EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The MSOE wrestling team competed at the NCAA Upper Midwest Regional on Friday and Saturday, as Toren Vandenbush punched his ticket to the National Championship with a second-place finish at 174.

TEAM RESULTS
MSOE RAIDERS – 8^th Place – 61 Team Points

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Sophomore Alex Morales would take 5^th place at 149 for the Raiders, going 2-0 on Friday to start off his run, picking up a 17-2 technical fall in his first bout and following it up with a 5-4 decision win.  After dropping his first two bouts on Saturday, Morales bounced back with a 7-3 decision to secure his place, earning 10.5 team points for the Red and White.    
• Freshman Ben Messier opened the regional with a hard-fought 4-3 decision win, before dropping his second bout via pinfall.  Messier would pick up a huge pinfall win in his third bout in Eau Claire, as he finished with 6.5 points for the Raiders, taking 8^th place at 157.
• Toren Vandenbush would prove to be the top dog for the Raiders as he secured a whopping 18.5 team points for MSOE, starting off his run with a 15-0 first round tech fall, followed up by a pinfall win in just 95 seconds.  After a 4-1 decision win earned him a spot in the first-place match and guaranteed his spot in Cedar Rapids, the sophomore would fall just short of the crown as he fell 3-0 in sudden victory, taking 2^nd place at 174.
• Fellow sophomore Jackson Hughes would also secure 18.5 points for the Raiders, but a tech fall loss in the third-place match cut his hopes at the national championship just short.  Hughes posted four wins during his time in Eau Claire, picking up two via pinfall and another in a 16-7 major decision.

 
WHO'S ON DECK
Vandenbush and the Raiders will head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the NCAA DIII Championship, kicking-off on Friday, March 13^th at 10:00 A.M.

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.