MARIETTA, Ga. – The Fire's team depth was on display Saturday. Aaron Lucio and Jaime Rodriguez grappled their ways to second place finishes, while Southeastern University had 13 place-winners highlight its efforts at Life University's Lucha Open.
Taking part in the Gold 133-weight class, Lucio came within a single point of winning the title. He won two six-point decisions and pinned his other two foes on his way to the championship match. In his tightest bout of the day, Lucio (4-1) fell to Life's Thaddeus Long, who is the NAIA's top-ranked wrestler at 133, by a slim 8-7 decision for second place.
In the Silver 149-class, Rodriguez racked up a trio of decision victories along with one by injury default to advance to the final. Like Lucio, Rodriguez (4-1) came up a point short as Life's Zachery Lee edged out a 6-5 final decision.
For the rest of the Gold Division, SEU recorded seven placers over five weight classes led by Ryan Bennett (157) and Bryce Wheatley (285) with fourth places. Bennett started with a major decision, 16-4, and a pair of decision victories before losing a 4-1 sudden victory match in the semifinals. In the third place match, Bennett came up short, 8-6, in a decision to Avente Stepheson to finish fourth.
Wheatley pinned his opening 285-pound foe before a first-period tiebreaker and sudden-victory one (4-1) decisions to reach the Semifinals. After a Semifinal loss, the University of the Cumberlands' Austin Silva escaped Wheatley by a 10-6 final in the Third-Place match.
Along with Bennett, Michael Shannon made it two Fire place-winners at 157. He started with a tech fall, and dropped a close 5-0 decision in the second bout. Shannon, though, ran off four consolation wins in a row to reach the fifth place match, where he prevailed, 10-6, over Dylan Straley, the eighth-ranked wrestler at 157 in the NAIA.
At 174, Lenny Feliciano started strong with a 23-4 tech fall and then a pair of decision wins, including a 10-4 win over No. 15-ranked TJ Huber of the University of the Cumberlands. After a semifinal loss and a consolation match, Feliciano finished the night.
Drew Jones battled back from an 141-pound opening shutout to eighth-ranked Thomas Williams, winning four matches in a row, including one match over the 17th-ranked wrestler. His run stopped in the fifth place match, as he fell in an 11-1 major decision to Ethan Lipsey, a transfer from NCAA I Chattanooga - Tennessee.
In the 184-class, both Jeffrey Geller and Noah Gallardo grabbed places. Geller fell in his first match, before he came back with five wins in a row, including a fall and a pair of tech falls. His run came to an end in a close 3-0 decision to Adrian Chavez-Morales of Southern Oregon in the fifth place match.
Gallardo started with a 16-0 tech fall, then dropped his second match via decision before he came back with three-straight victories, including a fall in 47 seconds. Gallarado ended up eighth after a forfeit in the seventh place match.
Back in the Silver Division, SEU saw three more of its young wrestlers finish in the top six. At 165, Lane Reardon could not be stopped in his first three matches, as all were by tech falls by a combined 47-2 total scoring. A seven-point decision then put him in the semifinals. Following a tough semifinal, Reardon won the next consolation and reached the third place meeting, where he bowed out.
In the Silver 174, Bruno Ingalls pinned his first opponent and scored a 16-3 major decision before he fell into the consolation round. Ingalls won the next two matches by sudden victory and a forfeit before he secured fifth by medical forfeit.
Completing the Fire place-winners, Erick Hair went 5-1 in the 125-class. He took home sixth in the end and scored one tech fall by a 20-3 score and a pair of major decisions.
SEU will now be off until it hosts No. 21 Central Methodist, No. 20 Cornerstone and No. 18 Oklahoma City University in the Fire Duals, which will take place on Wednesday, December 18th.
