win 25-14. Eagles redshirt seniors Michael Labry (No. 1 nationally at 133 pounds) and Brent Fickel (No. 7 at 149) were the only two wrestlers from either team to win a match by major decision.
Ashland sophomore Chandler Minnard (141) pinned his opponent in 1:57, while redshirt junior Luke Cramer (No. 9 at 197) won by technical fall in 5:00. The other two Eagle victories against Kutztown, both by decision, came from freshman Garrett Hall (157) and redshirt junior Jordan Murphy (184).
Ashland won nine of 10 matches against Lake Erie, its first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponent of the season.
Murphy and redshirt freshman Bret Romanzak (165) both defeated nationally-ranked opponents. Murphy beat No. 10-ranked Lake Erie junior Tyler Hughes by decision (5-0), and Romanzak won by decision (2-1) over No. 6-ranked Storm junior Nick Vandermeer.
Labry, Minnard and Cramer all won by major decision. Fickel won by technical fall in 5:37 and sophomore Deaken McCoy (285) pinned his opponent in 1:11. Redshirt junior J.J. Diven (157) and senior Brenden Stanley (174) earned victories by decision.
UP NEXT: Ashland will head back home and welcome the No. 7-ranked Findlay Roughnecks for another in-conference dual on Friday (Feb. 3) at 7:30 p.m. on Senior Night at Kates Gymnasium. This match will likely feature eight nationally ranked wrestlers, as the Roughnecks have five of them.
WR/KK