Men's Wrestling 1/17/2019 12:00:00 AM

Wrestling Nearly Takes Down Nationally-Ranked Olivet

Alma, Mich. – The Alma College wrestling team battled tough with No. 15 Olivet College but ultimately loss, 19-18, in an MIAA dual Thursday (Jan. 17). Both the Scots and Comets won five matches each but Olivet had the lone pin of the day in a dual where every point was crucial. The Scots drop to 3-3 overall in duals and 1-1 in the MIAA. While the Comets improve to 11-3 on the season and 2-0 in conference.

What Happened

Sophomore Austin Wieczorek (Kentwood, Mich. / East Kentwood) got the Scots on the board early with a 6-4 decision win. Wieczorek earned four points late in the first period and held off his opponent the rest of the way.
After the Comets tied the match up 3-3 after a win in the 133 pound weight class, junior Brendan Ladd (Ortonville, Mich. / Brandon) took back control with near pin to earn four points late in the first period of his bout. Ladd led 10-2 for much of the match and ended up with a major decision victory by a score of 11-3.
The 149 pound weight class featured two heavy hitters in junior Zachary Cooper (Chippewa Hills, Mich. / Whitehall) and Olivet's Drew Mandell. Coming into tonight, Cooper had 18-0 record while Mandell's was 16-1. In their first meeting earlier this season, Cooper pulled it out in a close one, 19-14. This time was a much different story as Alma's undefeated junior dominated with a 18-0 technical fall win.
The Comets went a run of three straight wins to put the Scots in a 16-12 hole. Freshman Dylan Seaton (Port Huron, Mich. / Port Huron Northern) was able to cut into that lead though with a 11-9 win. Seaton earned two big points late in the first period of his match to trail just 6-5. The Freshman earned a near pin in the final period that ended up being the difference maker.
At 197, sophomore Austin Popp (Clinton, Mich. / Clinton) had tight match that could not be decided in just three periods. With the score 3-3, the match went to a tiebreaker where Popp was brought down to the mat by his opponent giving the Comets the score and the win.
The dual came down to the final bout of the night. The Scots were down 19-15 meaning freshman Jacob Ransom (Traverse City, Mich. / Traverse City West) needed at least a major decision win to cause at least a draw with the Comets. Ransom was down for the first and much of second period until a near pin turned the tables giving the freshman a 6-5 advantage heading to the final period. The bout was tied 7-7 in the final minute and Ransom earned some key points as well as a near pin in the final moments. The referee even ruled a pin in favor of the Scots but it was after the horn sounded and Ransom was only able to come away with a 13-8 decision.

What He Said

"I thought we wrestled alright, not the outcome we wanted. It definitely came down to bonus points but we have some guys go out there and I guess surprised Olivet. Overall I'm happy with where we are at and what's going on we just have some things we have to work on."

-Head Coach Jeremiah Tobias