The Wabash wrestling team finished fifth out of nine teams at the 2004 Simpson College Invitational on Saturday.
The Little Giants earned the fifth-place finish by placing wrestlers in six of the ten weight classes in the top six spots.
Junior Chris Healy (Jasper, IN/Jasper) led the way for Wabash, finishing the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record to win the 174-pound title. Healy pinned his first opponent at the 6:29 mark, then picked up a 17-4 major decision in the second match and a pin at 4:16 in the third to advance to the championship final. He battled to a 15-9 win over second-seeded Omar Ortiz of William Penn University to take the title.
Junior Adam Miller (Pendleton, IN/Pendleton Heights) took fourth place at 157 pounds. Entering the tournament as the sixth seed, Miller opened with a pin at 4:18 in his first match. He dropped to the consolation bracket after losing in his second match of the invite, but responded with a pin against Zach Henrich of Wartburg at 3:42, followed by a 9-3 decision over Tom Koch of Simpson. Miller defeated fifth-seeded Abel Truiillo of William Penn 9-7 in the semifinals to advance to the final against Justin Lancaster of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Lancaster came away with a pin at 1:52, ending Miller’s day with a fourth-place award.
Sophomore Kevin Meyer (Columbus, IN/Columbus North) finished the weekend 3-2 to finish fourth at 165 pounds. Meyer opened with a loss to top-seeded Ryan Guffey of William Penn, but responded with three consecutive wins, including a 7-0 victory over the number five seed and a pin of sixth-seeded Jordan Schick of Wartburg at 3:58. His string of wins ended in the finals against fourth-seeded Nate Broghammer of Simpson, who recorded a 5-0 victory.
Junior Drew McCoy (Cumberland, IN/New Palestine) took fifth place at 149 pounds. McCoy, like Meyer, reeled off three consecutive wins after losing his opening match, including an overtime victory against fifth-seeded Mike Vagher of Buena Vista. After a 6-2 loss in the semifinals, McCoy bounced back with a tightly-contested 2-1 victory in the finals to earn fifth place.
Freshman Will Clarke (Indianapolis, IN/North Central) also won three consecutive matches after dropping his opening match at 197 pounds. A 9-4 win over sixth-seed John Horman of Truman State sent him to the quarterfinals, where Clarke lost a 7-3 decision to the fifth seed of the tournament, Buena Vista’s Mike Irvin. A medical forfeit in the finals gave Clarke the fifth place finish.
Junior Phu Hong (Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence Central) returned to action for the first time this season. The 125-pounder finished sixth at the tournament, returning to the lineup after studying overseas during the first semester. Hong, the sixth seed in the tournament, lost his first match but picked up a 12-4 win over fifth-seeded Paul Reedy of Wartburg. After pinning his next opponent 4:50 into the match, he dropped a 4-3 decision to the third seed, Joe Honts, then fell 12-4 in the finals.
Wabash finished with 79 team points. Simpson won the invite with 148 points, followed by William Penn (110), Wartburg (98.5), and Buena Vista. Wabash finished ahead of Truman State (74.5), Wisconsin-Oshkosh (67.5), St. John’s of Minnesota (66.5), and Waldorf (47).