The Tigers kicked off the second semester with a team win at the Soldier Salute, finishing with three champs and eight finalists. Mauger avenged a loss in the finals here from last season, taking out #13 Kysen Terukina. Sinclair bonused his way through with a tech over a ranked opponent in the finals. Gage Walker and Seth Mendoza both made the finals while redshirting, getting ranked wins along the way.
There were lineup battles at 141 and 157 but no clear favorites with similar losses. Current starter Zeke Seltzer finished highest but was 8th as the 3 seed. J Conway was 3rd to Teague Travis’ 2nd with both losing to champ Jordan Williams. All in all it was a Tiger heavy tournament and a good way to kick off the new year.
125lbs: #28 Mack Mauger – Champ
- Champ. Round 1: Mack Mauger received a bye
- Champ. Round 2: Mack Mauger Maj. Ostin Blanchard (NDSU) (8-0)
- Quarterfinal: Mack Mauger Dec. Bowen Downey (UNI) (5-2)
- Semifinal: Mack Mauger Dec. Sebastian Degennaro (OU) (2-1)
- 1st Place Match – Mack Mauger Dec. #13 Kysen Terukina (UNC) (7-2)
Mauger won his first major tournament after finishing as a runner-up last season. He had some tight matches on the way there, winning a one takedown match in the quarters then a riding time point in the semis. In the finals he faced off against Terukina who actually beat him on a last second takedown here last season. This time Mauger got his offense going and scored a takedown in the second and third period to clinch it.
He continued to show great positioning with the handfight and got out quick against Terukina in the finals. He has a tendency to get stuck in ties and struggle to get his attacks going which can be an issue early or when he’s down but if he has a lead then it’s tough to find an opening. Scoring two takedowns against Terukina can hopefully be a building block to more offense from neutral for him and a jump in the rankings.
133lbs: Gage Walker – Runner-Up
- Champ. Round 1: Gage Walker received a bye
- Champ. Round 2: Gage Walker Dec. Hayden Mills (NEB) (8-1)
- Quarterfinal: Gage Walker Dec. #22 Luke Willochell (WYO) (9-4)
- Semifinal: Gage Walker Dec. Matthew Botello (UNC) (5-1)
- 1st Place Match: #17 Ethan Oakley (UNC) Dec. Gage Walker (4-2)
Kade Moore was listed as an entry initially but ended up not competing so Walker was the only entry here.
He looked good doing so, getting a ranked win along the way. He scored nearfall in his first two matches and put on a tough ride in the semis to clinch his win. He faced off against three-time qualifier Oakley in the finals and came close a few times but wasn’t able to score from neutral. In the match he had a hard time getting through Oakley’s heavy pressure and front headlock and wasn’t able to keep him down or set up his turn.