HAVRE, Mont. – Eastern Oregon University RV Men's Wrestling concluded their weekend trip to Montana with a hard-fought 24-22 victory over RV Montana State-Northern on Sunday afternoon, securing a thrilling win in the final dual before the New Year.
The Mountaineers stormed out of the gate, capturing the first four bouts of the dual. Jackson Eylar set the tone at 125 pounds, earning a solid 5-0 decision over Tobey Forman. No. 21 ranked Kai Carson followed with a dominant 15-0 technical fall, and Daniel Guerrero continued the momentum, earning an 18-3 technical fall. No.25 Cole Cross kept the streak going with an impressive 21-6 technical fall, giving Eastern Oregon a commanding early lead.
However, Montana State-Northern responded strongly in the middle weights, rallying with four consecutive wins. Carlos Valdez faced a tough challenge at 157 pounds, falling to No.24 Ryan Graves by a 5-1 decision. At 165 pounds, John Rudebaugh dropped a hard-fought match to No. 17 Justin Windauer, and Wylee Lindeen was narrowly defeated at 174 pounds, losing a 6-3 decision to No.18 Orion Thivierge. The tough stretch for Eastern continued at 184 pounds, where Gabe Vasa was pinned by No.24 Cade Gubler.
The match took a crucial turn at 197 pounds, when a forfeit by Montana State-Northern gave Eastern Oregon an unexpected but pivotal advantage, earning the Mounties critical points. Despite a tough loss at heavyweight, where Hayden Martin fell to No. 16 Shane Mattson by an 11-1 major decision, the early momentum and the forfeit proved enough to secure the victory for the Mountaineers.
The win marked a strong finish to a challenging weekend, and Eastern Oregon will look to build on this momentum as they head into the New Year. The Mountaineers will return to action on January 4th, traveling to McMinnville, Oregon, for the Linfield Tournament.