The Lindenwood men's wrestling team saw its three-year reign on top of the NAIA wrestling world come to an end this week at the 2010 NAIA Wrestling National Championship. The Lions finished their rebuilding season by placing three wrestlers at the event and finishing seventh in the team standings.
Lindenwood finished with 71.5 points at the competition, just edging California Baptist by 0.5 points for that spot. Notre Dame won the event with 179.5 points.
Chris Chionuma, Tyler Porras and Sam Schmitz all earned All-American honors. Chionuma was second at 165 pounds, Porras placed fourth at heavyweight, and Sam Schmitz was sixth at 149 pounds. Schmitz earned his third All-American award, Chionuma was honored for the second time, and Porras collected his first honor.
Day Three Recap
Chionuma was featured in the championship final in his weight class, but his run came to an end with a 9-0 major decision loss. He finished the event with a 4-1 record, including one pin and one technical fall. His breakout season ended with a 33-7 record.
Porras received a forfeit in his consolation semifinal bout before he suffered a decision loss in the third-place match. He went 5-2 at the national tournament.
Schmitz lost a pair of tough decisions in his final bouts as a Lindenwood wrestler. He finished with a 4-3 mark at nationals.
Day Two Recap
Chionuma was the top highlight of the day for Lindenwood as he advanced to the championship of the 165 pound bracket. He earned a second round pin in his quarterfinal match and then picked up an 8-4 decision in the semifinals.
Schmitz and Porras also earned All-American as both are two victories away from a third-place finish in their respective brackets. Both lost their quarterfinal matches but bounced back with two wins in wrestlebacks.
The rest of the Lindenwood squad suffered wrestleback losses and were eliminated from the tournament. Five of those won at least one match in the wrestlebacks before bowing out. Jake Johnson and Robbie Hicklin each had two wins, and Galen Williams, Brian Oechsner, and Drae Cox had one victory.
The Lions finished the day in eighth-place with 66 points.
Day One Recap
Lindenwood struggled during the first day of the national championship as only three wrestlers made it through the day unscathed.
Leading the way was Porras who recorded two pins to advance to his quarterfinals.Schmitz earned two decisions and made the final eight at 149 pounds, while Chionuma went 2-0 at 165 pounds with a technical fall and decision victory.
Five wrestlers won their opening matches but fell in the round of 16. Wilson Metellus and Cox each had pins in their victories, and Hicklin won two matches before falling. Johnson and Willie Wiggins went 1-1 on the day.
Williams, Elliott Martin, Oechsner, and John Murray all fell in their only matches on the day.
The team concluded the day in sixth-place in the team standings with 25.5 points.
