MARSHALL, Mo. – Of the three Warriors from the RV Corban University Men's Wrestling team that qualified for the second day of the Missouri Valley College (MVC) Invitational, two of those grapplers performed well enough to earn one of the coveted spots on the podium for their respective weight classes. Many programs in the NAIA see the MVC Invite as one of the most premiere wrestling events of the season that will provide them with quality bouts as they near the postseason stretch throughout the month of February.
To see the final results from the MVC Invite, click HERE.
"This tournament is often referred to as 'mini nationals', so it was good for us to get to get back here and have an opportunity to see some of the best that NAIA wrestling has to offer," Warriors' head coach Nolan Harris stated earlier today. "We learned a lot about where we are as a team, and the adjustments we need to make heading into the postseason. It was a tough travel schedule, but our guys performed well. We had two placers in David and Tyson who led the team to a finish just out of the top ten. All in all, we represented well on a national stage. The competition we saw and the lessons we learned will undoubtedly pay off at the conference and national championships."
After cruising to a second day appearance after three-straight dominate wins over the course of yesterday, redshirt junior David Rubio continued that hot streak into his semifinal bout with Dylan Whitt from Grand View University, pinning the No. 10-ranked wrestler for the 157-weight class to set up a championship match with a familiar foe from the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC). Rubio finally met his match in Missouri at the championship round, as No. 4-ranked Kanaipono Tapia from Menlo College handed him his second loss of the season in a hard-fought 11-4 decision.
In the 174-weight class, junior Tyson Stover was easily the Cinderella story run of the tournament, as he dropped his first bout of the tournament on day one and instead of just giving up on his chances, he fought all the way back up the consolation bracket to find himself in a placement matchup on the final day of the tourney. Stover won six-consecutive bouts before finally getting knocked down a peg in the consolation bracket semifinals, as Southeastern University's Graham Calhoun, the No. 18-ranked wrestler in the NAIA, was able to earn a third minute pin over the Pasco, Washington native and send Stover to the fifth-place match. He was awarded the final match win after his opponent had to withdraw due to an injury.
Senior Sven Lukner was primed to repeat Stover's success and turn a first-round loss into a deep consolation bracket run but was thwarted in his first matchup of the day with Kenneth Copley from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University out of Arizona. The NAIA's No. 22-ranked wrestler pinned Lukner and set up a pair of potential revenge wins for both Lukner and Rubio at the CCC Championships in the middle of next month.
The Warriors will next be back in action on their home mats on Sunday, January 28th when they host No. 18-ranked Eastern Oregon University, looking to avenge their one-point dual loss to the Mounties to open the 2023-24 season back in La Grande.
To view the final results from the MVC Invitational for the Warriors, see below for an ascending weight class list of head-to-head scores.
157-Weight Class
Semifinal - David Rubio (Corban University) 25-2 won by fall over Dylan Whitt (Grand View (Iowa)) 18-10 (Fall 6:51)
1st Place Match - Kanaipono Tapia (Menlo (Calif.)) 17-2 won by decision over David Rubio (Corban University) 25-2 (Dec 11-4)
174-Weight Class
Cons. Round 6 - Tyson Stover (Corban University) 27-9 won by injury default over Ledger Petracek (Menlo (Calif.)) 17-7 (Inj. 1:54)
Cons. Round 7 - Tyson Stover (Corban University) 27-9 won by major decision over Brenden Parks (Missouri Valley) 5-2 (MD 12-3)
Cons. Semi - Graham Calhoun (Southeastern) 6-3 won by fall over Tyson Stover (Corban University) 27-9 (Fall 2:49)
5th Place Match - Tyson Stover (Corban University) 27-9 won by medical forfeit over Maximus Zamora (Menlo (Calif.)) 8-3 (M. For.)
285-Weight Class
Cons. Round 6 - Kenneth Copley (Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)) 19-8 won by fall over Sven Lukner (Corban University) 15-8 (Fall 4:07)
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