A home dual with in-state NCAA Division III rival Wabash College Friday, Nov. 11, and competing in the field at the Trine University Thunder Invitational Saturday, Nov. 12, opens Manchester University's mat campaign.
Meet details: Matches between the Spartans and Giants begin at 7 p.m. Friday inside Stauffer-Wolfe Arena, while tournament competition at Trine University's Hershey Hall is set to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday … Live audio and video can be accessed for the dual and live results can be followed for the tourney via links at www.muspartans.com, the Internet home of Manchester University athletics.
Spartan Shorts: Besides Friday's match-up, MU's home slate is spotlighted by the 2017 Spartan Mat Classic Saturday, Jan. 14, and host duties for the 2017 NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championships Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24 and 25 at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. … "We're very excited to get the competition portion of the season underway," Kevin Lake, the Spartans' second-year head coach, said. "It's been great being able to be with the program from day one of practice to this point and see the strides we've made (in the room). This dual gives us a chance to showcase what we've been working on (during that period)" … The Black and Gold's starting line-up is dotted with returning experience. Seven weights are manned versus Wabash with individuals who've worn Manchester University singlets in either dual or tournament action including senior 125-pounder Alan Mock (Denver, Ind.); sophomore 133-pounder Luis Cervantes (Warsaw, Ind.); junior 141-pounder Chase Wilson (Peru, Ind.); junior 157-pounder Alex Arney (Fort Wayne, Ind.); junior 165-pounder Tristan Wilson (Fort Wayne, Ind.); junior 184-pounder Alex Roberts (Campbellstown, Ind.); and senior 197-pounder Brian Clark (Milford, Ind.) … "We want to constantly pressure, push the pace and find ways to score … we feel this gives us the best chance at being successful on the mat," Lake noted about the message to his team in the early season. "While we don't want to dwell on the past, it's been difficult (in recent seasons) against Wabash. We know they're bringing another strong team (into the dual opener), but we're going on the mat at every weight looking to perform our best and striving for victories." … MU's dual schedule continues, after this weekend, when they travel to Millikin University of Illinois' dual tourney Saturday, Nov. 19. The event is scheduled for a 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time start at MacArthur High School in Millikin, Ill.
