Forfeit Foils Final Home Dual Meet
MOORHEAD, Minn. (2/16/17)---In the end both teams won five individual bouts but the difference in the final score came down to one bonus point win and one forfeit as Concordia lost 19-15 to NCAA Division II Southwest Minnesota State.
The Cobbers put up five wins by decision while the Mustangs had three wins by decision, one by major decision and the difference maker at 133 which was a forfeit.
The loss ends Concordia's dual-meet record for the year at 10-8. Southwest MN State improves to 8-13 overall and is also done with the dual-meet portion of their schedule.
Concordia's only team lead came after the opening match at 125 where junior Aaron Dick dictated play and earned a 10-6 decision. Dick won the match at the end of the second period and into the third. With the match tied at 5-5, Dick gained the takedown at the end of the second period and then went up 9-6 with another takedown midway through the third. He added the point for riding time to bring the final score to 10-6.
A pair of close decisions by the Mustangs at 141 and 149 set the stage for the only nationally-ranked wrestler for the Cobbers to compete on the night. No.6-ranked Cole Sladek stepped on the mat at 157 and was in complete control from the opening seconds.
Sladek had a four-point nearfall in the first period and then added an escape in the second to win 7-1.
The Cobbers gave up the only bonus point win of the night at 165 and then rallied with two straight decisions to get to within four points at 16-12.
Jake Johnson started the comeback with a 3-1 win at 174. He earned the win with the only takedown of the bout which came in the first period.
Ricky Briggs then followed with a 2-1 win at 197. The two wrestlers battled through a scoreless first period and then Briggs gave up an escape to start the second stanza. He then trailed for the rest of the match until late in the third when he came up with the decisive takedown to snatch the win.
A one-point loss at 197 pushed CC behind 19-12 and then Hunter SantAmour came through with a 3-2 win of his own at 285. SantAmour recorded a takedown in the first period and then gave up a pair of escapes but he built up enough riding time to secure the one-point win with the bonus point.
SLADEK SUCCESS: Cole Sladek continues his breakout junior season. He is now 14-1 on the year and will enter the West Region as the top seed at 157. Sladek finished third at last year's regional meet and earned his first-ever trip to the NCAA Meet where he went 1-2.
JOHNSON JIVES: Jake Johnson upped his team-leading win total to 23 on the season. Johnson is 23-11 on the year and has won 11 of his last 12 matches. Johnson has now won 42 bouts in his last two years in maroon and gold.
WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will now head into the championship season. The Cobbers will have an eight-day break and then host the NCAA West Regional on Saturday, Feb. 25 starting at 9 a.m. CC has finished second at the regional meet the past four seasons.