The Lights opened competition at the NAIA National Championships with several strong performances, as three wrestlers advanced to day two of the tournament. Justin Windauer, Orion Thivierge, and Cade Gubler all continued their runs through the consolation bracket after solid showings on the first day.
At 133 pounds, No. 27 Kolten Powers went 0-2 on the day. Powers fell to No. 6 Luke Rioux of Indiana Tech by technical fall, 18-2 (6:58), in the opening round. In the consolation bracket, Powers battled No. 22 Aurello Mendez in a tight matchup but came up just short in a 6-5 decision.
At 157 pounds, No. 19 Ryan Graves also went 0-2. Graves dropped his opening match to No. 14 Brice Coleman by an 8-4 decision. In the consolation round, he faced No. 30 Irish Furthmyre and fell by major decision, 15-6.
At 165 pounds, No. 11 Justin Windauer finished the day 2-1. Windauer started strong with a 14-4 major decision over No. 22 Benjamen Mitchell. He then fell to No. 6 Anthony Federico by an 11-5 decision before bouncing back with another major decision victory over No. 21 C. Turnis to stay alive in the consolation bracket heading into day two.
At 174 pounds, No. 19 Orion Thivierge also went 2-1. Thivierge opened the tournament with a thrilling 4-1 sudden victory win over No. 14 Sean Houston. He later fell to No. 3 Kris Ketchum by major decision, 11-1, but responded with a hard-fought 6-5 decision over Nyberg to advance to the second day of competition.
At 184 pounds, No. 25 Cade Gubler posted a 2-1 record. Gubler dropped his first match to No. 8 Cory Cannan by major decision, 11-2. He advanced after receiving a medical forfeit in his next match and then picked up a big sudden victory win over No. 10 Batson, 12-9, to secure his spot in day two.
At heavyweight, No. 8 Shane Mattson went 1-2. Mattson opened with a 9-1 major decision win over No. 25 Miguel Perez. He then fell to No. 24 Bruce Wagers by fall and later dropped a 13-5 major decision to Sullivan in the consolation round.
The Lights will look to continue their momentum on day two as Windauer, Thivierge, and Gubler remain in contention in the consolation brackets.
