CEDAR FALLS, IA. – Menlo College Men's Wrestling showed the true meaning of grit to begin the new year inside the UNI-Dome on the first day of the NWCA National Duals. A tidy 47-3 victory over #20 Oklahoma City would send the Oaks to the quarterfinals to faceoff nationally rising #6 Campbellsville (Ky.). Despite going down 3-15 to start off the dual, the back end of the Menlo lineup saved the day through persistence and preparation to get the job done. Menlo will now advance to the semifinal round to compete with the best of the best, #1 Grand View.
#3 Menlo 47 - 3 #20 Oklahoma City
The Oaks held the early lead after forfeits at 125 and 141. At 133, the day began in favor of #15 Jeramiah Steele after the Oak secured the cradle-pin to set the tone. Next up was one of the NWCA featured match of the day, #6 ranked Kanaipono Tapia (157) facing #5 Keegan Luton. The match did not see a point scored until the end of the second period when Luton got an escape point. The third period began with a reversal and a stalling call to earn Tapia his first two points of the day. The final period would end in a tie thanks to Kanai's riding time to push it to overtime. Tapia was able to pull off the 3-point takedown a minute and a half in to secure the upset victory.
#4 Rysan Leong (165) did not give up a single point to tally a 12-0 major decision over Hayden Brown. Another head-to-head matchup was at 174, #19 Ledger Petracek versus #20 Kolbe Madron. Petracek largely outperformed Oklahoma City with a 19-3 tech fall, 14 of those points being earned in the first period with a reversal and three 4-second nearfalls. Michael Rhea (197) made his season debut against Cooper Cook and totaled a 15-0 tech fall to add 5 more points to the team score. To round out the opening dual 47-3 victory for the Oaks was none other than #7 Antonio Dacosta who laid a pin down in 2 minutes and 42 seconds.
#3 Menlo - #6 Campbellsville
#15 Jeramiah Steele (133) earned his second win of the day with a 6-1 win over Caleb Thomas to begin the dual tied at a team score of 3-3. The next three weight classes fell in favor of the Tigers to put the Oaks at a 3-15 deficit going into the 165 weight class. Reigning National Champion, Rysan Leong (165) was the one to turn things around for the Oaks and build their momentum back. The senior held control his entire match against #2 Shadrick Slone, going up 4-1 into the third period. One more 3-point takedown and a point of riding time would total an 8-2 upset win. #10 Maximus Zamora (174) kept it rolling with another upset 11-2 major decision over #8 Brice Parks. #10 Isaiah Morales was prepared to defend his national rank against #14 Chandler Woenker. The sophomore was up 3-2 going into the third period where he added two more 3-point takedowns and a point for riding time to win, 10-4.
A 13-15 team score would give the Oaks a fighting chance to win the entire dual. Hunter James (197), who is rising in the Cascade conference ranks currently sitting #7, got his chance to compete against nationally ranked #17 Grayson Stevens. The match was low scoring with James holding control. Hunter earned his first points in the second period with an escape and a 3-point takedown to go up 4-0. Two more points earned in the third period would secure the go-ahead 6-1 decision victory to make the team score 16-15. The crowd was absolutely roaring as heavyweights took the mat for the final match of the dual to decide who would advance to the semifinals. #7 Antonio Dacosta was matched up against #8 Gabe Craig. The competitive match went back and forth in the first period with a 7-4 score in favor of the Oak. From there, Tony found his comfort zone and did what he knows best. The final match score ended 16-6 with three 3-point takedowns and a 2-second nearfall, ending the dual 20-15. It was a powerful statement from the big dogs that Menlo is not a team to take lightly. This team victory brought out some of the best wrestling out of the Oaks which they hope to carry into day two!
Up Next….
The Menlo Oaks take on the top team in the nation, #1 Grand View, in the NWCA National Duals semifinals beginning at 11am CST (9am PST) on Mat 13 inside the UNI-Dome. This is not a match that you want to miss, make sure to follow along using the livestats and stream link at Menloathletics.com!