Mount Olive features six on the podium at Georgia Open
FRANKLIN SPRING, Ga. (Nov. 12) – The University of Mount Olive men's wrestling program featured six individuals on the podium on Sunday after competing at the Georgia Open hosted by Emmanuel University.
The Trojans featured 23 wrestlers in the event after picking up a conference win earlier in the week at Emmanuel. Mount Olive tallied nearly 40 victories while recording 11 falls and five tech falls during the competition.
Sophomores Calan Staub and Noah Williams each placed second overall in their respective weight classes on Sunday.
At 174, Staub posted a 4-1 record after registering multiple dominant performances while in Georgia. In the opening round, he delivered a 17-1 tech fall over Aiden Knight of Montevallo before producing a 12-8 decision against Justin Grant of Brewton-Parker. Staub posted a 20-5 tech fall in the quarterfinals before advancing to the finals with a 15-5 major decision over Brad Mahoney. In the title match, he was narrowly defeated by an 11-10 decision to Logan Hoffman.
Williams also registered a 4-1 mark while competing at 197 and received a first-round bye. In the second round, he pinned Coen Heinrich of Brewton-Parker in the second period before recording another win via fall to advance to the quarterfinals. Williams continued his dominance with a late pin over Ahmahd Denmark of Florida A&M and delivered a first-period fall in the semifinals. In the first-place match, he suffered a 13-1 loss by a major decision to Khalil Abdushshakur of Life. Williams finished the event tied for an event high with four falls.
Freshman Benjamin Wimberly delivered another stellar performance after competing unattached at the event to place fourth at 141. Following a bye, he posted a 20-6 major decision over Jonah Lavendar of Truett-McConnell before defeating Christian Gordan of Emmanuel by a 15-5 major decision. In the quarterfinals, Wimberly defeated teammate Isaiah Olive by a 5-0 decision but fell in the next round via fall in the first period. He eventually took fourth after a no-contest and a forfeit was recorded in the final two rounds.
Additionally, three other Trojans joined the podium on Sunday, including freshman John Domencic, who competed unattached and finished fifth at 285. Redshirt sophomore Slade Watkins placed sixth at 285 and redshirt freshman Logan Tortual finished seventh overall in the 133-weight class.
Mount Olive returns to conference dual meet action on Wednesday, Nov. 15, when they face King in Kornegay Arena, starting at 7 p.m.