Eureka Wrestling Ready for First Home Dual in Program History

EUREKA – For the first time ever, the Eureka wrestling team is hosting a home dual at Reagan Athletic Complex on Wednesday evening.

At 5:30 p.m., the Red Devils will wrestle Morton College inside Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center.

It's a day and an event that has been many months in the making.

Last April, Eureka College hired former Lincoln College coach Eric Biehl to bring his talents and expertise to launch two new programs for the athletic department. Over the spring and summer, he coordinated facilities, crafted a schedule and recruited many of his former male and female wrestlers, as well as a slew of promising newcomers, to build something special 'neath the elms.

"I think getting the program off the ground has been a challenge in some ways, but it's been fulfilling," Biehl said. "I'm super excited to be here with a lot of men and women that I've coached before, and we've brought in a lot of new wrestlers, too, that have really responded well and have bought into the culture that we're trying to build here at Eureka.

"It's been a good start."

This fall, the Red Devils have been training to make a name for themselves in the wrestling community this winter. Biehl says that starts with focusing on building a culture and family mindset within the programs.

"That's my No. 1 goal, and a lot of times, when we achieve that, the rest takes care of itself," he said. "Preseason was really good. The team worked really hard and they came into the regular season in really good shape."

Last Saturday, the Red Devils had their first test of the season when they competed in their first-ever Division III wrestling competition at the Pointer Open in Wisconsin-Stevens Point. There was no team scoring at the tournament, but the Red Devils saw two of their wrestlers – Andrew Sims (third at 165 pounds) and Gaige Owens (seventh at 133) – place and several others come one win away.

Going into a brand-new schedule with all new opponents, Eureka doesn't know what to expect in its competition this season, particularly during weekend tournaments like the Pointer Open.

"With a lot of the tournaments, it's unknown how they'll be until we get there," Biehl said. "This one was definitely tougher than we thought it would be, and I think the guys still responded well and encouraged each other in the right ways."

This winter, Eureka will compete in nine duals on the men's side and the women will likely compete in three or four, depending on opponents' numbers. Biehl expects the teams to fare well, as his teams did at Lincoln, but he says the tournaments are where the Red Devils will prepare for regionals -- and if things break the right way, nationals.

To get there, the men will have to place in the top three of their bracket, while the women will have to get in the top four. The Red Devils will be competing in the toughest regional this year, which means they'll be battle-tested by the time they'll compete for national medals.

"I would love to get some men and women to nationals," Biehl said. "I think that we've got some athletes that can definitely get there. It's going to come down to how they wrestle when the time comes; they definitely have the potential."

"I think if anybody can qualify – and I think we've got a good group of people that can – they'll All-American when they get there."

On the men's side, the Red Devils have five guys that transferred in who qualified for nationals last season.

At 125 pounds, junior Jake Jozwiak was an NAIA national qualifier and American Midwest Conference championship winner last year at Lincoln. He scored a win in his Red Devil debut at the Pointer Open.

At 141, sophomore Nathan Berta transferred in after qualifying for the NAIA National Championships at Calumet College of St. Joseph.

Sims is a senior and two-time NAIA national qualifier at 165. Last year, he became the first Lynx wrestler in school history to win a match at the NAIA National Championships and he was an AMC conference champion. He nearly knocked off the No. 1 wrestler in Division II in his weight class en route to his third-place finish last weekend.

At 184, Thomas Culp joins the Red Devils after qualifying for nationals, winning All-AMC honors and being named the AMC Freshman of the Year at Lincoln last year. A former Class 3A Illinois state champion who has had a lot of success in his high school career, he was a win away from placing at the Pointer Open.

The fifth national qualifier is sophomore Jackson Creasy, who was an AMC champion at 197 last year for Lincoln. He didn't wrestle in Wisconsin last weekend due to recovering from a summer injury, but he's expected to be back in the lineup against Morton College.

There are several others in the Red Devils' lineup on the men's side that Biehl expects to contribute and make noise this season.

At 133, Owens has already given a preview of what he is capable of after a couple years away from competition. He transferred in from Iowa Wesleyan.

At 149, Dominic Tenayuca is another veteran Lincoln transfer. On Saturday, he was the other Red Devil who came a win away from placing.

At 157, Hunter Yohn is in his first year of competition after taking a couple of years off. A former Illinois Class 3A state runner-up, he won his first match as a Red Devil.

At 174, Brock Neill is another Lincoln transfer who took time off after a strong high school career. He won two matches on Saturday.

On the women's side, the Red Devils are headlined by a pair of returning NAIA national qualifiers from Lincoln: McKenzie Cook and Audrey Driskell.

Cook, a former four-time state champion from Homer, Alaska, was recruited to the No. 1 women's wrestling program in the nation at McKendree University. After spending time there, she transferred to Lincoln last year and followed Biehl to Eureka this summer. Cook was a win away from placing in her first tournament in maroon and gold at 155.

"She's having a good start so far, and she shakes some rust off, she's going to surprise some people," Biehl said. "When the pieces come together, she should definitely All-American."

Driskell was a national qualifier at 143 for the Lynx last season and is off to a good start as well. Gada Bryant is another promising Lincoln transfer. Like Cook, she came a win away from placing on Saturday at 109.

At 170, the Red Devils have freshman Lizzie Brooksher, who recently joined the squad after soccer season, and Vannah Berry, who wrestled for the first time at Lincoln last year. The team has also welcomed wrestling newcomer Claire Schaffner, a softball player at Eureka and a former multi-sport athlete at Delavan.

 "I think our guys and women are excited to be together and compete together, and have the opportunity to do this here at Eureka," Biehl said. "It's been a great start, and I'm excited to see where we are down the road."