Johns and Walpole earn titles at the St. Cloud Husky State Open
The University of Indianapolis wrestling team won two individual titles in the St. Cloud Husky State Open on Dec. 11.
Sophomore Alex Johns led the way by winning in the 125 pound bracket. John’s efforts was echoed by senior Nick Walpole, who won in the 157 pound bracket.
Johns, the number one seed, had a perfect 4-0 for the day.
He won his final bout due to a medical forfeit by St. Cloud State’s Zach Stewart.
Walpole continued his two meet win streak with another 4-0 record for the day as the number two seed of the tournament.
Other notable individual performances included freshman Evan Wooding with a third place finish in the 285 pound bracket.
Another notable individual performance was by freshman Jake Holler with sixth place in the 174 pound bracket.
In their first dual meet of the season, the Greyhounds took a 31-9 victory over Trine University on Dec. 7, by winning eight out of 10 bouts of the match.
Johns won the 125 pound bracket over Trine’s Brandon Harvey with a score of 8-6.
Junior Ethan Harris followed with a forfeit win and then senior Matt Irwin defeated Forrest Romer 12-3 in the 141 pound bracket. Junior David Lopez fell in the 149 pound bracket.
While Walpole picked the team back up by defeating Ellas Larson 5-4 in the 157 pound bracket.
After the first six bouts, UIndy saw four straight victories with freshman Jeff Weiss, Holler, red shirt freshman George Lopez and senior Keith Smith all winning their respective brackets. Finally, freshmen Evan Wooding rounded out the day with a loss to Trine’s Dylan Forbes.
The Greyhound wrestling squad opened its 2010-2011 season with several strong individual performances in the Little State Tournament on Dec. 4.
Walpole led the Greyhounds with a first-place win in the 157 pound bracket. He went 4-0 over the two-day event to take the individual title.
After Walpole’s winning performance, the Greyhounds featured five second place individual finishes.
Harris finished second in the 133 pound bracket, Irwin in 131, Holler in 174, Weiss in 141 and Wooding with the final second place finish in the 285 pound bracket.
University of Indianapolis sophomore Alex Johns competed for a title at the St. Cloud Husky State Open on Dec. 11. Johns went on to win the title in the 125-pound bracket. Photo contributed by Sports Information.
Overall, 17 of UIndy’s 22 competitors placed in the meet.
“This year’s team has a lot of talent and potential,” Johns said. “We could produce several All-Americans and put the university back on the map as a top Division II wrestling program.”
Irwin commented that hard work over the summer and in early parts of this season contributed to the season’s success so far and will be crucial for the post-season.
Last season, Johns, junior Bryce Given and former wrestler Lynn Panko traveled to the national championships to compete.
As a program, the UIndy wrestling team has seen 33 All-Americans and 91 individual national qualifiers.
Johns noted how these high expectations only push the team harder.
“Working hard in the practice room prepares us for what happens in competition. We have a great team that works hard day in and day out,” Johns said.
The men continue their season at the Midwest Classic Dec. 18-19.
