EC Men’s Wrestling Improves to 2-0, Tops Aurora, 32-17

AURORA, Ill. – The Eureka men's wrestling team improved to 2-0 on the season with a 32-17 dual victory at Aurora on Thursday evening.

The Red Devils picked up wins in six of nine matches on the mat, including a pair of bookending pins.

Gaige Owens (Marion, Ill./Marion/Illinois Wesleyan) opened the night with a first-period fall over Aurora's Zane Ely in 1:35 at 133 pounds.

Nine bouts later, Jake Jozwiak (Lake Villa, Ill./Graslake North/Lincoln) ended it with another one, pinning Tyler Evitts in 2:49 at 125.

Eureka won the first five matches of the dual.

After Bradden Davis (Mount Vernon, Ill./Mount Vernon) won by forfeit at 141 pounds, Nathan Berta (Channahon, Ill./Minooka/Calumet College of St. Joseph) held off Evan O'Reilly in a 12-9 decision at 149 to give EC a 9-0 advantage. Berta was one of two Red Devils to bump up a weight class and come away with a win.

Dominic Tenayuca (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs/Lincoln) followed suit, bumping up to 157 and scoring an 8-0 major decision over Ian Funk. Then, at 165, Andrew Sims (Heyworth, Ill./Heyworth/Lincoln) made it back-to-back majors, besting Emanuel Diaz 14-4.

Aurora finally got on the board with a first-period fall by Luke Silva over Brock Neill (Oglesby, Ill./La Salle-Peru) at 174. The Red Devils came back with an 8-4 decision by Thomas Culp (Quincy, Ill./Quincy/Lincoln) over Alton Mullinax at 184.

The Spartans got its second win of the night when Jackson Creasy (Lake of the Ozarks, Mo./Osage/Lincoln) was disqualified at 197, then Cam'ron Harper delivered their third and final win with an 18-1 technical fall over Eureka's Roberto Castellano (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg/Lincoln) at 285.

 "I think it went really well on the men's side," EC wrestling coach Eric Biehl said. "We were definitely more in our offense, which was what we have been trying to do lately, and the guys competed well in every match."

In the women's competition, the Spartans won two of three matches on the mat and bested Eureka 23-15 overall.

Aurora's Camila Neuman notched a 10-0 tech fall over Gada Bryant (Westville, Ill./Westville/Lincoln) at 109, and Aurora's Natasha Markoutsis produced another 10-0 tech fall over Audrey Driskell (Pekin, Ill./Pekin/Lincoln).

Eureka's McKenzie Cook (Homer, Alaska/Homer/Lincoln) defeated Aurora's Brianna Kristin due to injury.

Thursday was the Red Devils' last meet of the 2022. The Eureka men and women will both be back in action at the Augustana Viking Duals on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 10 a.m.