ALMA, Mich. – Freshman Tommy Miller headlined the delegation at the Alma College Open this past weekend, returning with first place finish for the Trine University men's wrestling team.
Miller competed at 133 for the tournament and opened the day with a tough opponent hailing from Central Michigan University. Miller was well on his way to a win by tech fall when the opposition was disqualified due to repeated stalling warnings. Miller followed up with a technical fall (17-2) in his semifinal match before pinning his opponent in the final to be named the weight's champion.
Sophomore Philip Burney was the other member of the Thunder to secure a podium finish. He began the 157 bracket similarly to his teammate with a Division I opponent from Central Michigan. Burney wrestled a strong match but came up short in an 11-4 decision. He quickly moved through the consolation bracket with a major decision (12-3) and two pins to make his way to the third-place match. There he recorded another major decision (8-0) to secure third in the event.
Also participating at the open were Amir Crockett, Ben Edwards, John Browning, Trey Tobias, Jacob Saylor, Kyler Bills and Gavin Babb.
The Thunder will return to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) competition on Thursday, January 26 when they travel to face Albion College. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.