Wabash began the 2010-2011 wrestling season with nine wrestlers placing at the Loras College Open on Saturday. Graham Youngs, Jake Strausbaugh, Greg Rhodes, and Ryan Lutz earned top finishes in the Gold Division, while Mark Escobedo, Jimmy LaRowe, Dalton Stanley, Dylan McBride, and Von Wasson each grabbed top places in the Silver Division.
Youngs took fourth place in the 157-pound weight class, finishing with a record of 5-2 for the day. He opened with a 7-5 victory and followed with a thrilling 11-9 victory in overtime to move into the next round against Jackson Morse. Morse, the eventual 157-pound champion, won 11-2, but Youngs rallied with two consecutive victories (6-2, 5-2) and a medical forfeit to advance to the finals. Youngs lost a 9-2 decision in the finals to John Prezzia.
Strausbaugh finished with a 4-2 overall record in the 149-pound weight class. He started the day with a tough 7-6 loss before posting dominating 13-6, 17-2, and 14-7 wins in the consolation bracket. A 14-0 loss in the consolation semifinals sent Strausbaugh to the fifth-place match, where he scored a 15-7 win over Johnny Siegel from Coe College.
Rhodes scored an early 7-3 win in the first round of the 184-pound weight class bracket, but dropped to the consolation bracket with a 14-2 loss in the next round. A 4-1 victory in the bottom bracket was followed with a 20-5 technical fall win by Rhodes, but a 13-2 loss in the consolation semis moved him to the fifth place bout. Rhodes won 6-3 in the finals over teammate Ryan Lutz. Lutz had scored two consolation bracket victories after losing a tough 3-2 decision in the opening round of the bracket. Lutz scored a 2-1 overtime win in the first round of the consolation bracket, then earned a 6-2 victory before a pin in the semifinals dropped him to match against Rhodes in the finals.
Escobedo won three matches in the 125-pound weight class of the silver division of the tournament. A decisive 10-0 win in the opening round, followed by 6-5 and 3-2 wins in the subsequent rounds. The victories put Escobedo against Levi Wolfensperger in the finals, with Wolfensperger coming away with the championship with a 14-2 major decision.
LaRowe finished second at 157 pounds. He scored three consecutive victories, starting with a pin at the 3:33 mark of his opening match. 11-0 and 7-3 victories moved him into the championship finals, where he lost 7-2 to Wartburg's Brett Yonkovic.
Stanley scored five straight pins in the consolation bracket of the 165-pound weight class after losing in the opening round by pin to take third place. McBride went 3-2 to take fourth place in the 197-pound weight class, while Wasson finished the day with the same 3-2 record to take fifth place at 174 pounds.
The Little Giants return to action on November 18 with a dual meet against Indiana University at Chadwick Court at 6:30 p.m.