Holmes Named KCAC Wrestler of the Week

His dominant victory helped his team keep pace against one of the conference's early frontrunners, and now he's the first Avila winter sports athlete to earn a conference honor – Avila sophomore Corey Holmes was named the KCAC Men's Wrestler of the Week for the week of December 11, the conference announced this week.

As a freshman, Holmes made his mark at 197 as one of a few Eagles that competed for mat time at that weight. But this season, he's been steadily making his way down to 174 with that weight up for grabs. He made his season debut at 184 for Avila in mid-November before completing the descent down to 174 for Avila's dual against Saint Mary on December 7.

And that's where he's shined the brightest. In his first match at his new weight class, the sophomore from Gonzales, Louisiana put together one of the most comprehensive, impressive wins of his young college career, dismantling freshman Tanner Van Scoy in an 18-1 tech fall victory.

Holmes took down Van Scoy twice in the first period, and then started off the second with a quick reversal and sealed the deal with back-to-back four-point near falls, wrapping up the bout less than a minute into period two. That victory helped the Eagles take the lead in the dual against the Spires, a nationally-ranked team and one of the best squads in the KCAC to this point in the season. Saint Mary eventually rallied for the team win, but Holmes' victory at 174 was a key reason why Avila had a very good chance to win the dual.

Holmes is the first Eagle wrestler to earn weekly honors from the KCAC this season. Avila men's wrestling returns to action at the third annual Eagle Duals this Saturday, December 16, starting at 10 AM at Mabee Fieldhouse. Admission is priced at $10 per ticket which grants access to the Fieldhouse for the entire day; competition on all four mats will be streamed live on the Avila Sports Network.