Life University Athletics

LAKELAND, Fla. ---- For the second consecutive season, the Life University men's wrestling team captured the MSC South-Division Tournament Title over the weekend that was hosted by Southeastern University. The program will also send a full roster of 12 wrestlers to the NAIA National tournament for just the second time in its history.

The No. 2 nationally ranked Running Eagles captured the team title with 195 team points as Southeastern finished in second with 161. Life U had all 12 wrestlers who competed finish on the podium with six MSC champions, five runner-ups and one third place finish. All 12 qualify for the NAIA National Championships due to the allocations that were released for each weight class.

After the championships, the Running Eagles were also recognized in the postseason awards as head coach Omi Acosta was named the MSC South-Division Coach of the Year, Cole Manion was named the MSC South-Division Assistant Coach of the Year, Steven Villalobos was named the MSC South-Division Freshman of the Year and Zane Lanham earned MSC South-Division Wrestler of the Year.

No. 2 nationally ranked Brandon Orum, No. 9 nationally ranked Jacob Ruiz, No. 2 nationally ranked Denver Stonecheck, No. 5 nationally ranked Jack Bass, No. 2 nationally ranked Sid Ohl and No. 3 nationally ranked Lanham each brought home a MSC championship at their respective weight classes. 

No. 6 nationally ranked Julian Hernandez, No. 4 nationally ranked Brevin Balmeceda, No. 14 nationally ranked Villalobos, No. 4 nationally ranked Asher Eichert and No. 5 nationally ranked JJ Perez each earned Second Team All-Conference honors by making it to the finals. No. 18 nationally ranked Mason McDaniel earned third in his weight class to qualify for the national championships. 

Every team member scored double digit team point totals for the Running Eagles at the tournament. Stonecheck, Bass and Lanham each finished with 19 points to lead the way. All three wrestlers pinned both of their opponents to earn the bonus points. In total, there were 16 bonus point matches for Life U during the tournament. The full results for each individual can be found here: MSC South-Division Tournament Results

The men will now prepare for the NAIA National Tournament that will take place from March 4th through the 5th in Wichita, Kan. at the Hartman Arena. Information on the championships can be found here: 2022 NAIA Men's Wrestling Championships Information

Acosta shared his thoughts on the tournament and his team's performance below: