By MARQUIS JONES
Reporter
(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — The No.19 ranked Mules wrestling team kicked off their 2015-2016 season in Warrensburg at the UCM Open Sunday afternoon, placing fourth as a team.
Senior Ty Loethen placed third at 174 pounds and freshman Daide Agnew placed fourth at 133 pounds. Loethen finished 4-1 and picked up his victories with a 16-0 technical fall and two pins. Loethen pinned unattached Cody Carson for the third-place finish in 1:29.
Agnew finished 4-2 on the day. Agnew started his day with a 10-2 major decision over Tyler Brown of Baker University and ended his day with an 11-7 loss to Nick Aguirre of McKendree.
Head coach Justin Ensign, who is entering his fourth season at UCM, was impressed with the young talent on the team.
“I thought as a team, our young guys really stepped up,” Ensign said. “For one, I love competing. It’s fun to get a test and see where you need to go from there. It was good competition. It was good to see our young guys finally get a chance to compete and see what they can do. It’s nice to see how they react when it really matters.”
Ensign also said it’s nice to have seniors Loethen and Archie Williams, because they can lead by example.
“They’re both really coachable and they’re both really talented,” Ensign said. “They’re doing the right things, whether it’s pushing themselves or taking care of their bodies. Guys follow that. Whether they realize that or not, guys are going to follow that.”
Williams finished 2-2 on the day at 184 pounds at the UCM Open. With a bye in the first round, he won a major decision 14-0 over Cortez Dorsey of McKendree. Williams ended his day with a medical forfeit in his final round after suffering an injury in an earlier round.
Loethen said he is embracing a leadership role Ensign expects out of him, even if it feels odd.
“I think since I’ve been here the longest, I think I’m the oldest – which is weird because I remember being a freshman and looking up to fifth-years,” He said “But working hard makes other people work hard.”
Loethen redshirted last year after undergoing surgery. He finished eighth at nationals, earned All-American honors and was named to the All-Region and All-MIAA teams his junior year.
Loethen said he wants to win a national title, and that the team could be historically successful, too.
“We could be the best (team) in the school’s history this year,” Loethen said “I don’t see why not. Top to bottom. Multiple returning all-American’s and a whole bunch of freshmen and transfers that are really good.”
Other notable Mules at the UCM Open include junior Nicholas Lovejoy, who placed fourth at 285 pounds after finishing 4-2, and junior Joey Reis, who placed sixth at 165 pounds and finished 1-2 on the day.
Ensign said the team is still “getting their legs under them,” and that some athletes have lessons to take away from the weekend’s competition.
“Hopefully, it was an eye-opener for those who didn’t do as well,” Ensign said. “Where, the things we’ve been telling them to fix, and they’re not, I think it showed. We’re still getting our act together. It’s early in the year, you learn from it.”
The Mules are back on the mat 7:30 p.m. Thursday hosting Wentworth Military Academy in a dual at the Multipurpose Building before facing No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney on the road Nov. 21.