CRETE, Neb. – Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling competed at the Doane Conner Oppenheim Open on Saturday (Dec. 6). The standouts for the Bulldogs were Cole Price and Gabe Kant finishing third and fourth in the tournament. The event featured “Open” and “Amateur” divisions.
Head Coach Josh Watts and his side sent 15 wrestlers to the open.
“It was up and down and all around,” Coach Watts said. “We had some guys that looked really really good. Cole lost in the first round to the guy who won it, and he lost in the last seconds. He came back and took third and didn’t give up an offensive point after that match. Gabe pinned the No. 6 guy in the country and lost to No. 11 and No. 3. He didn’t have an easy bracket at all. We got things to tweak and work on with him but effort isn’t one of them. A lot of our underclassmen looked like underclassmen. Consistently inconsistent. They looked really good one match and not the next match.”
Price, at 165, was the highest finisher for the Bulldogs going 3-0 after falling in the opening round match to reach third. He defeated Hayden Helgeson (Grand View) and Lincoln Krull (Cumberlands) and Jack Willen (Cumberlands) in three consecutive bouts. Price fell in slight decision loss (5-4) to Justin Windauer (Montana State-Northern).
Kant, at 285, won three-straight by fall moving into the semifinal but ran into ranked competition in the later rounds. He pinned Strider Williams (Colorado Northwestern CC), Carlos Ruiz (Graceland University) and Seth Suvak (Dickinson State). Both losses came by a decision.
In the open, Hunter Weimer (at 174) went 3-1 in his matches but then bowed out in a medical forfeit. Another at 174, Evan Sepanlou, went 2-2 in his matches.
Others who competed in the open were Aaron Ohnoutka, Bryce Karlin and Francisco Mendez.
In the amateur division, Gabe Lujan (at 125) went 4-2 making it to the semifinals by defeating two GPAC foes and two KCAC wrestlers. Kaden Gutsch (at 149), Ramon Arredondo (at 184) and Chason Turner (at 184) all went 2-2 at the open tournament.
Others competing at the amateur level were Blane Boehmer, Chase Groff, Brysen Salinas and Aidan Watts.
Concordia (3-1, 3-1 GPAC) will have the rest of the year off before hosting a triangular versus Friends University (Kan.), 0-0, and Midland (1-1). The Bulldogs will face the Falcons first and the Warriors in the second dual. The first dual starts at 5 p.m. CT and the second at 8 p.m.