Snow College men's wrestling claimed fourth place at the Region 18 Tournament in Roseburg, Oregon last weekend. Six additional teams were present, and the Badgers produced one second-place finisher, two third-place finishers, and three fourth-place finishers.
The Badgers entered the weekend coming off a 26–21 victory over Northeastern Junior College, along with two losses at the Apodaca Showcase Duals in Wyoming Jan. 31st.
Ryker Maesteas earned second place in the 141-pound division, competing in an eight-person bracket. Maesteas received a bye into the quarterfinals and secured a 6–5 decision victory in the semifinals. In the championship match, Maesteas lost via technical fall 20–5 in 5:00 to finish runner-up.
Teddy Johnson placed third in the 174-pound weight class in an eight-person bracket. Johnson fell in the semifinals by major decision 15–5, before battling back through the consolation bracket earning a win via fall in 6:03 to secure third place.
Josiah Wickard earned third place in the 149-pound division in a seven-person bracket. Wickard dropped a narrow 5–4 decision in the semifinals but in the consolation semifinal rebounded with a 16-1 technical fall victory in 6:57. He then secured third place with a 6-2 decision victory.
Alvaro Perez placed fourth in the 125-pound weight class in a six-person bracket. Perez advanced to the semifinals before falling 9–0. After receiving a bye in the consolation semifinals, Perez dropped a 3–0 decision in the third-place match to finish fourth.
Andrew Weakley earned fourth place in the 157-pound division in an eight-person bracket. Weakley opened the tournament with a fall victory in 1:04 in the quarterfinals. Weakley fell in the semifinals before responding with a technical fall victory 29–11 in 6:13 in the consolation semifinals. In the third-place match, Weakley dropped a narrow 4–3 decision to place fourth.
Kenneth Philips competed in the 184-pound weight class in an eight-person bracket, finishing fourth overall. Philips lost in the quarterfinals by a 10–5 decision but advanced through the consolation bracket with a 2–1 decision victory in the consolation semifinals. Philips ultimately finished fourth in his bracket.
In total, the Badgers qualified eight wrestlers for the NJCAA National Championship tournament which will take place Friday, March 6th in Council Bluffs, Iowa. For additional information, visit snowbadgers.com.
