An in-state clash between Manchester University and Trine University takes to the mat Friday, Jan. 23.
Meet specifics: Matches begin at 7 p.m. inside TU's Hershey Hall.
Spartan Shorts: Coach Matt Burlingame's squad takes an 0-7 record to Angola. They are coming off a hard-fought 33-13 loss at the hands of National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III top-25 ranked Olivet College of Michigan Jan. 20. The Black and Gold got the home crowd inside Stauffer-Wolfe Arena to its feet with freshman 125-pounder Ruben Rodriguez, Jr. (Hammond, Ind.) getting an escape in overtime for a 5-4 decision and freshman 133-pounder Chase Wilson (Peru, Ind.) picking up a fall for a 9-0 team lead. Despite the visitors reeling off seven successive wins after that point, the Spartans didn't make it easy on them. Junior 141-pounder Josh Juarez (South Bend, Ind.) rallied from a 5-0 first minute deficit and fell just two points short in a 9-7 thriller, and sophomore 174-pounder Dylan Lauffer (Fairfield, Ohio) gave No. 6-ranked Nick Allen all he could handle. Lauffer, in search of win No. 22, jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening frame. However, Allen answered with a late reversal and took advantage of riding time to escape with a 5-4 decision. Junior heavyweight Dustin Kult (Lafayette, Ind.) added another highlight with his 12th win of the year, by way of a major decision, to close the evening … Despite his close-knit defeat in early-week action, Lauffer remained the program's wins (21), winning percentage (61.3), falls (nine) and three-point nearfalls (16) leader. Kult, improving to 12-8, moved closer to his sophomore teammate in regards to winning percentage (60). Chase Wilson advanced into .500-and-over club territory, evening his mark at 13-13 against Olivet, while Rodriguez, Jr., is only two wins shy (11-13) … Burlingame and his staff announced the following as their probable line-up for the Trine clash: 125: Rodriguez, Jr.; 133: Chase Wilson; 141: Juarez; 149: Paul Mikesell, so., Macy, Ind., 5-12; 157: Alex Arney, fr., Fort Wayne, Ind. 9-13 OR Matt Ruddick, fr., Seymour, Ind. 6-6; 165: Tristan Wilson, fr., Fort Wayne, Ind., 2-9; 174: Lauffer; 184: Alex Roberts, fr., Winslow, Ind. 6-12; 197: Brian Clark, so., Milford, Ind., 3-9; 285: Kult … The rivals have split their last two meetings with the Spartans winning at home 28-15 a year ago and the Thunder claiming a 28-16 decision in Hershey Hall during the 2012-13 season.
Traditional Tourney Action: MU joins the field for the Wheaton College of Illinois Pete Willson Invitational Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30 and 31.
