PLYMOUTH, WIs. – Head Coach Mike Schmidt was named Co-Coach of the Year as the MSOE men's wrestling team took third place at the CCIW Championshsips, the highest finish in program history.

RESULTS

MSOE RAIDERS - 3^rd Place - 107 Points

HOW IT HAPPENED

• 125:  Sophomore Jesse Johnson fell in the opening rounds but bounced back with a pinfall victory in just 1:44 over his opponent from Wheaton College.  Johnson would finish in 5^th place after taking a second loss, but closed out his evening with a pinfall win in just 35 seconds.
• 133:  After falling in his second-round matchup via fall, Liam Anderson recorded back-to-back decision wins, clinching 3^rd place at 133 with an 8-1 win over his Aurora University opponent.  On Friday afternoon Alexander Ramirez took 1^st place in the CCIW Futures tournament, capping off his run with a pinfall win in 1:42.
• 149:  Senior Connor Nagela would take 3^rd place after falling in the semi-final.  Nagela picked up two decision wins by a combined four points to close out his tournament, sealing up third place with a 7-5 win over Augustana College.
• 165:  One of two Raiders to make the championship match of their bracket, Toren Vandenbush picked up a pinfall win in his first bout of the day, followed up by an 18-3 tech fall triumph in the semi-finals.  Vandenbush would battle in the championship, but the freshman would fall via decision, 7-3.
• 174:  Jackson Hughes was the only other Raider in the championship, as the freshman received a bye to open the tournament, followed up by a 6-4 decision win.  Hughes would score a pinfall in 3:55 to win his semi-final but fell in the final via tech fall in 5:23.
• 184:  Gavin Graham picked up another 3^rd place finish for the Red and White, scoring a 12-2 major decision win and a one-minute pinfall on his way to the quarterfinals.  After slipping up against North Central, Graham closed out his evening with another pinfall win and secured 3^rd place with an 18-6 major decision.
• 197:  Jake Schmitt took 5^th place after winning his final bout in an 8-4 decision.  Schmitt tallied two decisions on his way to the podium, including a 9-1 major.

 
WHO'S ON DECK
The Raiders will head to the NCAA Upper Midwest Regional on Friday, February 28^th, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

For up-to-the-minute MSOE Raiders news, visit us at www.MSOERaiders.com. You can also follow the Red & White on Twitter @MSOE_Raiders and @msoe_raiders on Instagram.