William Penn Athletics
Wade Steinlage, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
MARSHALL, Mo. – The William Penn men’s wrestling team dominated its competition en route to a perfect record at the Missouri Valley Duals Saturday.
WPU (5-1) won all four of its matches handily, including starting the day with a 57-0 shutout of Central Baptist (Ark.). The Statesmen then dropped Oklahoma Wesleyan 34-15 before taking care of Bethany (Kan.) 44-12. William Penn wrapped up its successful outing by getting past Dickinson State (N.D.) 36-20.
As 5-1, WPU is off to the program’s best start since 2006.
WPU 57, Central Baptist 0
In what proved to be the lone match he wrestled all day, Nadhelo Charles-Pierre (Sr., Miramar, Fla., Sports Management) got the day off on the right foot with a second-period fall at 125 pounds.
133-pounder Brise Bennett (Fr., Morgantown, W.Va., Business Management) and 141-pounder Darian Diaz (Fr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.) tripled WPU’s lead with consecutive forfeits.
Surprisingly, Joe Eads (Jr., Morrison, Ill., Biology) had the tightest match of the meet, slipping past Alejandro Mas 5-3 at 149 pounds. Cameron Hargrove (Fr., Bolingbrook, Ill., Undecided) and Steven Skewes (Fr., Duchesne, Utah, Exercise Science) then posted back-to-back pins at 157 and 165 pounds.
A trio of forfeits followed for 174-pounder Darwin Diaz (So., Pembroke Pines, Fla., Sociology), 184-pounder Ross Via (Rural Retreat, Va.), Biology), and 197-pounder Ray Lugo (Fr., Hollywood, Fla., Exercise Science), while heavyweight Cameron Mitchell (Fr., Houston, Texas, Kinesiology) wrapped up the dual with another fall.
WPU 34, Oklahoma Wesleyan 15
Charles-Pierre and Mitchell book-ended the win with forfeits and the lowest and highest weight classes. Tied at 6-6 after three bouts, Eads bounced back from a tight match against CBC to pin his OWU opponent. It started a run of three consecutive falls with Hargrove and Skewes also getting the mat slapped.
The Eagles closed to within nine at 24-15, but Lugo locked up the meet win with a major decision.
WPU 44, Bethany (Kan.) 12
The navy and gold bolted out to an 18-0 edge with three straight forfeits to Charles-Pierre, Bennett, and Darian Diaz. Eads and Hargrove tacked on pins, while Skewes and Darwin Diaz each won via major decision. Lugo was awarded a forfeit as well to finish WPU’s scoring versus the Swedes.
WPU 36, Dickinson State 20
In the most-contested meet of the day for WPU, nine of the 10 weights actually went to the mat.
Charles-Pierre earned a forfeit, but then the Blue Hawks knotted it up with consecutive decisions for a 6-6 tie. Eads pinned his foe, as did Hargrove, Skewes, and Darwin Diaz for a commanding 30-9 edge.
Lugo ended the Duals by taking an injury default victory as well.
Next: William Penn returns to Marshall, Mo. on Tuesday, December 15 to compete in another Missouri Valley Duals.
WPU 57, Central Baptist 0
125–Nadhelo Charles-Pierre (W) won by fall over Tyrese Hicks, 4:03 (6-0)
133–Brise Bennett (W) won by forfeit (12-0)
141–Darian Diaz (W) won by forfeit (18-0)
149–Joe Eads (W) won by decision over Alejandro Mas, 5-3 (21-0)
157–Cameron Hargrove (W) won by fall over William Freeman, 0:26 (27-0)
165–Steven Skewes (W) won by fall over Trevor Williams, 0:34 (33-0)
174–Darwin Diaz (W) won by forfeit (39-0)
184–Ross Via (W) won by forfeit (45-0)
197–Ray Lugo (W) won by forfeit (51-0)
285–Cameron Mitchell (W) won by fall over Jacob Pacheco, 1:36 (57-0)
WPU 34, Oklahoma Wesleyan 15
125–Nadhelo Charles-Pierre (W) won by forfeit (6-0)
133–Terrell Banuelos (O) won by decision over Brise Bennett, 11-6 (6-3)
141–Kolby Encinas (O) won by decision over Darian Diaz, 4-2 (SV-1) (6-6)
149–Joe Eads (W) won by fall over Codey Cooper, 0:51 (12-6)
157–Cameron Hargrove (W) won by fall over Chad Sakamoto, 3:51 (18-6)
165–Steven Skewes (W) won by fall over Austin Daniels, 1:52 (24-6)
174–Dailen Presgrove (O) won by decision over Darwin Diaz, 8-4 (24-9)
184–Ridge Smith (O) won by fall over Ross Via, 1:14 (24-15)
197–Ray Lugo (W) won by major decision over LaTrent Owens, 17-5 (28-15)
285–Cameron Mitchell (W) won by forfeit (34-15)
WPU 44, Bethany (Kan.) 12
125–Nadhelo Charles-Pierre (W) won by forfeit (6-0)
133–Brise Bennett (W) won by forfeit (12-0)
141–Darian Diaz (W) won by forfeit (18-0)
149–Joe Eads (W) won by fall over Quentin Kirk, 0:47 (24-0)
157–Cameron Hargrove (W) won by fall over Isaiah Frederick, 3:35 (30-0)
165–Steven Skewes (W) won by major decision over Nick Desch, 12-0 (34-0)
174–Darwin Diaz (W) won by major decision over Victor Monarrez, 15-5 (38-0)
184–Misael Monarrez (B) won by fall over Ross Via, 6:09 (38-6)
197–Ray Lugo (W) won by forfeit (44-6)
285–William Mason (B) won by fall over Maxwell Diaz, 3:52 (44-12)
WPU 36, Dickinson State 20
125–Nadhelo Charles-Pierre (W) won by forfeit (6-0)
133–Caleb Nielsen (D) won by fall over Brise Bennett, 2:34 (6-6)
141–Ethan Fleck (D) won by decision over Darian Diaz, 9-4 (6-9)
149–Joe Eads (W) won by fall over Trey Fischbach, 2:05 (12-9)
157–Cameron Hargrove (W) won by fall over Grayson Hicks, 2:21 (18-9)
165–Steven Skewes (W) won by fall over Lance Kettering, 3:11 (24-9)
174–Darwin Diaz (W) won by fall over Caden Haugen, 1:00 (30-9)
184–Konrich Speelmon (D) won by technical fall over Ross Via, 5:19 (30-14)
197–Ray Lugo (W) won by injury default over Samuel Adams (36-14)
285–Ethan Goss-Dickie (D) won by fall over Cameron Mitchell, 4:13 (36-20)