Mustangs show depth in BVU Open

STORM LAKE, IOWA – Morningside continued its bid to gain some experience against tough opponents in the Buena Vista University Open today. The Mustangs saw stiff competition in the open field, including wrestlers from Minnesota State Mankato, Simpson, Nebraska Wesleyan, and host BVU.

At the 133-pound weight class, Taylor Vasquez placed second, moving through the championship bracket with a pair of pins and a 3-2 win in tie breaker 1 to place him in the championship match. Vasquez suffered a loss by major decision in the championship.

Also at 133, Ben Schmitz placed fifth after being knocked to the consolation bracket by an opponent from Minnesota State Mankato. Schmitz then worked back through the bracket, picking up a pin over teammate Wyatt Skuodas before outlasting his Briar Cliff opponent for a 2-0 decision in the fifth place match.

The Mustangs showed their depth again at 157 pounds, with John Diener and Abraham Dirkx tying for second place via double forfeit and Noah Styskal placing third.

Styskal won his first round match 11-6 before picking up victory by tech fall in the second round. He advanced to the quarterfinals after a 12-5 decision, running into Diener in the semifinal match. Diener bounced Styskal to the third place match, which he won via major decision, 18-7.

Dirkx had a pin in his opening round, lasting 4:04 before the referee slapped the mat. He continued to win, collecting a 7-0 decision followed by a quarterfinal pin in 2:32. Dirkx picked up a semifinal win by fall in 1:48, when he also ran into Diener. 

Diener pinned his opening opponent from Simpson in 3:50 before claiming a tech fall in championship round two, 17-2. He moved into the quarterfinals, where an 8-6 decision lined him up with Styskal for the aforementioned 3-0 semifinal decision. Diener and Dirkx met in the first place match, where the teammates' individual camps agreed to a double forfeit to settle the bracket.

Morningside also saw success at the 285-pound class, with Forrest Hyson placing fourth, picking up wins by fall in 2:24 and 4:37 in championship round 1 and the quarterfinals, both against unattached opponents. That was when he ran into teammate Hunter DeJong, who bounced him to the third place match with a 7-2 loss. Hyson lost again in the third place match, 2-1.

DeJong put his first round opponent from Nebraska Wesleyan on his back in 4:50 before picking up a 3-1 win in the quarterfinals. He met Hyson in the semifinals, picking up the aforementioned 7-2 decision to move onto the first place match. DeJong won the first-place title after his opponent suffered an injury.

Morningside's next match is one of its few home duals, taking on Jamestown in the Hindman-Hobbs Center at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9.