The Wabash wrestling team finished second at the 2005 Monon Bell Classic at Chadwick Court Saturday. The Little Giants lost 35-4 to William Penn University, ranked eighth in the nation in NAIA in the latest polls, in the final match.
The Little Giants, ranked 21st in Division III in the latest Brute/Adidas National Wrestling Coaches Association poll, opened with a 29-12 win over Rose-Hulman in the first round. Senior Phu Hong (Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence Central) got things started with a forfeit at 125 pounds. Sophomore Garrett Pino (Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence North) followed with a pin at 133 pounds. A 13-8 victory by Adam Miller (SR/Pendleton, IN/Pendleton Heights) at 157 pounds and a 16-0 win by Kevin Meyer (SR/Columbus, IN/Columbus North) at 165 pounds gave Wabash the guaranteed victory.
Top-ranked 174-pound wrestler Chris Healy (Jasper, IN/Jasper) pinned his opponent 1:53 into their match. Will Clarke (SO/Indianapolis, IN/North Central) added a 7-3 victory at 184 pounds to complete the victory.
Wabash beat Mount St. Joseph 36-12 in round two. The Little Giants received five forfeits in the match. Miller won a 10-4 decision in his bout. Clarke also went to 2-0 on the mat with a 6-4 victory.
The Little Giants wrestled a tough Carson-Newman team in the semifinals. Pino won an 18-2 victory after Hong lost 3-2 in overtime sudden victory in the opening weight class. A 2-0 battle by Drew McCoy (SR/Greenfield, IN/New Palestine) ended in a win for the 149-pounder. Healy was an 8-5 winner at 174 pounds, but the Little Giants would need a pin to put the pressure on the Eagles. That pin would come from Clarke 2:51 into the 184-pound bout. Freshman Garrett Thiel (Lowell, IN/Lowell) added 6-4 win at 197 pounds to guarantee Wabash a spot on the championship mat with a 20-14 win over Carson-Newman.
Wabash would win only one match in that championship bout against the William Penn Statesmen. Healy would walk away with a 10-2 victory to go 4-0 for the dual-meet format tournament.