Senior Michael Burke, sophomore Greg Rhoads, and freshman Jake Strausbaugh each earned individual titles Saturday at the 2009 Little State Wrestling Tournament. Burke took the 197-pound title, Rhoads was crowned the 174-pound champ, while Strausbaugh won the 141-pound weight class.
Burke went 3-0 for the tournament, including two victories Saturday to win the championship. He opened the final day of competition with a 9-3 win over fourth-seeded John Jones before defeating Trine's Alex Fleet 6-2 in the finals.
Rhoads scored the winning points in overtime of the final match at 174 pounds to snatch a thrilling 3-1 victory from fifth-seeded Ryan Piper from Trine. Rhoads advanced to the finals with an 8-1 win in his opening match Saturday against Shelby Mappes from the University of Indianapolis.
Strausbaugh claimed the first Little State title of his career by recording a pin at the 5:47 mark of his semifinal match against second-seeded Thomas Pompei of Trine. Strausbaugh advanced to the championship bout to face top-seeded Austin Bautista from Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Wabash rookie scored a one-point victory, defeating Bautista 7-6 to claim the title.
Josh Boyer added a fourth-place finish at 125 pounds for the Little Giants. A loss to top-seeded Alex Johns in the first round Saturday dropped Boyer to the consolation bracket. The sophomore battled back with a pin against Chance Davidson at 4:07 in their match before losing 10-4 to Brandon Harvey in the finals.
Wabash took fifth and seventh places at 157 pounds. Freshman Justin Delaney knocked off sophomore teammate Tony Conway 4-2 in the first round of Saturday's competition to advance in the consolation bracket. Conway rallied with a pin (4:35) over Tony Williams in the finals for seventh place. Delaney lost his next match before scoring a 7-4 victory in the championship round against sixth-seeded Elliott Corner to earn fifth place.
Gabe Watson added a fifth-place finish for the Little Giants at 174 pounds. After losing his first two matches Saturday morning, Watson rallied for a pin at the 5:31 mark of his last match against Reid Dickerson to earn fifth in the weight class.
Rob Arnett took sixth place at 285 pounds. The senior lost his final three matches of the day after posting two victories Friday. Oscar Trujillo and Bill Wood were each 0-2 in Saturday competition to take eighth place at 133 and 149 pounds, respectively.