Sivels Leads Warriors at Hastings Open

HASTINGS, Neb. – For the first time in January, the (RV) Midland University men's wrestling team took to the mats at the Hastings College Open on Saturday inside Lynn Farrell Arena. Senior Zeph Sivels led the Warriors with a second-place finish at 285 pounds.

In the 125-pound division, Kaydon Mueller went 0-2. After an opening-round bye, he lost by fall to York's Barrett Stickelman at 4:12. In the second consolation round, Mueller was defeated by York's Luis Vela by technical fall, 21-5.

Three Warriors competed in the 149-pound bracket. Trevin Arlt went 0-2. Following a first-round bye, he lost to Concordia's 19th-ranked Stephen Barnes by technical fall, 15-0. In the second consolation round, Arlt was pinned by teammate Zion Amerson at 4:35. Jackson Duncan finished 1-2. He lost by fall to Hastings' Jordan Tobias in the opening round at 2:58. After a consolation-round bye, Duncan defeated unattached wrestler Andy Rojas by sudden victory, 11-8. His day ended with a 17-13 loss to Sioux Falls' Sebastian Castin in the third consolation round. Amerson finished 2-2. He was pinned in his opening match by Concordia's Dominick Flynn at 6:02. After a bye, he pinned Arlt before defeating Hastings' Alex Alcala by technical fall, 15-0. Amerson's tournament ended with a fourth-round consolation loss to Concordia's Hagen Heistand by technical fall, 19-4.

Francisco Duran went 0-2 in the 157-pound division. After an opening-round bye, he was pinned by Oklahoma Wesleyan's Noah Smith at 5:43. In the second consolation round, Duran was defeated by Fort Hays State's Marcell Dely by technical fall, 18-1.

At 165 pounds, Logan Millikan had a tough draw. He was pinned by Augustana's Charlie Petit in 42 seconds in the first round. In the consolation bracket, Millikan was pinned by Fort Hays State's Griffin Mitchell at 1:31.

Colton Horne competed at 174 pounds and also faced stiff competition. He was pinned by Nebraska's Colin McAlister in 39 seconds in his first match. In the consolation bracket, he lost by technical fall to Nebraska-Kearney's Tate Kuchera, 19-4.

Treyton Tweton went 1-2 at 184 pounds. He won his opening-round match, pinning York's Cameron Campos at 4:30. In the quarterfinals, Tweton lost by technical fall to Nebraska's Marco Christiansen, 19-4. His day ended in the second consolation round with a 15-2 major decision loss to Fort Hays State's Ernesto Duenez.

Two Warriors wrestled in the 197-pound bracket. Collin Stone went 0-2. After a first-round bye, he was pinned by Concordia's Teegan Tschampel at 1:27. In the second consolation round, Stone lost a 12-8 decision to Hastings' Aiden Griffin. Ryan Kocovsky also began with a bye and advanced to the quarterfinals, where he was pinned by Nebraska-Kearney's Tre Daro at 2:03. In the second consolation round, Kocovsky pinned Hastings' Matheson Rodriguez at 3:50. His day ended in the third consolation round with a loss by fall to Chadron State's Reese Jacobs at 2:05.

Sivels claimed runner-up honors at 285 pounds with a 3-1 record. The 20th-ranked Warrior pinned Fort Hays State's Riah Ostrander at 5:33 in his opening match. He earned a 7-4 decision over Chadron State's Mason Villwok in the quarterfinals and pinned York's Marce Vasquez at 4:10 in the semifinals. In the championship match, Sivels dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to Nebraska's Matthew Moore.

Midland will return to action on Wednesday, January 22, when it hosts York in a non-conference dual. The event will be Senior Night for the Warriors inside the Wikert Event Center, with matches beginning at 6:30 p.m.