Complete Results
The 15th annual Lindenwood Wrestling Open took place on Friday at the Hyland Performance Arena. The Lions opened their season by placing six, including two champions, at the event which had over 250 wrestlers, including many from NCAA Division I Missouri, Illinois, and Oklahoma.
Lindenwood dominated the heavyweight class at the event, with two wrestlers making it to the finals. Freshman Willie Wiggins won five matches, including a 4-1 decision over teammate Tyler Porras in the championship round, to win in his first collegiate competition. Wiggins had two pins and one major decision on the way to the title. Porras won three straight decisions before falling to Wiggins.
Brian Oeschner got his sophomore season off to a great start by winning the 157 pound weight class. He easily qualified for the finals with two technical falls and two major decision victories. In the championship round, he defeated Oklahoma's Kyle Detmer by a 5-2 decision.
Another top weight class for the Lions was 141 where two placed. Wilson Metellus, another freshman, went 3-1 and was runner-up. He fell in the championship by a 7-4 decision. Sean Dong lost in the quarterfinals but fought his way back for a fourth-place finish.
The final placewinner for Lindenwood was Robbie Hicklin who took third at 174 pounds. Hicklin recorded three pins and his only loss was to the eventual champion in the semifinal round.
Three other Lindenwood unattached wrestlers also placed. Andrew McArthur was fourth at 125 pounds, Vince Hannon was runner-up at 149 pounds, and Marcus Moore was third at heavyweight. Former Lion national champion Ray Stephens won the 133 pound weight class.
Missouri's Zach Toal was named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler after winning the 165 pound weight class. He went 5-0 with three pins, including one in the championship. Oklahoma's Matt Lester earned the Most Falls award with four at 149 pounds.
Other champions at the event were: Oklahoma's Jarrod Patterson at 125 pounds, Oklahoma's Kendrick Maple at 141 pounds, Illinois' Eric Terazzas at 149 pounds, Illinois' Jordan Blanton at 174 pounds, Illinois' John Dergo at 184 pounds, and Illinois' Patrick Bond at 197 pounds.
