HASTINGS, Neb. – The holiday layoff has ended for the Concordia University wrestling program. Eleven Bulldog competitors combined for 19 wins and a pair of fourth-place finishes while taking part in Saturday (Jan. 5)’s Cusatis Open hosted by Hastings. The tournament field featured strong NAIA as well as NCAA Division I grapplers.
The Cusatis Open marked the first action for head coach Levi Calhoun’s squad since it wrestled at the GPAC/Cascade Collegiate Conference duals near Phoenix, Ariz., on Dec. 16. Calhoun walked away from the latest outing knowing there is more work to be done.
“We had a really good week of practice. I was feeling good going into it,” Calhoun said. “There were a lot of D-I and D-II kids there. It was a quality tournament, but I’m still a little disappointed overall in our ability to compete in every match. I didn’t think we did as well as we normally do. The first tournament back from break isn’t usually the best, but we expect more out of our guys. There are some adjustments that need to be made.”
At 133 pounds, junior Zack Moistner of Fallbrook, Calif., turned in his first place finish of the season. He took fourth in the bracket while going 3-2 on the day, which included a 5-2 decision over an opponent from the University of Nebraska. Moistner also chalked up a victory by major decision to vault himself into the third-place bout, which resulted in an 8-4 defeat at the hands of Colin Poynter of the Air Force Academy.
“Zack was our biggest highlight,” Calhoun said. “The two he lost were close ones. That’s the best I’ve seen him wrestle all year. I was very happy with every minute of his matches in terms of his effort. Even in the ones he lost he continued to fight. It was a good way to start the semester for him.”
Junior Deandre Chery, ranked fourth nationally at 174, has set the standard all season for Concordia wrestlers. Chery rattled off three more pins at the Cusatis Open on his way to a fourth-place finish. In the third-place tussle, Chery got upset by No. 8 Chase Vincent of Oklahoma City University. Chery is now 25-6 overall this season.
Calhoun also made mention of junior Cam Devers, who entered into a tournament at 141 pounds for the first time this season. Devers equaled Chery and Moistner with three victories. Of Devers’ two losses, one came against an NCAA Division I foe and another came versus an NCAA Division II opponent. Said Calhoun, “He looked more like the Cam Devers that we know and really like to watch wrestle.”
At 184, senior Josh Nelsen also posted three wins, including one by pin. His day ended with a loss by sudden victory. A trio of Bulldogs picked up exactly two wins on the day: Walker Fisher (174), Tyler Jorgensen (197) and Michael Stann (285). Darrin Miller (184) recorded one victory.
The Bulldogs will have this coming week off from competition before heading to the Missouri Valley College Invite in Marshall, Mo., Jan. 18-19. The event has become known as one of the top in-season NAIA tournaments.