Northwestern Hosts Raider Wrestling Duals

Falls to Dickinson State, wrestles four exhibitions

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern wrestling team (6-12, 2-6 GPAC) hosted the 2024 Raider Duals in the Bultman Center on Saturday, first dropping the morning session to (RV) Dickinson State (N.D.) before wrestling individuals in exhibitions against St. Ambrose (Iowa), Briar Cliff, Morningside, and Waldorf.

"It is always a good thing to be able to wrestle in front of your home crowd," head coach Rik Dahl stated. "We had a lot of guys pick up some quality wins today. Jake beat the No. 14 guy in the country, which was a huge win for him. He's been so close, so that was good for his confidence moving forward. Pepe Sanchez, Kaleb Lind, Nik Govea, and Thomas Vance also had really solid days."

Northwestern closed out their opening dual against Dickinson State with intensity but fell to the Blue Hawks 32-15. The first win for the Raiders came at 165, as Devin Padilla continued his impressive run, winning by fall in the first period to put Northwestern on the board. Next, it was a battle at 184 pounds, as Jake Francksen-Small and Jackson King wrestled three periods to a 10-10 score. Then, with a sudden victory on the line, Francksen-Small completed the takedown to earn the win. Kaleb Lind was the final scorer for Northwestern, pinning Samuel Adams in the second period.

"I felt like our guys did a good job of starting matches and dictating tempo. However, we need to do a much better job of finishing positions and matches. What we're trying to preach to the guys is that they want to continue to try to score points - a decision is not enough, a major is not enough. If you're wrestling, you're trying to score points. That is a tough mentality to live out. We're getting better but we're not there yet."

Full results from the exhibition duals can be found on the wrestling schedule page and linked at the top of the story.

Up Next: Northwestern will compete in their final dual on Wednesday, traveling to Forest City, Iowa to battle the Waldorf Warriors.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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Players Mentioned

Jake Francksen-Small: 174; 6' 0"; Senior

Kaleb Lind: 197; 5' 10"; Junior

Devin Padilla: 157; 6' 0"; Freshman

Pepe Sanchez: 197; 5' 9"; Senior

Thomas Vance: 184; 5' 11"; Freshman

Nik Govea: 125; 5' 2"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Jake Francksen-Small
: 6' 0"; Senior
: 174

Kaleb Lind
: 5' 10"; Junior
: 197

Devin Padilla
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: 157

Pepe Sanchez
: 5' 9"; Senior
: 197

Thomas Vance
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: 184

Nik Govea
: 5' 2"; Freshman
: 125