FOREST GROVE, Ore. – Just a couple of days after a pair of dominating team performances at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center, the (RV) Corban University men's wrestling team took to the mat for the Boxer Open on Sunday, a tournament hosted by Pacific University.
A number of Warriors excelled at the event, highlighted by the first tournament championship of the year for Cooper McCullough. The red-hot junior continues his winning ways by cruising past a trio of opponents in the 157-pound bracket.
"It was great to see Cooper's hard work pay off," said head coach Keegan Davis. "All of the guys demonstrated major growth on the mat and are making huge steps toward being ready for our conference and national tournaments."
At 125 pounds, Ryan Davis finished in fourth place after resounding victories over Simon Fraser's Flixzl Reyes (Fall, 2:57) and Southwestern Oregon Community College's Ethan Howard (Fall, 0:38).
Shaine Arzberger split his four matches at 165 pounds, bouncing back from an opening-match loss with a pin of Warner Pacific's Edward Schmelzer (4:31) and decision (11-6) over Juvoni Penn-Harris (unattached).
No. 7-ranked Levi Perry once again shined bright on Sunday, earning a trio of wins via technical fall en route to the first-place match at 174 pounds. Facing off against NCAA Division I foe Ein Carlos (Oregon State University), Perry fell in a hard-fought battle to finish as the tournament runner-up. It is just his third defeat of the season.
Also competing at 174 pounds, Nick Nelson went 2-and-2 on the day, spotlighted by a technical fall (17-1) triumph over Brandon Roe of Treasure Valley Community College. Sophomore Noah Sickles reached the quarterfinals in the 184 open, showcasing his ability with a pair of first-period pins on Sunday.
Falemalama Van Weggen placed fourth individually in the 197 open, garnering four triumphs in a gritty display. Van Weggen began his day by edging Umpqua Community College's Hunter Hillard in a defensive battle (5-3), going on to tally victories against Treasure Valley Community College's Trevor Birk (major decision, 10-2), Umpqua Community College's Hayden Juliano (fall, 0:38), and the RiverHawks' Louie Sanchez-Rivera (decision, 13-8).
Only one tournament remains in the 2019-20 season for the Navy and Gold, which will now turn its focus to one of the premier duals of the Warriors' inaugural campaign.
Corban (5-7) will host No. 12-ranked Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center on Friday. The action is set to kick off at 6 p.m.