McKenzie Cook Earns Red Devils’ First Wrestling Tourney Title

DECORAH, Iowa – After hosting their first home dual in program history this week, the Eureka wrestling teams took on some tough competition at the Luther Open on Saturday.

On the women's side, McKenzie Cook (Homer, Alaska/Homer/Lincoln) became the first Red Devil in program history to bring home a tournament championship.

She notched a pair of tech falls at 155 pounds, besting Augustana's Abbey Ellis 10-0 in the semifinals and clinching the title with a 12-2 tech over Iowa Central Community College's Maria Elizondo.

"It was a good confidence booster for me," said Cook, who came a win away from placing at the Pointer Open last week. "My mindset felt much better this week compared to last tournament. I wrestled tough today and had a lot of joy while doing it."

Audrey Driskell (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) wrestled in the same bracket and earned a fourth-place finish. She scored a 10-0 tech fall over Iowa Central's Aaliyah Lobendahn in the consolation semifinals, then lost by fall to Ellis in 1:33 in the third-place match.

Freshman Lizzie Brooksher (Saint Charles, Mo./Saint Charles) picked up a seventh-place finish at 170 pounds in her collegiate wrestling debut. She pinned teammate Vannah Berry (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) in 3:24 to end the day on a win.

On the men's side, the Red Devils encountered wrestlers from many top NCAA Division III teams and a few Division I squads, including Iowa and Iowa State.

The team's highlights of the day were an eighth-place finish by Gaige Owens (Marion, Ill./Marion/Iowa Wesleyan) at 133 pounds in the elite division and a fifth-place finish by Zach Eaton (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) at 184 in the amateur division.

"We had some ups and downs," EC coach Eric Biehl said. "We competed well, but have to get our offense more."

After getting pinned in the second period of his first match, Owens won three straight matches. He won by fall in 6:11 over Augsburg's Carson Murray, earned a 17-0 tech fall over Wisconsin-Platteville's Jack Sullivan and pinned Yousuf Zigan of the host team in 2:30. Coe's Alex Friddle edged him in a 7-5 decision in the consolation semis before Coe's Anthony Gallagher claimed seventh with a 17-1 tech fall.

Eaton picked up an 8-5 decision over Wisconsin-Platteville's Cal Ries and beat Nebraska Wesleyan's Rylee Iburg by medical forfeit in the fifth-place match.

The Eureka men will next be in action at the Lindenwood Open next Saturday, while the women compete in the Lindenwood Duals the next day.

"For being a new program, we are doing well," Biehl said, "but our teams aren't satisfied with where we are and are hungry to improve."