PLYMOUTH, Wis. –
Jesse Burg (
So.-Cedar Grove, Wis.) and
Fulton Stroud (
Fr.-Iron Mountain, Mich.) both won twice on the day, including pins in the third-place match as the Lakeland University men's wrestling team competed in the first-ever Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Showcase held Friday evening at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.
The Muskies fell to Milwaukee School of Engineering 38-12 in the semifinals but defeated Concordia University Wisconsin 40-11 in their second dual. Lakeland took take third of four teams in the four-team, bracketed dual tournament event, while Aurora University defeated MSOE 23-16 in the championship match.
The event was the first-ever between four schools that compete in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference in most sports. The NACC does not sponsor men's wrestling, but conference leadership was on hand and awarded the NACC Showcase championship trophy to the winning team in the unofficial conference championship event.
Lakeland won seven of 10 matches against CUW in the third-place dual, coming from behind after the Falcons won the first event at 197 pounds by forfeit and the second by decision.
Lucas Schanen (
Muskego, Wis.) put the Muskies ahead for good at 12-11 after a pin of Christopher Khaosanga in 2:03 at 141 lbs., starting a run of six straight wins to close out the dual.
Burg defeated Mason Markham at 149 lbs. by fall in 2:41, and
Dillon Raab (
So.-Spalding, Mich.) earned a 15-0 technical fall win over Frank Budederi at 157 lbs. Lakeland also took a forfeit win at 165 lbs., Stroud took down Concordia's T.J. Mackey at 174 lbs. in 3:33, and
Jax Lipnitz (
Fr.-St. Ignace, Mich.) also pinned Dawson Galvan in 4:19 at 184 lbs. to close it out.
The Muskies earned three wins in their semifinal match against MSOE, though a trio of pins early allowed the Raiders to build what would become an insurmountable lead.
Diego Morales (
So.-Cedar Grove, Wis.) won by forfeit at 285 lbs., but Lakeland would not win again until Burg took an 8-2 decision over Connor Nagela at 149 lbs. Stroud also added another win at 174 lbs., with a 5-4 decision over Jackson Hughes at 174 lbs.
The championship dual between Aurora and MSOE came right down to the final match at 184 lbs. The Raiders won three straight matches to rally from a 20-6 deficit to trail 20-16 into the last match, but the Spartans' Alton Mullinax held off Gavin Graham of MSOE for a 9-6 decision to clinch the dual win.
The Muskies next will travel this coming Saturday to the Mid-State Invitational hosted by Manchester University in Manchester, Ind.
NACC Showcase Results
