ROCHESTER, Minn. – The Northwestern College wrestling team opened their season on Saturday at the Yellowjacket Open hosted by Rochester Community and Technical College. The Raiders were led by performances from
Eddy Punzalan (Fr., Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay) and
Jakob Francksen-Small (Fr., Merrill, Iowa/Le Mars Community).
A young Raider squad saw eleven wrestlers take to the mat for their first taste of collegiate wrestling in Rochester, Minn. A mix of opponents from NCAA Divisions II and III, plus some junior college opponents gave the Raiders opportunity to show what they were made of.
"Our young team wrestled hard. Proud of the way we battled and fun to see guys win their first college match including
Eli Leonhardt (Fr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Roosevelt),
Kaleb Lind (Fr., Lindenhurst, Ill./Lakes Community), and
Lincoln Siebert (Fr., Burns, Wyo./Burns). Francksen-Small set the pace for the Raiders placing sixth and going 2-2 on the day with two falls.
Trey Schuck (Sibley, Iowa/Sibley-Ocheyedan) and
Eddy Punzalan also tallied two wins on the day."
Punzalan had the highest individual placing for the Raiders at the event, with his sixth-place finish, going 2-2 on the day. He started the day off hot with two wins in the first and second rounds.
On the day, three Northwestern victories came by way of falls. Schuck tallied a fall win over teammate Leonhardt (1:50) in the 141lbs. bracket. In the 714lbs. bracket, Francksen-Small picked up a fall over the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Carter Brunke (1:41). Finally, at 184lbs.,
Trevor Sagness (Fr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) notched a fall win over Iowa Central Community College's Rives Hargis (2:02).
"It was a good first outing," noted Dahl. "We identified some key things we need to do to improve and we have a few days before we head to Storm Lake to battle the Beavers!"
Up Next: The Raiders will travel to Storm Lake on Wednesday, November 10 to battle the Beavers of Buena Vista University out of the American Rivers Conference for the first dual of the season.
