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Chicagoland collegiate athletic conference
Men's Wrestling Places Fifth at Nationals
Posted: Mar 02, 2024

Men's Wrestling Places Fifth at Nationals

Results

Men's Wrestling headed south to Park City, Kansas, to compete in the 2024 NAIA National Championships over a newly formatted event. Instead of the traditional two-day event, the wrestlers competed over three days. The Tigers placed fifth overall, tying the best finish in program history, and collected four NAIA All-American honors.

Kasten Grape placed fourth in the 197 bracket with a 4-2 record. After a bye to open action, he won by major decision, 13-5, over 11-seed Curtis Thomas. In the quarterfinals, Grape dropped a 12-2 major decision to 3-seed Owen Braungardt. In the consolation bracket, he picked up back to back pins over 9-seed Tucker Tomlinson (4:20) and 15-seed Cameron Comman (2:40). He added an 11-2 major decision over 12-seed Elijah Hynes. In the Third Place match, he lost 10-3 to 7-seed Malachi Karibo.

Nate Lendt placed sixth with a record of 3-3 at 149. He opened with a pair of pins, defeating Austin Almaguer (3:59) and 15-seed Chris Kelly (0:46). In the quarterfinals, he defeated 10-seed Bryce Nickel by decision, 8-2. Lendt dropped a 4-1 decision in the semifinals to 3-seed Chase Zollman. He dropped his next match to 4-seed Parker Dobrocky, 15-2, and his last match to 9-seed Blake Haney by pin (6:59).

Michael Scarponi also placed sixth by going 2-3 at 174. He received a bye to open action and then knocked off 3-seed Abel Nava by decision, 9-5. In the quarterfinals, he defeated 6-seed Braden Anderson by pin (3:59). He dropped a 7-5 decision to 10-seed Graham Calhoun in the semifinals. Nava came back to pick up a 7-3 win in the consolation bracket and in the final match, 1-seed Riley Smucker won 10-1.

Bradley Antesberger placed seventh with a 4-2 record at 197. He opened with a 17-1 tech fall win over Isaiah Hernandez. In the second match, he won by pin at 6:59 over 16-seed Carl Hansen. Garavous Kouekabakilaho, the 8-seed, won 9-6 in the quarterfinals. Antesberger came back with an 11-2 win over 14-seed Jay Smith. Andrew Herrera won 4-1 in a consolation match before Antesberger closed out the tournament with an 11-2 win over 15-seed Cameron Comman.

Doane had six other wrestlers compete as well. Nathan Rizek went 1-2 at 125, opening the tournament with the first win by pin (3:31). Devin Avedissian went 1-2 at 133, posting a 7-2 win in the consolation bracket. Benjamin Miller picked up an 11-7 win at 157 as he went 1-2 in the tournament.

Tyson Beauperthuy went 2-2 at 184, posting a 15-4 win to open the tournament and a 19-4 win over 12-seed Jackson King. Cael Jordan went 0-2 at 174 and Eli Criblez was 0-2 at 285 with three of the losses coming to seeded opponents.