UNK Wrestling: #10 Lopers Beat Augie & USF

 The 10th-ranked Nebraska Kearney wrestling team closed out the fall semester by beating 18th-ranked Augustana, 25-17, and Sioux Falls, 45-5, Friday night in South Dakota.

The Lopers (5-2) are now off until the National Duals Jan. 5-6 in Iowa. The bracket for that event will be released in the coming weeks.

UNK was at Augie to begin the day and almost started with a big upset. Redshirt freshman and current MIAA Wrestler of the Week Zach Ourada (Omaha Skutt) was up 4-2 over top-ranked and 2023 national runner up Jaxon Rohman. However, Rohman managed a third-period takedown to win by one.

Redshirt sophomore Drew Arnold (Blue Springs) followed with a first period fall at 133 pounds with grad John Burger (New Milford, N.J.) having a major decision at 149 lbs. to make it 10-7. While the Vikings took three of the next four weight classes, UNK had three more bonus point efforts to take the dual.

Those victories were a major from redshirt sophomore Trenton Munoz (Santa Clarita, Calif.) at 174 pounds, a fall in just 2:08 by 10th-ranked Jackson Kinsella (Creston, Ia.) at 197 and a 16-0 tech fall by fifth-ranked heavyweight Crew Howard (Clarinda, Ia.).

Things were much easier against a first-year USF program as the Lopers took the short trip from Augie to the Cougars and promptly recorded two falls, four tech falls and a major. Redshirt sophomore Daniel DeRosier (Bellevue East) had a fall in only 13 seconds at 141 with four of five straight tech falls coming by Lopers. Those wins included ones by ninth-ranked Jacobi Deal (Durham, N.C.) at 174 and redshirt sophomore Dylan Vodicka (Garrison) at 184 pounds.

#10 Nebraska Kearney 25, #18 Augustana 17