Plainsmen Defeat Western Wyoming, Fall to Eagles by One

Plainsmen Defeat Western Wyoming, Fall to Eagles by One

Dec. 10, 2018, Sterling, Colo. — The Northeastern Plainsmen wrestling team defeated the Western Wyoming Mustangs at home in a recent dual. The Mustangs were ranked No. 3 in the nation at the time, and the Plainsmen beat the, 27-15. 

The first match-up was Cian Apple who battled, but was able to get the pin in the first, giving the Plainsmen the early 6-0 lead. Next was Quintel Fuchs who dominated the entire match and won by a 5-1 decision, which extended Northeastern's lead 9-0. Sammy Eckhart also dominated in his match and won by a 5-1 decision; the Plainsmen were still leading 12-0. Maverick Keigher had a slightly tougher battle, but in the end came out on top with a 9-6 decision win. Sebastian Robles made quick work of his opponent and was able to pin him in the first, giving the Plainsmen a larger lead of 21-0. Davonn Keyes earned his 8-2 decision win by getting a few takedowns and near falls. Dillon Thomas had to work for his win, but in the end was able to get the 5-3 decision victory. 

The Plainsmen's lead was then at 27-0, which ultimately sealed their victory, but with three wrestles left, they wanted to get the shutout. Hayden Wempen's match came down to the very end, but as time expired, he was not able to get the one point he needed and lost by a 2-1 decision. Logan Malouff had a rough day as he tried to get the position on his opponent, but left himself vulnerable, which led to him being pinned. Last up was Oscar Soto, who also had a rough outing as he was pinned in the second. Although the last few matches did not go the Plainsmen's way, the team did their work early, which led to their 27-15 victory. 

The next day, Northeastern traveled to Chadron, Neb. to dual against the Chadron State Eagles. The Eagles are a NCAA Division II program, which was a good test for the men. The men knew they needed to battle in order to get the win and grind to the very end. The dual came down to the very last match-up which gave the Eagles the one point win, 25-24. 

Cian Apple started things off right again and got the pin, then Quintel Fuchs earned the 6-2 decision win, which gave Northeastern the 9-0 lead. Sammy Eckhart pinned his opponent, but Maverick Keigher was pinned. With the team score sitting at 15-6, the Plainsmen needed to battle. Sebastian Robles earned himself another pin to his count making it 21-6, but Josh Betts would fall in an 8-2 major decision loss, allowing the Eagles to close the gap to 21-10. Dillion Thomas came out on top with a 4-3 decision win, but Hayden Wempen couldn't get the points he needed and lost by a 9-3 decision. The score was 24-13, so all the Plainsmen had to do was ride out one match to get the victory, but if the Eagles could get two pins, they would be the victors. The Eagles found a way to get the best of Northeastern and did in fact get the two pins they needed when Logan Malouff and Oscar Soto were both pinned, which resulted in Chadron getting the one point victory, 25-24. 

The Plainsmen will head to Las Vegas, Nev. to compete in the Desert Duals on Dec. 17.