LA GRANDE, Ore. - The Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers hosted their annual Mountaineer Open on Sunday, Nov. 6. On their own turf, Eastern put together a strong showing with three grapplers taking spots at the top of the podium and 13 placing in the top five of their weight classes.
Leading the way for the Mountaineers were two former All-Americans in Kyle Knudtson and Noel Orozco along with Jay Smith all winning their respective weight classes.
Knudtson, wrestling at 184 pounds, went 3-0 on the day with two falls and victory by major decision in the championship over Oregon State’s Donivan Giangregorio.
Jay Smith picked up right where he left off a year in the 197 pounds winning all three matches recording a tech fall and two falls. Smith’s last fall came over Corban’s Tyler Moore.
Orozco rounded out the winners for Eastern winning by a fall in his first match followed by two decision victories. The trio of tournament winners racked up 57 and a half points for EOU on the day.
Eastern also had six other wrestlers finish in the top six. Adrian Guevara and Luciano Fasulo placed second and third respectively in the 125-pound weight class. Guevara picked up 10 points winning three straight matches after a loss to Corban’s Brayden Boyd. Fasulo went 2-2 on the day with his only losses being forfeits.
At 141 pounds, Braden Carson scored 14 team points on his way to a second-place finish. The freshman won two matches by decision over Corban’s Luke Jensen and fellow Mountaineer Cole Cross, but was outscored in his final match by Oregon State’s Chase Deblaere. Cole Cross finished a spot behind him going 4-1 with his only loss coming to Carson in the semifinal round of the tournament.
Michael Fox worked his way to a third-place finish in the 157-pound weight class. Fox went 4-1 on the day picking up three falls with his only loss being to Corban’s Cael Brunson.
After dropping his first match of the day, Vincent Cramer won his next two to finish second in the 165-pound weight class. The junior dropped his first contest in a tight 8-5 decision to Oregon State’s Cole Zoller but followed up with a fall in his second match and a 16-0 tech fall in his final match over Franklin Lincoln of Washington State University.
Also finishing in the top five for the Mountaineers was Tucker Bonner (141 pounds, fifth place), Austin Dalton (157 pounds, fourth place), Darrian Hoobery (285 pounds, fourth place), and Jesse Vassey (285 pounds, fifth place).
The Mountaineers’ Men’s Wrestling Team returns to action next Saturday, Nov. 12 out in Des Moines, Iowa at the Grand View Open. The following day they will also be in action at the Mike Clock Open in Forest Grove, Ore.