LINCOLN, NE - The Nebraska Wesleyan wrestling team faced off against the University of Dubuque in a hard-fought American Rivers Conference dual but came up short, losing 35-8 in the Spartans' home gym. Despite the challenging result, the Prairie Wolves found bright spots in performances by
Robbie Fisher and
Jared Gallub, who combined to earn NWU's points on the night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The dual began at 125 pounds, where Quinton Chavez showcased resilience in an electrifying opener. Chavez got up early but ultimately fell in a high-scoring 14-10 decision to Dubuque's Tyler Klein, giving the Spartans the initial edge.
Nebraska Wesleyan's Robbie Fisher turned heads at 133 pounds with a thrilling back-and-forth bout against Tanner Higa. Fisher's relentless pace and late takedown sealed an 18-15 decision, putting NWU on the board and sparking excitement on the Prairie Wolves' bench.
At 141 pounds, Jared Gallub delivered the most dominant performance for NWU. Gallub overwhelmed Jahuan Hicks-Reed with a flurry of takedowns and turns, notching a 19-4 technical fall in just under five minutes to give the Prairie Wolves an 8-3 team lead.
Dubuque regained control at 149 pounds when Jesus Sanchez capitalized on a series of takedowns to secure a 21-5 technical fall over Travis Guzman. The Spartans maintained momentum at 157 pounds as Brett Back pinned Kaden Ontiveros in just 1:45, extending the lead to 14-8.
In a competitive matchup at 165 pounds, Seth Littrell fought valiantly against Kale Roth but came up short in a 15-5 major decision. Roth's strong third period sealed the victory for Dubuque.
The 174-pound bout saw Emilio Chavez engaged in a tactical battle with Zane Pannell. The match was tied with just over a minute in the third period, but a decisive takedown by Pannell gave Dubuque the 7-4 decision and a commanding team lead.
Dubuque continued at 184 pounds as Alecxander Robeson secured an 18-0 technical fall over Sam Weaver at the five-minute mark. The Spartans followed up with a gritty 9-5 decision at 197 pounds, where Thomas McCreadie edged Casey Kinnell.
The dual concluded at heavyweight with Donovan Mann stepping into the circle against Justin Matson. Mann looked to establish control early, but Matson secured a pin just 29 seconds into the match to cap the Spartans' 35-8 victory.
UP NEXT
Nebraska Wesleyan (0-3, A-R-C) will seek to rebound when they host the Prairie Wolf Duals in Knight Fieldhouse on Saturday, Dec. 14.
