INDIANAPOLIS – Four members of the West Liberty University wrestling team made it to the podium here Saturday as a split squad of Hilltopper grapplers carried the Black and Gold into the Little State Invite, hosted by Marian University.
Jacob Simpson led the way for Coach Danny Irwin's squad, battling into the championship semifinals of the mammoth event before settling for a fifth place finish at 141 pounds. Simpson rolled into the semifinals on the strength of back-to-back major decisions before falling to eventual champion Breyden Bailey of Indianapolis. Simpson defeated Indianapolis's Chase Wilkerson, 4-1, in the Fifth Place Match.
Senior Chris Cook wrestled "up" at 285 pounds and came away with a Sixth Place finish. Cook dropped a hard-fought 3-2 decision to eventual champion Max Bishop of Wabash in the quarterfinal but rebounded with a fall in the wrestlebacks before losing by medical forfeit in the Fifth Place Match.
Chase Logan joined Cook among the 285-pound placers with an Eighth Place finish. Logan also advanced to the championship quarterfinals before coming out on the short end of a 3-1 decision against Wabash's Isaiah McWilliams. He rebounded with a 5-2 win against Lindsey Wilson's Raynel Brown in the consolations before forfeiting his Seventh Place match to Garrett Clark of Ancilla College.
Tommy Curtin also wound up settling for an Eighth Place finish due to injury. Curtin lost his opening match at 133 pounds but earned a spot in the place matches with back-to-back wins in the consolations but had to give up a medical forfeit to Wabash's Rodney Hendricks in the Seventh Place match.
The No. 10-ranked West Liberty wrestlers return to dual meet action on Sunday when they head to Painesville, Ohio for a quadrangular with Rochester (Mich.), Mercyhurst (Pa.) and host Lake Erie.
Following are match-by-match results from Saturday's Little State Invite:
Little State Invite
(Marian University – Indianapolis, Ind.)
133 Pounds - Tommy Curtin (8th Place)
Champ. Round 1 - Cade Cox (Wabash) won by fall over Tommy Curtin (West Liberty) (Fall 4:29)
Cons. Round 1 - Tommy Curtin (West Liberty) won by decision over Noah Cantu (Indianapolis) (Dec 3-1)
Cons. Round 2 - Tommy Curtin (West Liberty) won by major decision over Keyan McKee (Marian University (IN)) (Maj 12-2)
Cons. Round 3 - Migdoel Ocasio (Thomas More) won by medical forfeit over Tommy Curtin (West Liberty) (MFF)
7th Place Match - Rodney Hendricks Iii (Wabash) won by medical forfeit over Tommy Curtin (West Liberty) (MFF)
141 Pounds - Jacob Simpson (5th Place)
Champ. Round 1 - Jacob Simpson (West Liberty) won by major decision over Corey Cavanaugh (Indiana Tech) (Maj 10-2)
Quarterfinal - Jacob Simpson (West Liberty) won by major decision over Jordan Napier (Unattached) (Maj 17-3)
Semifinal - Breyden Bailey (Indianapolis) won by fall over Jacob Simpson (West Liberty) (Fall 1:01)
Cons. Semi - Conner Gimson (Indiana Tech) won by decision over Jacob Simpson (West Liberty) (Dec 6-0)
5th Place Match - Jacob Simpson (West Liberty) won by decision over Chase Wilkerson (Indianapolis) (Dec 4-1)
149 Pounds - Jamie Ward
Champ. Round 1 - Gaige Torres (Indiana Tech) won by decision over Jamie Ward (West Liberty) (Dec 7-0)
Cons. Round 1 - Jamie Ward (West Liberty) won by fall over Logan Hurley (Marian University (IN)) (Fall 4:24)
Cons. Round 2 - Austin Ramsey (Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)) won in tie breaker - 1 over Jamie Ward (West Liberty) (TB-1 2-1)
149 Pounds - Parker Mazik
Champ. Round 1 - Austin Ramsey (Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)) won by decision over Parker Mazik (West Liberty) (Dec 8-3)
Cons. Round 1 - Parker Mazik (West Liberty) won by decision over Alex Roberts (Cleary University) (Dec 11-4)
Cons. Round 2 - Owen Zablocki (Indianapolis) won by decision over Parker Mazik (West Liberty) (Dec 7-2)
174 Pounds - Drake Kendrex
Champ. Round 1 - Drake Kendrex (West Liberty) received a bye (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Darden Schurg (Wabash) won by fall over Drake Kendrex (West Liberty) (Fall 0:32)
Cons. Round 2 - Drake Kendrex (West Liberty) won by fall over Tucker Coffman (Wabash) (Fall 4:46)
Cons. Round 3 - Drake Kendrex (West Liberty) won in sudden victory - 1 over Garrett Bunea (Indiana Tech) (SV-1 6-4)
Cons. Round 4 - Kolby Ferris (Unattached - Indiana Tech) won by decision over Drake Kendrex (West Liberty) (Dec 7-3)
184 Pounds - Garrett Cook
Champ. Round 1 - Garrett Cook (West Liberty) received a bye (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Trizton Carson (Wabash) won by fall over Garrett Cook (West Liberty) (Fall 1:58)
Cons. Round 2 - Garrett Cook (West Liberty) won by fall over Alfredo Calderon (Wabash) (Fall 2:23)
Cons. Round 3 - Garrett Cook (West Liberty) won by decision over Hunter Bates (Wabash) (Dec 8-2)
Cons. Round 4 - Ethan Herrin (Wabash) won by fall over Garrett Cook (West Liberty) (Fall 1:29)
197 Pounds - Ronnie D'Amico (unattached)
Champ. Round 1 - Ronnie D`Amico (unattached) received a bye (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - James Lewis (Wabash) won by decision over Ronnie D`Amico (unattached) (Dec 8-6)
Cons. Round 2 - Ronnie D`Amico (unattached) received a bye (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Grant Johnson (Wabash) won by medical forfeit over Ronnie D`Amico (unattached) (MFF)
285 Pounds - Chris Cook (6th Place)
Champ. Round 1 - Chris Cook (West Liberty) received a bye (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Chris Cook (West Liberty) won by decision over Jack Williams (Indianapolis) (Dec 5-2)
Quarterfinal - Max Bishop (Wabash) won by decision over Chris Cook (West Liberty) (Dec 3-2)
Cons. Round 4 - Chris Cook (West Liberty) won by fall over Jud VanCleave (Indianapolis) (Fall 4:35)
5th Place Match - Ledarryl Lee (Unattached-CCSJ) won by medical forfeit over Chris Cook (West Liberty) (MFF)
285 Pounds - Chase Logan (8th Place)
Champ. Round 1 - Chase Logan (West Liberty) won by major decision over Trayshawn Jones (Calumet (Ind.)) (Maj 9-0)
Champ. Round 2 - Chase Logan (West Liberty) won by decision over Vernon Willis Jr (Unattached - Indiana Tech) (Dec 8-6)
Quarterfinal - Isaiah McWilliams (Wabash) won by decision over Chase Logan (West Liberty) (Dec 3-1)
Cons. Round 4 - Chase Logan (West Liberty) won by decision over Raynel Brown (Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)) (Dec 5-2)
7th Place Match - Garrett Clark (Ancilla College) won by forfeit over Chase Logan (West Liberty) (FF)
