Lynx Wrestlers start strong at season opener

[November 08, 2017] 

The Lincoln College Wrestling team saw their first action of the season under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Mena. The Lynx delivered two decisive team victories on Friday evening and placed well at the Ben McMullen Open on Saturday.

All of the action this weekend took place at Muskegon Community College in Michigan. The Muskegon Dual event pitted LC against the Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Club team and Niagara County Community College.

Lincoln came out on to top in eight out of ten matches against GVSU to win by a total team score of 41-9. Freshman Bryson Bergeron (Peoria) scored a big victory for his team in his college debut. Bergeron, competing in the 149lb weight division, pinned his opponent at the 3:50 mark to earn 6 points.

Two other Lynx who ended matches by pinning their opponents were freshman Alex Mitchell (4:19) and freshman Kyle Goin (2:37). Mitchell (Libertyville) competed in the 125lb division while Goin wrestled at 174lbs. Sophomore Ethan Reel (Washington) won his match at 157lb by major decision with a score of 14-3.

Against Niagara, LC was just as dominant, as they again took eight out of ten events. This time the team score came out 39-8 in Lincoln’s favor.

Four Lynx wrestlers were able to win decisions by pinning their opponents to score the maximum number of points for their team. Freshman Joey Rivera (Coal City) got things going with a 6-point win in the 125lb match with a pin at the 6:22 mark. The final three matches of the event went the same way with pins being recorded by Daniel Burnley (Cahokia) at 184lbs, Logan Winter (Clinton) at 197lbs and Gabe Rangel (Davenport, IA) at 285lbs.

On Saturday, Lincoln entered wrestlers into the Ben McMullen Open tournament. Three Lynx wrestlers claimed championships at the event. 2016 All-American Christian Kanzler (Fox Lake) claimed victory in the 141lb division. The 157lb division was won by Ethan Reel while freshman Brian Holloway (Oak Park) took the 174lb championship.

Kyle Goin reached the final of the 165lb division, but took a loss in a close decision. Three other Lynx placed in the event including Josh McKinney (4th at 149lbs), Burk Van Horn (3rd at 165lbs) and Gabe Rangel was 3rd in the Heavyweight Division.

Lincoln Head Coach Mike Mena was pleased with what he saw from his wrestlers in their first event of the season. Mena said, “I thought we were ready to go and that our guys did well at a very competitive event. We worked hard in the preseason, so it’s great to finally get to see them compete.”

Next up for LC is the Millikin University Open on Saturday, November 11th. The competition begins at 9:30 a.m.

[Mark Tippett
Lincoln College
Sports Information]