DES MOINES, Iowa – The University of Providence wrestling program finished competition in the 2019 NAIA Wrestling Championships on Saturday, claiming a 12
th-place finish out of a field of 49 in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Argos were represented on Day 2 by No. 1-seed Adrian Lyons-Lopez in the 165-pound bracket and No. 9-seed Casey Dobson in the 157-pound bracket, who had already claimed All-American status following their phenomenal Day 1 performances.
Lyons-Lopez claimed a fifth-place finish during the tournament.
During his semifinal matchup against No. 5-seed Ryan Niven of Grand View, Lyons-Lopez fell 4-2. Following a scoreless first, Lyons-Lopez opened the scoring with an escape following his choice of bottom. Niven eventually tallied a takedown with 24 seconds remaining in the period to take the lead, 2-1. The Viking extended his lead to three after tallying a penalty point and an escape, 4-1. Lyons-Lopez was able to earn a penalty point of his own, but it wasn't enough as Niven would take the bout, 4-2.
In a rematch of the CCC Tournament championship, Lyons-Lopez took on No. 3-seed Drake Randall of Eastern Oregon. Lyons-Lopez was not able to replicate the result of the CCC Championship as Randall pinned Lyons-Lopez at the 2:06-second mark of the opening period.
In the fifth-place match, Lyons-Lopez took on No. 11-seed Matt Landgraff of Oklahoma City. The bout did not last long as Lyons-Lopez was able to score a takedown at the 2:13-minute mark that he would turn into a pin and claim fifth place at the NAIA Championships.
Dobson placed seventh following competition on Saturday.
Against Grand View's No. 4-seed Steven Lawrence, the bout remained scoreless after three minutes. Lawrence tallied an escape in the second period to lead by one entering the final period, 1-0. A two-point nearfall for Lawrence would eventually close things out as Dobson would fall in the 3-0 decision.
Dobson faced Lindsey Wilson's unseeded Mark Taijeron in the seventh-place match. The bout was tied at zero following the first period. Dobson tallied the first score of the match as he earned an escape following his choice of bottom to open the period, 1-0. Dobson secured a two-point nearfall after Taijeron chose bottom to open the final period, 3-0. Taijeron would escape the nearfall, but one final takedown would seal the deal as Dobson took the 5-1 victory to claim seventh.