Jaeger And The Cobbers Start 'Em Up

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (11/03/18)---The Cobbers began their season by having 11 wrestlers place in the Top 6 at the Jamestown Open. Concordia was led by freshman Adam Jaeger who won the first-place title in the 157-pound weight class. Jaeger was one of five CC athletes to finish in the Top 3 at the meet.    

Jaeger started the day with a workman-like major decision victory in the opening match against a wrestler from Wayne State College.  He then came from behind to topple opponents from the University of Mary and Jamestown by scores of 9-4 and 9-7. In the championship match, Jaeger built an early lead over his opponent from Dakota Wesleyan University, only to see the lead disappear as the DWU wrestler used a late takedown to force overtime. Demonstrating the poise of a seasoned wrestler, Jaeger calmly scored a takedown of his own in the sudden victory overtime period to come away with the 7-5 victory.

Also making the finals in his first tournament as a Cobber was freshman heavyweight Noah Carter. Carter exhibited superb patience and mat awareness throughout the day. He earned several takedowns near the out of bounds line and wore down opponents with key ride-outs from the top position. Carter lost in the championship match to a Divison I opponent from North Dakota State but will have gained loads of confidence heading into the second meet of the season.  

Senior Ty Johnson, who is a human highlight reel, matched Carter's runner-up finish by storming into the finals at 149 pounds with several high-flying throws and other upper body attacks. Johnson's bid for the title came up just short as he fell to a DII opponent from the University of Mary. Johnson finished the day with a 3-1 record and had a pin fall and a major decision.

Joining Jaeger, Carter, and Johnson as place winners were sophomore Alex Skaare and freshman Austin Baker. Both athletes battled hard through grueling five-match days in the 157-pound weight class to reach the fifth-place match. The two shared the fifth spot in the day's rankings.

Benjamin Bogart and Jacob Prunty both earned a spot on the podium in the 133-pound weight class. Bogart and Prunty both used stingy defense strategies and timely takedowns throughout the tournament. In a testament to the Cobber wrestling team's philosophy of outworking and outhustling opponents, Bogart overcame a 4-2 deficit in his opening match and wore down his opponent down with a punishing ride from the top position. Bogart earned two critical stalling points and an additional point for accumulating more than a minute of riding time to secure the 5-4 victory.

Junior Travis Deegan and freshman Kaden Spindler, both wrestling at 165 pounds, earned sixth-place and third-place finishes.  Both athletes showed off a tremendous ability to score points in bunches, as Deegan earned all three of his victories by technical fall. Spindler scored in double digits in two victories. He won one match by a major decision and pinned another opponent within the first minute of the match.

Nick Gravdahl fought back from a loss in his first match to overpower his next two opponents on his way to a fifth-place finish in the 174-lb weight class. He went 2-1 on the day.

Rounding out the Top 6 finishers for the Cobbers was freshman Jacob Arends.  Arends started his day with a gritty overtime victory. He then overcame a tough loss in the next round to fight back for third place.

UP NEXT: Concordia will look to build on their solid season debut when they travel to Aberdeen, S.D. to take on Northern State in a dual meet on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Barnett Center.