Wrestling splits at Central Oklahoma
The No. 12 Grand Valley State University men’s wrestling team (5-6) split a pair of duals Friday, Jan. 16 at No. 1 Central Oklahoma University (10-1), opening the night with a dominant win before falling to the nation’s top-ranked team.
GVSU cruised to a 42-9 victory over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (6-4) in the first dual. At 125 pounds, freshman Orion Wilson wasted no time recording a pin in just 1:06, giving the Lakers an early lead. N0. 20-ranked 133-pound junior Jak Keller followed with an 18-1 technical fall.
Momentum continued as 141-pound freshman Preston LeFevre earned an 11-2 major decision, and sophomore Maclain Morency added a 20-5 technical fall at 157. 197-pound redshirt freshman Derek Badgley followed with a fall, winning in approximately five minutes. No. 5-ranked junior Carter Blough closed out the dual in dominant fashion with a 13-0 major decision at heavyweight.
In the second dual, GVSU faced a much stiffer challenge against Central Oklahoma. The Lakers struck first as freshman No. 3-ranked Jack Parker picked up a 12-8 decision at 125 pounds, but the Bronchos responded with back-to-back pins in the 133 and 141 classes to swing the momentum.
Despite solid performances across the lineup, Central Oklahoma’s depth proved too much for the Lakers, handing GVSU a 30-21 loss. Although Blough capped the night with a victory at heavyweight, the Lakers were unable to recover from the early deficit.
The Lakers return home for Senior Night Friday, Jan. 30 against Muskegon Community College at 7 p.m.
Track & Field shatters records at Bob Eubanks Open
The University’s track and field team delivered a record-setting performance Saturday at the Bob Eubanks Open, highlighted by two program records and numerous personal bests.
Redshirt senior Erika Beistle continued her standout season by breaking her own school record in shot put, launching a throw of 17.35 meters (56-11.25). The mark ranks first in NCAA Division II and places Beistle among the top five competitors across all NCAA divisions.
The record-breaking momentum continued in long jump, where senior Alaina Diaz shattered a 24-year program record with a leap of 6.17 meters (20-3). Diaz now owns both the indoor and outdoor school records in the event and currently ranks fourth nationally in Division II.
Several other Lakers turned in strong performances in the throwing events. Redshirt senior Shelby Ulven (19.93m), redshirt sophomore Emily Stinson (18.36m) and redshirt sophomore Kennedy Jackson (17.45m) all recorded personal bests in the women’s weight throw. Redshirt freshman Sofiabella Amirante and redshirt freshman Avery Lahti also notched PRs in the event.
On the men’s side, redshirt senior Sebastian Tesch (21.17m) and sophomore Brandon Schirck (21.13m) finished first and second in the weight throw with career-high marks.
In the jumps, senior Luke Jelderks (7.54m) went down as second-ranked in not only GVSU history, but also second-ranked in NCAA Division II history. Junior Alec Crum (6.94m) and sophomore Peter Van Hulle (6.85m) also posted strong performances, while sophomore Nyla Reed added another personal record in the women’s long jump, jumping 5.66 meters.
The Lakers return to action Friday, Jan. 23 for the Bill Clinger Classic in Allendale.
