Wabash found the competition as tough as advertised in its weekend trip to the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Cliff Keen National Duals Presented by Hibiclens, held at Northern Iowa University Saturday and Sunday. The Little Giants were eliminated from team competition in the second round after losses to top-seeded Wartburg and Olivet.
Wabash lost 47-0 to Wartburg in the opening round of the dual-meet structured tournament. Andrew Kepchar, Greg Rhoads, and Bryan Hugo each went the distance in their matches but were unable to come away with individual victories. Kepchar lost 6-3 to Wartburg's Zach McKray at 141 pounds. Rhoads fell 4-0 to Grant Jenkins in the 174-pound match, and Hugo was defeated 5-0 in his 184-pound bout against Ben Scott.
Rhoads picked up a win in the Little Giants' 33-15 loss to Olivet in the second round of the tournament. The freshman pinned Olivet's Joe McAllister 4:37 into their 184-pound event. Senior Jared Tribbett scored an 8-1 victory at 149 pounds. Michael Burke pinned Aaron Sullenger at the six-minute mark of their 197-pound bout to pick up the final team points for Wabash.
The Little Giants scheduled an extra match against Dubuque Saturday evening. Hugo scored the only win for Wabash with a 5-2 decision against Cris Owens. Wabash lost 40-3 in the team scoring.
Wabash will compete in the Spartan Mat Classic this Saturday at Manchester College.