OTTAWA, Kan. – The No. 12 Ottawa University men's wrestling team finished the regular season with a 16-2 dual record following wins against Bethany and No. 10 Morningside inside Wilson Field House on Wednesday evening. The Braves honored 10 seniors on senior night at their last home dual of their career.
The dual against Bethany was over before it even started, with the first five matches going to Ottawa via forfeit and giving the Braves a 30-0 lead right off the bat. Out of the five matches that were wrestled, Ottawa won four by fall, pushing the score line to 54-3 in OU's advantage.
No. 12 Ottawa - 54 vs. Bethany - 3
The real headline of the night was the No. 12 vs. No. 10 matchup between the Braves and the Mustangs. The Braves were looking to avenge a dual loss earlier this season to the Mustangs at the NWCA National Duals. Things looked like they were going the Mustangs way after jumping out to a 16-4 lead halfway through the dual.
Dayton Hill shifted the momentum for Ottawa at 165, winning by fall over nationally ranked Zander Ernst and getting the crowd back into the contest.
Cameron Young-Leggett followed at 174 with a clutch one-point win by decision, to get the Braves deficit down to three at 16-13. Ottawa took the lead at 184lbs with a pin from none other than
JD Perez against nationally ranked Hayden Wempden, a finalist at last year's NAIA Nationals.
Tucker Tomlinson made it back-to-back pins to essentially wrap up the dual with a 25-16 advantage. Benny Hernandez closed it out with a 3-1 decision win to make the final score 28-16 in OU's favor.
No. 12 Ottawa 28 vs. No. 10 Morningside 16
Up Next: The Braves have this weekend off before heading to Leavenworth for the KCAC Tournament hosted by Saint Mary on Saturday, Feb. 18
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