NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Trine University men's wrestling team traveled to Tennessee to participate in the 2022 Gator Boot Duals hosted by Luther College and will return home with a winning record of 2-1.
The Thunder began the day with a lopsided 53-4 victory over Fontbonne University. The lone points for the Griffins got their lone points in the first match of the day, before Trine took the rest to win handily. Junior Joey Langeman started the scoring with a pin in the 133 match. Five more members of the squad would record pins including juniors Isaac Hawkins in 149, Ethan Nash in 165 and Andrew Williamson in 184 and sophomores Phillip Burney in 157 and John Browning in 174. Finally, junior Mason Custer scored a 19-3 tech fall in the fourth minute of the 197 match for the final contested points of the competition.
Trine continued the day with another win, defeating Elmhurst University by the score of 28-21. Freshman Shaun Pratt picked up his first win of the day and of the match with a pin in the fourth minute of the 125 match. Langeman in 133 picked up a 6-4 decision and junior Jett Boots in 141 won with a 9-4 decision to build the team's lead to 12-0. Hawkins added to that lead again in 149 with a 9-1 major decision and Burney got a pin in the sixth minute to make the lead 22-0.
Elmhurst looked like they would mount a comeback attempt with a pin of their own in the 174 match cutting the lead to 22-6. Browning put an end to that attempt and secured the win with a final pin at the five-minute mark of his 174 match. The Blue Jays won the last three matches to give the final 28-21 score.
In the team's final dual of the day they faced off with the nationally ranked hosts from Luther College and came up short by the score of 36-9. Trine had two individuals record victories in the match with Boots getting a 10-4 decision in the 141 match and Browning getting a quick pin in the 174 match.
The day of competition ends the 2022 portion of their schedule. They will next take the mats when they host Marian (Ind.) University Ancilla on Wednesday, January 4. The dual is set to begin at 7 p.m.