The No. 6 ranked Grand Valley State University men’s wrestling team faced off against Davenport University at home on Thursday, Jan. 30. The Lakers pulled off a sweep against the Panthers, winning 47-6.
Opening the night for the Lakers was redshirt freshman Orion Wilson in the 125-pound weight class. With two quick takedowns, Wilson pulled ahead early, 6-1. Keeping pressure on his opponent into the third period, Wilson rallied enough points to take the win by technical fall, 19-1.
Sophomore Jak Keller followed in the 133-pound weight class. Ranked 10th in his class, Keller swiftly pinned his opponent, taking the win by fall.
The next match saw redshirt freshman CJ Poole in the 141-pound weight class. Despite being down early in the first period, a takedown by Poole tied the score, 5-5. The match ended quickly with Poole overpowering his opponent into a pin, giving him the win by fall.
Ranked first in the 149-pound weight class, junior Chris Donathan scored points quickly with multiple takedowns. He closed out his match similarly, putting his opponent’s shoulders on the mat, and winning by fall.
This trend continued with redshirt freshman Maddox Simcoe in the 157-pound weight class. After taking an early lead, he pinned his opponent, giving himself a win by fall. Heading into the halfway point, GVSU controlled the score 29-0.
Redshirt freshman Bradley Mayse started the second half in the 165-pound weight class. A close match ensued, with each wrestler scraping for points and an opportunity. Such an opportunity came for Mayse, taking down his opponent late in the second period to pull ahead. This was enough to give Mayse the win by major decision, 14-6.
Representing the 174-pound weight class for the Lakers was junior Josh Kenny. Ranked fifth in the class, Kenny rallied enough points to give him the win by technical fall, 16-1.
Although he won last season’s national championship in the 174-pound class, Kenny still looks for ways to improve his performance.
“I’ve done a lot in Division II already, so I go prepare for each match trying to learn new techniques, stuff that (I’ve) never hit before,” said Kenny. “I have been doing this for a really long time, so right now it’s all about learning new stuff and (continuing to have) fun out here.”
Kenny also looks to help his teammates improve.
“Mostly, I want to go out there and win a team national title, and if I can, I want to be the guy in the room that helps others improve to the best of their ability,” said Kenny.
Next up for GVSU was redshirt freshman Brayden Bobo in the 184-pound weight class. Bobo and his opponent started aggressively, taking turns nearing a pin. However, Davenport came out on top, and took their first points with a win by fall.
Junior Wyatt Miller, ranked 14th in the 194-pound weight class, was next up for the Lakers. Points came quickly to Miller with a pair of takedowns, and a win followed shortly after by major decision, 16-2.
Closing the duel was junior Carter Blough, ranked third in the 285-pound weight class. Blough overcame his opponent, winning 19-3 by technical fall.
As a Division I transfer from Michigan State University, Blough brought his talents to GVSU and has been a pivotal heavyweight wrestler.
“Here at Grand Valley, the coaches care much more, and it’s more of a family-type feel,” said Blough. “With not as much on the line as Division I, the care here has been big in helping me improve.”
With the NCAA Tournaments a month away, the GVSU men’s wrestling team is beginning to focus on bigger matches.
“We’re going into the fun part,” said Blough. “We are all trying to fine-tune our skills (to) get ready for the big show.”
Head coach Joey Simcoe noted that the team’s philosophy is to “not completely change” who they are. He explained that while the team watches back performances in order to learn from other wrestlers’ tendencies, the Lakers persist in aiming to be selfless.
“We have been able to put this program together quickly and we have faith in what we do,” Simcoe said. “It’s all about sticking together through hard times and being selfless.”
The wrestlers will be on the road next, heading to Indianapolis, Illinois for the Greyhound Duels on Saturday, Feb. 8 through Sunday, Feb. 9.