Men’s Wrestling Makes History with Shutout of Swedes

LINDSBORG, Kan. – Avila men's wrestling marked multiple program firsts on Thursday night in Lindsborg, where the Eagles won every contested weight class and dominated Bethany 54-0, the first shutout victory in the young history of the program.

Both teams were open at 174, but Avila earned victories in each of the other nine weight classes to earn the shutout. In the two-and-a-half years of Avila men's wrestling there have been a handful of duals in which Eagle opponents have scored single-digit points or won only one weight class, but this is the first time that Avila has held an opponent without even a single victory.

And to make matters more impressive, Thursday's win literally could not have been more lopsided for the Eagles: Avila won all nine of those matches by either forfeit or fall to score the most points possible in a dual. In a 10-match dual the most points a single team can score is 60 (barring any penalties or deductions) – six team points for either a forfeit or a pin – and with both teams guaranteed zeroes for the double forfeit at 174, the max number of points shrank to 54, which was exactly what the Eagles achieved, setting a new program record for team points in a dual.

Aleksei Wojtkiewicz and Tyler Johnson started the night with forfeit victories in the first two weights, but once the action truly started the Eagles quickly made it clear that this night would be a special one. Wrestling up one weight, Ryan McNeel started things off with a quality win by pin over Braden Brimm at 141, and Terrell Carter-Williams followed with a pin of Nathaniel Zabala in the third period, in the most tightly-contested bout of the night by far.

Michael Crowder earned the Eagles' third forfeit win of the night at 157, and Jake Callahan made short work of Sam Tackett at 165 with a pin in 1:17. After the double forfeit at 174, Daryus Webb – wrestling in his final collegiate dual – Blake Becker and Nathan Coley all dispatched their opponents with first period pins, putting the finishing touches on a truly dominant display from the Eagles from the top down in the historic 54-0 victory.

Up next, Avila men's wrestling embarks on a full week of action in the final build-up to the conference tournament. This week, the Eagles will travel to take on Friends on Wednesday night and then head up to York to face the Panthers on Thursday afternoon, making up the dual that was postponed on January 12. Finally, Avila finishes the week at the Missouri Valley Open on Saturday, February 3. For details on all of these events, stay tuned to our social media channels as well as our website, avilaathletics.com.