LAS VEGAS, NEV. -- The Trine University wrestling team traveled out west to take part in the Desert Duals in Las Vegas, Nev. The Thunder faced some tough competition by going up against three teams that were all ranked in the top-10 nationally.
Trine began the day against Wartburg (Iowa) College who is ranked as the top team in NCAA Division III in the latest polls. The Thunder would fall to the Knights by a final of 44-4. The lone Trine points came in the 157-pound matchup when junior Riley Rasler (LaGrange, Ind./Prairie Heights) defeated Shea Hartzler by major decision with a final score of 11-1. Freshman Anthony Eberle (Huntertown, Ind./Carroll) and sophomore Chase Gibson (Coldwater, Mich./Bronson) both competed in close matches against their opponents from Wartburg with both falling by decisions. Eberle battled Wartburg's Noah Padilla to a 6-4 decision in the 125-pound bout and Gibson hung tough against Isaiah Cox at 197 pounds, but ultimately fell short by a final of 5-0.
Trine's second dual match of the day was against No. 9 nationally-ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and fell on the losing end of a 41-7 decision against the Eagles. Sophomore Owen Conklin (West Lafayette, Ind./Harrison) earned four points for the Thunder in his match against Nick Fetzner at 165 pounds. Conklin came away with a major decision victory against Fetzner by a final match score of 14-4. The remaining team points were earned by senior Zach Saylor (Anderson, Ind./Anderson) in the heavyweight matchup after he defeated UW-La Crosse's Casey Wood by a 13-8 decision.
The day wouldn't get any easier for Trine as the Thunder took on No. 10 nationally-ranked North Central (Ill.) College in their final dual match and fell to the Cardinals by a final score of 41-5. The highlight of the match for Trine was again turned in by Rasler in his 157-pound matchup against Cole Cervantes. Rasler dominated his opponent with a tech fall and a final individual match score of 16-1 for five team points. Junior Brandon Minear (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit) and senior Nick Miller (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider) fell a little short in their respective matches, both losing by decisions. Minear went up against Anthony Rink in his 149-pound bout and fell by a final of 7-2 and Miller took his 174-pound match the distance against Brock Montford, losing 2-1 in a sudden victory.
Trine will next compete in the Spartan Mat Classic hosted by Manchester University on Saturday, Jan. 4 in North Manchester, Ind. The event is slated to start at 8 a.m.