KENOSHA, Wis. – The MSOE men's wrestling team crowned two champions at the CCIW Championships on Saturday, as the Red and White posted a fifth-place team finish with seven Raiders taking sixth-place or better.

RESULTS

MSOE RAIDERS – 5^th Place – 81.5 Points

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Alex Morales and Toren Vandenbush were each crowned CCIW Champions after going undefeated in their respective brackets.  Morales posted a 3-0 record at 149, starting off his tournament run with a second-round win via fall, before besting Tyler Starr from North Central College in a razor-thin 8-7 decision.  Morales won his championship match in a 9-5 decision as the sophomore recorded twelve team points for the Red and White in his three wins.  Vandenbush would secure four wins in a crowded field at 174, starting his afternoon off with a win via fall in just 56 seconds, followed by another first-round pinfall win to secure his spot in the semifinals.  Vandenbush would best Cory Bradley of Elmhurst in a 5-3 decision to earn his spot in the championship match.  After being deadlocked at 1-1, the first-place bout went to sudden victory, with Vandenbush scoring the decisive takedown on Jake Luce of North Central to earn his spot atop the mountain at 174.
• Lane Andersen would pick up three wins on the way to third place at 125, with his lone loss coming to the eventual champion at 125.  The freshman would pick up three decision wins, including one major, as he recorded nine team points for the Red and White, third most on the team.
• Both Jackson Hughes and Gavin Graham earned fifth place finishes at the conference tournament, with each recording six team points.  Hughes scored a first-round pinfall win before dropping back-to-back bouts, bouncing back with an 8-2 decision win in the fifth-place bout at 184.  Graham would drop his opening bout of the afternoon before getting back in the mix with a win via fall in 5:59. After taking a pinfall loss, Graham picked up his second pinfall win of the day against Trey Dunning of Illinois Wesleyan in 2:50 to secure fifth at 197.

WHO'S ON DECK
The Raiders will look to punch their tickets to the National Championship at the end of the month, when the NCAA DIII Regional Championships kick-off.  The action begins on Friday, February 27^th in Eau Claire, Wis.

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.