HASTINGS, Neb. – The (RV) Northwestern College wrestling team (3-4, 1-2 GPAC) competed at the Cusatis Open hosted by Hastings College as one of 19 programs at the open. Junior Blake Pomajzl picked up the title at 165 pounds – the program's first title in any open since 2014 – as he picked up two of Northwestern's 15 falls on the day.

"Overall, the guys wrestled well. They were competitive in every position and we finished with 15 falls on the day," said head coach Rik Dahl. "We are doing things right now and I am excited with our direction!"
 
Pomajzl (Jr., Sedalia, Mo./Smith-Cotton) started his day with a bye, followed by a fall (4:28) over his opponent from Northwest Kansas Technical College. He picked up a decision over Grand View's Tyson Dowler. He picked up his second fall in the semifinals against Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) foe Issiah Burks of Concordia (Neb.). He won by default over Augustana's (S.D.) Miles Fitzgerald to collect the 165 title.
 
Manny Jaramillo (133lbs., Jr., Selma, Calif./Selma) picked up a win in his opening round by fall (3:50) over Samuel Dickey of Pratt Community College (Kan.), before falling to a tough NCAA Division II foe from No. 3-ranked Nebraska-Kearney in a hotly contested 5-1 decision.
 
Joining Jaramillo in the quarterfinal round was Trey Schuck (141lbs., Fr., Sibley, Iowa/Sibley-Ocheyedan), who won by decision (7-6) over GPAC foe Josh Broyles from Concordia (Neb.), after receiving a first-round bye.
 
Erik Rodriguez (149lbs., Fr., Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay) took home an opening round bout victory over Grand View's Camden Baarda, before falling to an NCAA Division II opponent in the second round.
 
At 157 pounds, Breckin Sperling (Fr., Lincoln, Neb./East) picked up two bout victories via falls en route to a quarterfinal appearance. Opening the day with a 2:28 fall over GPAC foe Anthony Perez of Concordia (Neb.). In the second round, he took down yet another GPAC foe in 1:25 in Hastings' Dalton Michael.
 
Jakob Francksen-Small (174lbs., Fr., Merrill, Iowa/Le Mars Community) also picked up a fall victory in the opening round, taking down Hunter Weimer of Concordia (Neb.). He dropped a hard-fought decision (11-6) to NCAA Division II foe Jacobi Deal of Nebraska-Kearney in the quarterfinals.

At 184 pounds, Luke Jenness (So., Primghar, Iowa/Sheldon) found himself in the quarterfinals, starting the day with a 4-2 decision of Midland's Kolton Kammeyer.
 
Sam Vonnahme (285lbs., Fr., Saint Charles, Iowa/I-35) picked up a fall bout victory over Avila's Aaron Cochran to make an appearance in the quarterfinals, before falling to an NCAA Division II foe from Augustana (S.D.).

Up Next: The Raiders are set to host their lone dual of the 2021-22 season this upcoming Wednesday, January 12 when the (RV) Chargers of Briar Cliff University (4-1, 3-1 GPAC) come to town. First bout is set for 7:00 p.m. inside the Bultman Center.