Perfect 4 Help Cobbers Go 3-0

LA CROSSE, Wis. (12/05/15)—Gabe Foltz, Ty Johnson, Ben Cousins and Dan Marquette all went 3-0 to help No.24-ranked Concordia claim victories in all three dual matches at the Candlewood Suited Duals Meet hosted by Wis.-La Crosse.

The four wrestlers helped the Cobbers outscore their opponents 85-33 as they posted wins over Wis.-Eau Claire, Wis.-Stevens Point and Loras. The three victories pushes Concordia's win streak to six matches to start the season. CC is still perfect at 6-0 in dual meets to kick off the 2015-16 campaign.

Marquette had the biggest impact of the undefeated athletes. He came away with three bonus point wins and scored 18 team points in his three bouts. Marquette won all his matches by pin fall competing  at 197 and 184. His biggest win came against Stevens Point where he recorded a fall at 3:53 in his match at 197 to seal the Cobbers' closest match of the day.

Marquette started the day with a pin at 4:18 in his match at 197 against Alex Knutson of Eau Claire. He then capped his three-win performance with a fall at the 2:09 mark against Connor Swier of Loras in the 184-lb match.

The Cobbers led wire-to-wire in their matches with Eau Claire and Loras but their bout with Stevens Point featured five lead changes before the Cobbers finally sealed the win with Marquette's pin at 197.

Concordia won nine of their 10 individual matches against Eau Claire and seven of the 10 against Loras. Against the Pointers, both teams won five individual matches but it was CC's three bonus-point wins that proved to be the difference.

Foltz was perfect at 133. Ranked fifth in the nation in the latest NWCA DIII poll, he had a pin fall in his first match. He then followed that up with a tech. fall against Stevens Point and finished off the day with a 6-3 decision against Loras. Foltz has now won his last five matches and is 10-3 on the season.

Johnson continues to impress in his freshman season. He went 3-0 at 149 with two pin falls and a decision. His toughest match came against Joe Crook of Stevens Point. Johnson used an escape and takedown in the third period to claim a 5-3 victory. Like Foltz, Johnson has now won his last five matches and is now 10-5 for the season.  

Cousins, who is currently ranked 10th in the nation at 157, had three close matches decided by a total of seven points. He opened the day with an 8-5 win against Carter Focht of Eau Claire and then posted a pair of 4-2 decisions. Cousins has won four of his last five matches and is now 11-9 for the season.

Jakob Stageberg, Joe Heinz, Dane Ringquist and Ricky Briggs all went 2-1 on the day. Stageberg leads Concordia in wins this season. His two victories in La Cross pushed his season total to 15. He is now 15-5 on the season.          

WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will continue with dual-meet competition when they host NCAA Division II powerhouse St. Cloud State on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. The Huskies are currently 1-0 in dual meets this year and are currently ranked second in the latest Division II national rankings.