Webb, Howes Wrestle into Second Day of Missouri Valley Invite
MARSHALL, Mo. – Avila men's wrestling returned to the mat this weekend at the prestigious Missouri Valley Invitational in Marshall, Missouri. Eight of the ten Eagles that competed won at least one match, and nationally-ranked headliners Gavin Howes and Daryus Webb each won enough matches to compete into the second day of the event and contend for a placement finish.
Known always for its intense field and wide range of competitors, the 2024 Missouri Valley Open was no exception. Wrestlers from 45 schools across the country competed all day on Friday and anyone still standing returned for the final rounds – the so-called "blood round" on Saturday morning. After all of that, Webb was the only Eagle to place in his bracket, coming in at an impressive 8th place at 184, and Avila as a team finished 27th.
It was yet another excellent weekend for Webb, Avila's top nationally-ranked wrestler, in what's already been an excellent senior season, but it got off to an edgy start. Webb needed an overtime period to defeat Marian's Will Stewart to start off the action on Friday, but once he got through that he handled KJ Swanson of Providence in a 12-1 major decision to move on to round three.
There, he was defeated in a tight decision by Dickinson State's Jackson King to knock him into the consolation bracket. But once again, Webb recovered, defeating his next three opponents with relative ease to surge through the consolation bracket where he ultimately met up with Baker's Brett Bober. In a rematch of Webb's win at the Eagle Duals last month, Bober prevailed in a high-scoring 21-14 decision, sending Webb to the 7th place match, where he once again had to face off with King. In the second matchup of the weekend between two nationally-ranked wrestlers, King prevailed in a 14-7 decision, leaving Webb in a more-than-impressive 8th place at 184 with five total victories.
Heavyweight Gavin Howes got his weekend off to a great start, pinning Kaiden Cisneros of Arizona Christian and then outlasting Benedictine's Jefferson Otter in a decision. Jacob Vincent earned a win in a nationally-ranked matchup to knock Howes into the consolation bracket, where he atoned by pinning his next two opponents to progress in the consolation bracket.
Howes' run came to an end at the hands of Excell Brooks of Marian in a slight upset, spoiling Howes' bid to place in the event. Still, Howes finished his weekend with four total victories, second on the team, wrestling into the second day of the competition.
Elsewhere, Nathan Coley (285), Terrell Carter-Williams (149) and Jacob Ramirez (141) all won two matches, while Tyler Johnson (125), Ryan McNeel (133), and Karter Brink (149) each won one.
Up next, Avila men's wrestling returns to dual action this Thursday, January 25, when the Eagles travel to Lindsborg, Kansas to face the Bethany Swedes in KCAC action. The dual is currently slated to start at 6 PM; stay tuned to Avila Athletics on social media and avilaathletics.com for all updates from across Avila Athletics.
