Men's Wrestling Wins Pair of Midweek League Duals

WICHITA, Kan. and BARTLESVILLE, Okla. – Avila men's wrestling put the finishing touches on an incredibly successful sophomore season, wrapping up their dual slate of the 2022-23 campaign with two more dual victories: a 30-24 win over Friends in Wichita on Wednesday and a 30-19 win over Oklahoma Wesleyan on Thursday.

The Eagles were given their toughest two challenges of the 2023 slate of the season, unquestionably, and the final score could have been different if one or two results went another way. But ultimately, the Eagles got a couple of clutch victories to ensure the final results went their way, running their dual record this season to a sterling 17-3, and 5-1 in KCAC competition.

On both nights, it took a couple of clutch wins from some Eagle veterans to salvage yet another team victory. Avila vs. Friends was a back and forth affair, and it took a very late Eagle rally to lift them to their slimmest win of the new year.

Tyler Johnson kicked off the night by grinding out a 17-6 major decision over Isaac Perez at 133. Ezavian Ortega picked up a pin at 141, but that was canceled out immediately by one from Logan Johnson at 149. The Falcons made their biggest push in the middleweights, getting pins at both 157 and 165 to take a brief stranglehold, 24-10.

That's when the Eagles made their rally to earn the win. Jake Callahan started the run by eking out a clutch 4-2 decision over Jason Bowers at 174. Shaun Gates got an important forfeit win at 184, allowing Daryus Webb to bump up to 197 and pin Gustavo Renteria in just over two minutes. That put Avila ahead 25-24, setting up the most dramatic situation in collegiate wrestling: a heavyweight decider. And there, Griff Qualls did exactly what was needed, pinning Michael Trimmell in 4:20 to secure the victory for the Eagles. Avila had one point knocked off their final score, but Qualls' pin was enough to lift Avila to a 30-24 win.

Less than 24 hours later and one state south, Avila was back at it with another KCAC dual against Oklahoma Wesleyan. The league's two Eagle teams began the night at 174, where Shaun Gates earned a late takedown to force overtime before he secured another one there in the fourth period to earn a 9-7 win in sudden victory. Webb and Corey Holmes picked up forfeits, followed by another sudden-victory win for Avila, courtesy of Qualls at heavyweight.

That hot start put Avila in front18-0 early, but OKWU was ready to make a move, winning the next three bouts to pull all the way back to within 18-16. Logan Johnson stopped the bleeding with a third-period pin, but OKWU answered with a decision at 157, bringing the score to 24-19.

For the second straight night, Avila's result would be decided in the final bout. All Brad Mahoney had to do was win in any capacity to seal the win for the visitors, but he was ready for more than that: Mahoney pinned Cullen Ferguson in just 25 seconds to seal a 30-19 victory for Avila with a clutch win.

With the dual season in the books, Avila men's wrestling has only one more competition left before the conference championships in two weeks. That event is the Missouri Valley Open, coming up this Saturday, February 4 in Marshall. Stay tuned to avilaathletics.com for details on how to watch and follow along.