Life University Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. ---- The No. 2 nationally ranked Life University men's wrestling team finished second at the 2022 NWCA National Duals that took place Thursday and Friday, as the Running Eagles finished the weekend 3-1.

Life U started the weekend with a 46-0 routing of (RV) Brewton-Parker in the quarterfinals. The Running Eagles picked up a pin at 125 from Chase Ayers as Hunter Sparks (133), Julian Hernandez (149), Myles Starke (184) and Tony Rogers (197) all picked up technical falls. Life U returned to the mat Thursday afternoon with a 40-8 defeat over No. 15 ranked Campbellsville University that saw the Running Eagles earn three pins from Brandon Orum (125), Denver Stonecheck (149) and Sid Ohl (165). Both Jacob Ruiz (141) and Jack Bass (157) earned the technical falls to advance Life U into the semifinals.

On day two, Life U matched up with No. 4 Doane and earned the contested 25-15 win. Orum and Sparks each earned decisions to start the dual as the Tigers battled back with a pin at 141 to tie the dual. Two back-to-back decisions from Stonecheck and Bass were followed with another pin from Ohl to give the Running Eagles the 18-6 advantage. The Running Eagles split the final four weight classes as Michael Gibson picked up a decision at 184 and Lanham earned the major decision at 197 for the final score of 25-15. 

In a rematch of the 2020 NWCA Finals, Life U matched up with No. 1 Grandview. In a dual that featured just one bonus point win, there was just a 15 point differential in eight of the nine remaining weight classes. Grandview won the final matchup 21-10 as Stonecheck and Lanham each earned decisions. Ohl provided the only bonus points of the entire dual with a 10-2 major decision. This marks the third time in program history that the Running Eagles have made the finals and finished second at the National Duals. They entered this years tournament with their highest seeding in program history.

Head coach Omi Acosta shared his thoughts after the finals stating, "First off, I'd like to thank God for the opportunity to wrestle and compete at the highest level. I'm really proud of my guys for their performance the last two days. They showed grit the entire tournament, and gave us a lot of excitement during the duals. We're going to go back to see what we need to work on, so we can finish the season strong with conference and the national tournament. Thank you to all of our fans for the constant support, and we are eager to get back home and back to work. Lucha."

The men's wrestling team will return to action on Friday, January 21, when they travel to Marshall, Mo. to compete in the Missouri Valley Invitational hosted by Missouri Valley.

Below are the full team scores and matchups for the weekend:

Match #1 Champ. Round 1

Life University defeated Brewton-Parker (GA) 46-0

• 125 - Chase Ayers (Life University) over Zayveon Mitchell (Brewton-Parker (GA)) Fall 2:11
• 133 - Hunter Sparks (Life University) over James Stoudenmire (Brewton-Parker (GA)) TF 19-2
• 141 - Rex McDaniel (Life University) over Bradley Owens (Brewton-Parker (GA)) Maj 10-2
• 149 - Julian Hernandez (Life University) over Kohlby Hopper (Brewton-Parker (GA)) TF 16-1
• 157 - Cole Drescher (Life University) over Levi Bishop (Brewton-Parker (GA)) Dec 8-4
• 165 - Miguel Angel Hernandez (Life University) over Cody Thompson (Brewton-Parker (GA)) Maj 12-1
• 174 - Asher Eichert (Life University) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
• 184 - Myles Starke (Life University) over Jesse Martin (Brewton-Parker (GA)) TF 16-0
• 197 - Tony Rogers (Life University) over Jonathan Whiting (Brewton-Parker (GA)) TF 16-0
• 285 - Spencer Dacus (Life University) over Jesus Riano (Brewton-Parker (GA)) Dec 7-4

Match #2 Quarterfinal

Life University defeated Campbellsville 40-8

• 125 - Brandon Orum (Life University) over Caleb Thomas (Campbellsville) Fall 3:27
• 133 - Zeke Escalera (Campbellsville) over Keegan Slyter (Life University) Maj 14-3
• 141 - Jacob Ruiz (Life University) over Tombola Sindihebura (Campbellsville) TF 17-2
• 149 - Denver Stonecheck (Life University) over Tyler Muldrew (Campbellsville) Fall 4:02
• 157 - Jack Bass (Life University) over Cade Meier (Campbellsville) TF 15-0
• 165 - Sid Ohl (Life University) over Chandler Woenker (Campbellsville) Fall 0:22
• 174 - Asher Eichert (Life University) over Brice Parks (Campbellsville) Maj 15-6
• 184 - Micheal Gibson (Life University) over Jaden Sonner (Campbellsville) Maj 8-0
• 197 - Zane Lanham (Life University) over Curtis Thomas (Campbellsville) Maj 10-0
• 285 - Gabe Craig (Campbellsville) over Spencer Dacus (Life University) Maj 9-0

Match #3 Semifinal

Life University defeated Doane University 25-15

• 125 - Brandon Orum (Life University) over Daniel Vargas (Doane University) Dec 6-0
• 133 - Hunter Sparks (Life University) over Justin Ramirez (Doane University) Dec 5-0
• 141 - Baterdene Boldmaa (Doane University) over Jacob Ruiz (Life University) Fall 6:56
• 149 - Denver Stonecheck (Life University) over Tristan Zamilpa (Doane University) Dec 8-1
• 157 - Jack Bass (Life University) over Chinges Tsermaa (Doane University) Dec 1-0
• 165 - Sid Ohl (Life University) over Benjamin Dobler (Doane University) Fall 1:09
• 174 - Michael Scarponi (Doane University) over Mason McDaniel (Life University) Dec 4-2
• 184 - Micheal Gibson (Life University) over Garrett Cornwell (Doane University) Dec 8-3
• 197 - Zane Lanham (Life University) over Bradley Antesberger (Doane University) Maj 11-3
• 285 - Odgerel Batkhishig (Doane University) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf

Match #4 1st Place Match

Grand View (Iowa) defeated Life University 21-10

• 125 - Esco Walker (Grand View (Iowa)) over Brandon Orum (Life University) Dec 6-4
• 133 - Justin Portillo (Grand View (Iowa)) over Hunter Sparks (Life University) Dec 3-2
• 141 - Shea Ruffridge (Grand View (Iowa)) over Jacob Ruiz (Life University) Dec 3-1
• 149 - Denver Stonecheck (Life University) over Trevor Anderson (Grand View (Iowa)) Dec 5-2
• 157 - Giovanni Bonilla (Grand View (Iowa)) over Jack Bass (Life University) Dec 5-2
• 165 - Sid Ohl (Life University) over Marty Margolis (Grand View (Iowa)) Maj 10-2
• 174 - Casey Randles (Grand View (Iowa)) over Asher Eichert (Life University) Dec 8-2
• 184 - Ben Lee (Grand View (Iowa)) over Myles Starke (Life University) Dec 2-1
• 197 - Zane Lanham (Life University) over Owen Braungardt (Grand View (Iowa)) Dec 6-5
• 285 - Greg Hagan (Grand View (Iowa)) over JJ Perez (Life University) Dec 5-3