Life University Athletics

WALESKA, Ga. — The Life University men's wrestling team delivered two impressive ranked wins Wednesday night, first taking down the talented NCAA DII UNC Pembroke 41-7 before successfully defeating AAC rival Reinhardt 31-7.

To begin the day, the Running Eagles lost their opening bout against #12 UNC Pembroke. At 133 lbs, Kaden Ramos got things going for the #2 team in the nation turning a takedown into a pin, two minutes into the opening round. At 141 lbs, Jordan Mitchell doubled the lead for Life U, earning a pin in the 3rd round after controlling the bout with a handful of takedowns and a near fall. At 149 lbs Life U won via forfeit before the Braves won a 6-2 decision at 157 lbs.

Individually ranked Steven Villalobos dominated his matchup at 165, cruising to a 19-5 tech fall just under four minutes into his bout. Tre Morissette maintained the momentum next, earning a major decision with an 11-3 win over his opponent. The closest win of the dual came up next for Life U as Myles Starke won an exhilarating 7-6 decision. Through the first period of the bout at 184 neither team earned any points until Starke chose bottom in the second frame. He then earned an escape before two consecutive takedowns and an escape was all he need to pull of the impressive win. At 197 lbs, Michael Gibson quickly pinned his foe, earning a quick takedown and four-point near fall before earning the pin at 2:07. In the heavy weight, Zane Lanham handled his opponent with ease, not conceding a point as he cruised to a 15-0 tech fall.

Against, #7 Reinhardt the Running Eagles found themselves in a similar situation after dropping the bout at 125 lbs. Life U then narrowly earned three critical wins at 141, 149 and 157 as Antonio Saldate dominated his matchup at 133 lbs to carry a 5-4 lead into the 141 lbs matchup. A narrow 3-2 decision was won by Mitchell before both Reese Jones and Alexander Cuoto pulled off narrow 1-0 decisions over ranked opponents.  Jones' win over #11 Dawson Bates came in the final period, earning a crucial escape. In Cuotos matchup, the sophomore earned an escape against #16 Devin Griffen in the second period to also win 1-0.

At 165 lbs, Steven Villalobos pulled off an impressive win over the #1 ranked wrestler in his weight class, controlling the entire bout to a 9-5 decision which included over a minute of ride time at the end. Tre Morissette kept the ball rolling for Life U earning a pin at 174 lbs. Kyle Homet followed that up with a 15-0 tech before Michael Gibson continued his dominant day with an upset win via decision over #15 Curtis Thomas. The Running Eagles then lost an incredibly close 7-6 decision in the heavy weight, but the matchup was already decided as Life U ran away with the 31-7 win over #7 Reinhardt.

Head Coach Omi Acosta shared his thoughts on the performances, stating, "First off I want to thank God for giving us the opportunity to compete and get out healthy. Secondly, I'm extremely proud of the fight the guys showed today. We had a freshman step up in Colton Dempsey and Jordan Mitchell stepped up to the plate and competed at a really high level and I'm really proud of those guys. Now, we have to continue to get better for Rocky Top Duals and then go on a much-needed holiday break. When we get back we'll continue training and preparing for National Duals. LUCHA!"

Up next, the Running Eagles will hit the road for an exciting weekend of duals in Tennessee. The full day of exciting matchups are set for Saturday in Pigeon Forge, beginning at noon.