Life University Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- The No. 2 Life University men's wrestling team made it to the championship dual of the NWCA National Duals for the third-straight year, but came up short in the final to claim second place this weekend.

Friday's first dual matched Life U up with (RV) Cornerstone, the Golden Eagles only victories only coming in the first and final bouts. On their way to a resounding, 41-6 victory, Life U earned four total pins and a tech fall. Jacob Ruiz earned the first pin in the least amount of time at just 25 seconds. Jody McAlister followed him up with a pin of his own in 3:13, while Jack Bass earned the third in just 0:28. The final pin came from Zane Lanham in 3:18, while Myles Starke earned the only tech fall, 18-2 to see the team glide to the quarterfinals.

In the quarterfinals against No. 14 Morningside, the Running Eagles did not give up a single point. Despite giving up no scores, it was a closer match as all but three of the matches were won in hard-fought decisions. Brandon Orum and Tyree Johnson started things with tough victories over ranked opponents. At 149 lbs. Francis Morrissey scored a sizable upset, beating a wrestler ranked 8th, 5-2. One of only two victories in the bonus earned by the Running Eagles came from Gregory Ewert, 13-1, over the 24th-ranked 165 lbs. wrestler. The final match saw Austin Harris pin No. 8 Austin DeJong in 2:52 to gove the team a 37-0 sweep.

In the semifinals, Life U maintained its undefeated record against top opponent, No. 3 Southeastern with a 23-12 win. The dual between No. 2 and No.3  started with a bout between wrestlers with the same rank, Orum coming out on top with a 7-5 decision. With a similar setup at 149 lbs. the Running Eagle wrestler again came out on top, No. 2 Brevin Balmeceda earning a 10-0 major decision over No. 3 Andreus Bond. The following bout saw a nice upset by Steven Villalobos over the No. 3 wrestler by a score of 9-5. At 195 lbs. Lanham gave the team another victory in the bonus and wrapped up the dual, majoring the No. 8 wrestler to see the team earn its way to the title dual.

Against No. 1 Grand View, the Running Eagles kept coming up just short, losing close decisions. The team's first win came via upset, Jack Bass beating No. 2 Marty Margolis 6-4. Lanham and Harris ended the dual with back-to-back victories for the Running Eagles, but it was too little too late the team falling by a score of 22-8.

Head coach Omi Acosta spoke on the weekend and results earned, "Guys fought hard for a second place finish. Losing sucks, but we learned what we need to get better to reach our goals this season." Acosta finished saying, "We have a lot of work to do and I'm exited to get back to Marietta and continue to work with the team."

The Running Eagles return home for their next contest, hosting Montreat College in an AAC contest for their Senior Night Wednesday night at 7 PM.