WHEATON, Ill.-- Trine wrestlers Brandon Preston and Mack Green have advanced to the quarterfinals of their respective weight classes in the Pete Willson Invitational, hosted by Wheaton College.
Preston (Logansport, Ind./Logansport) advanced with three wins by decision in the 133-lb class. Green (Buchanan, Mich./Buchanan) picked up a pin and two wins by decision in the heavyweight class. Both wrestlers remained in the winner's bracket with their undefeated performances, and guaranteed themselves a place in the top eight of their class.
Preston, the no. 3 seed, picked up back-to-back wins by 7-2 decision over opponents from Manchester and Alma. He then defeated Pacific University's Eric Harder by 14-8 decision. The senior has now won eight-consecutive matches.
The first match for Preston tomorrow will come against UW-Parkside's Joe Her, a 2014 placer in the Pete Willson Invitational.
Green pinned Jose Hernandez of MSOE in 4:52 to start the day. Next came a 6-0 win by decision. The senior then defeated Augustana's Jack Seaman, who had pinned both of his previous opponents in the first period, by 5-2 decision.
Tomorrow's opening match for Green will pit the no. 2 ranked heavyweight in the nation against Heidelberg's Nino Majoy, who is ranked third in the nation. Four of the top 10 heavyweights in the nation, including the top three wrestlers, are all still in the hunt for first place.
Semifinals and wrestlebacks begin at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Championship, third-place, and fifth-place matches are expected to get underway at 12:15 p.m.
Tylor Willms (Fremont, Ind./Fremont) added a pair of pins on his way to finishing 2-2 in the tournament. The 149-lb freshman picked up both of his pins in the first period.
Michael Conner (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) added a win by 8-2 decision before being eliminated.