BEREA, Ohio – Members of Trine University men's wrestling placed in eight of ten weight classes to secure 133.5 team points and a third-place finish at the 2023 BW Invite.
The host team from Baldwin Wallace finished first with 212.5 points with Case Western Reserve University taking second with 136.5 points. The Thunder finished just ahead of fellow Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) member Adrian College who had 126 points.
The highest finish of the day came at 197 where Jacob Saylor turned in a runner-up performance. The junior won his way to the championship with a tech fall, an injury default and a pin. Davin George also placed in the weight class, finishing fourth. He lost his opening round match before turn in three hard fought decisions to reach the third-place match. There he had a rematch with his first opponent with the same result.
Isaac Hawkins was another of the three members of the Thunder to have podium finishes. He came in third at 149. He won his first three matches of the day handily with a tech fall and two major decisions, before falling to the consolation semifinals. There he won by no contest before winning the third-place match with a tech fall.
The final podium finish came at 157 where Philip Burney also came in third. The junior came up just short in his second match of the day to move to the consolation bracket. He won his next three matches by tech fall or pin before pinning his opponent in the third-place match. In the consolation semifinals he met freshman AJ Steenbeke who had won his first three matches before falling to the consolation round. Steenbeke ended up finishing fifth. Austin Crowder also placed at 157, finishing sixth despite being forced to medically withdraw from the championship semifinals.
Xander Lachance just missed the podium finishing fourth at 184. He won his first two matches, one by tech fall and the other by major decision, to reach the championship semifinals, where he was defeated. He then won the consolation semifinals with a major decision before medically withdrawing and finishing fourth.
Lakin Webb overcame a first round loss to earn a fifth-place finish at 165. He had two pins and a victory by decision in the consolation bracket, before taking fifth with no contest.
Seven grapplers competed at 174 for Trine, but only Andrew Williamson was able to place. The junior finished sixth after recording wins by pin and decision.
Jett Boots finished eighth at 141 with three wins on the day. Kyler Bills and Kyle Affer rounded out the scoring for the team, meeting in the seventh-place match at 285. Bills won by pin in that match to take seventh while Affer finished eighth.
The Thunder have next weekend off and will next take the mats at Indiana Little State which is set to be hosted by Indiana Tech on Saturday, December 2. That tournament will start at 10 a.m.