(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – The UCM Mules wrestling squad dropped their final three matches of the UCM Duals Tuesday evening at the Multipurpose Building, falling 25-18 to No. 10 Ouachita Baptist; 31-9 to No. 19 Fort Hays State; and 31-10 to No. 18 Ashland.
The Mules drop to 3-6 overall and 0-2 in the MIAA with the setbacks.
Individually, Ty Loethen lead the Mules Tuesday, going a perfect 3-0 in his matches at 165 pounds, while Nick Viterisi went 2-1 at 149 pounds and Hunter Neighbors went 2-1 at 133 pounds.
Loethen won his first bout against Ouachita Baptist’s Andrew Martin with a pin in 3:59 before claiming a 3-1 decision against Fort Hays State’s Sam Thoman for his second victory of the evening. He then finished off the evening with a 7-1 decision over Ashland’s Randall Perkins. Loethen’s overall record improves to 14-4 with the trio of victories.
Neighbors got his first win of the night via a pin in 4:08 against Ouachita Baptist’s Lee Celestino before claiming a 6-4 decision over Fort Hays State’s Rory Wilkinson. Neighbors dropped the final match of the evening in the 133-pound bout against Ashland’s Michael Labry by an 11-2 major decision. Labry is currently ranked fourth in the latest NWCA Division II Individual Rankings at 133 pounds. Neighbor’s overall record is now 10-8.
Viterisi won his first match in overtime at 149 pounds against Ouachita Baptist’s Dexter Smith via a 3-1 decision before dropping his second match against Fort Hays State’s Mitchell Means by a 5-2 decision. Viterisi bounced back in his final match of the evening, rolling to a 13-1 major decision over Ashland’s Jacob Garringer to complete a 2-1 evening. Viterisi’s overall record now stands at 12-5.
The Mules return to the mats Sunday, Jan. 13 when they host the annual Roger Denker Open at the Multipurpose Building beginning at 10 a.m.