LAKELAND, Fla. -- The third-ranked SEU Wrestling team delivered a complete performance on Friday, dominating Truett McConnell in a 58–0 shutout before capping the evening with a top-five victory over fifth-ranked Oklahoma City University, 30–17. Competing in front of a strong home crowd at The Fire Pit, the Fire showcased depth, bonus-point production, and late-dual toughness.
Southeastern opened the night with a relentless, bonus-heavy dismantling of Truett McConnell, sweeping all 10 matches and recording nine victories by fall or technical fall. The shutout was established early when 125-pounder Jacob Bucci needed just 19 seconds to secure a pin, setting the tone for the rest of the dual. At 133, top-ranked
Aaron Lucio followed with a fall at 1:41, extending the lead to 12–0, and No. 16
Drew Jones added another with a pin at 2:41 in the 141-pound bout.
The Fire continued to roll at 149 pounds, where No. 11
Raymond Cavey secured SEU's fourth straight pin in 2:45 to push the advantage to 24–0. At 157, No. 15
Austin Scott kept the momentum alive, recording the team's fifth fall of the dual at 4:33. In the middleweights, SEU shifted from pinfalls to technical dominance—eighth-ranked 165-pounder
Jovon Mitchell controlled his match from start to finish, earning a 20–4 tech fall. At 174,
Lane Reardon needed less than two minutes to add another tech fall with a commanding 19–2 win.
The upper weights continued the shutout surge. At 184 pounds,
Jonathan Vanderbilt delivered SEU's sixth pin of the dual, sticking his opponent just 30 seconds into the match. Third-ranked 197-pounder
Gentry Smith accepted a forfeit, moving the Fire to 52–0. Heavyweight
Bryce Wheatley punctuated the performance with a fall at 2:05, completing the 58–0 rout.
With little time to rest, Southeastern returned to the mat for a marquee matchup against fifth-ranked Oklahoma City—a dual that demanded resilience, patience, and clutch victories from multiple weight classes. OCU opened with early momentum as 14th-ranked Cash Donnell recorded a fall at 125 to give the Stars a 6–0 lead. As he has done throughout his career, Lucio responded immediately, dominating 133-pound opponent Hayden Wright in a 21–5 technical fall to trim the deficit to 6–5.
Jones followed with his second win of the afternoon, an 8–1 decision at 141 that handed SEU its first lead at 8–6. One of the turning points came at 149 pounds, where
Andrew Voiles earned a gritty 11–7 decision over No. 12 Kolby Depron—one of OCU's nationally ranked anchors—to extend the lead to 11–6.
The Stars answered with a tech fall at 157 by No. 4 John Wiley to tie the dual at 11–11, but once again, Mitchell delivered when the Fire needed him most. Facing twelfth-ranked Hayden Brown, Mitchell controlled the pace, secured key takedowns, and powered his way to an 18–4 major decision to reclaim the lead at 15–11.
OCU briefly regained the upper hand when second-ranked Tate Picklo earned a fall at 174, putting the Stars ahead 17–15. But Southeastern's response in the final three matches ultimately defined the dual. Vanderbilt delivered his second clutch performance of the day, defeating No. 11 Bryce Milster, 6–3, in a poised and tactical effort that pushed SEU back in front, 18–17.
From there, the Fire pulled away. At 197 pounds, sixth-ranked
Kasten Grape wore down his opponent, Cole Olguin, before finishing the match with a fall at 6:48—creating a critical seven-point cushion. In the heavyweight finale, Smith sealed the win when OCU's Jonathan Chiaffitelli was disqualified, securing SEU's 30–17 triumph and a valuable top-five result.
The sweep improved Southeastern to 4–0 in dual competition and provided another glimpse into the team's firepower across all 10 weights.
Next up, SEU hosts the Southeastern Open on Saturday, at 9 a.m. inside The Furnace.
