The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire wrestling team competed at the Luther Open hosted by Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. The event included many top-ranked teams from NCAA Division III, as well as programs from Divisions I and II. Of the 22 Blugold wrestlers who participated, four finished in fifth place or higher.
Travis Moelter achieved the highest placement for UW-Eau Claire with a second-place finish in the Elite 125-pound bracket. Moelter began his day with a pin against Raio Hamaguchi of Wartburg College at 4:49. He advanced to the quarterfinals and won by technical fall over Brian Farley of Quincy University, ending the match at 6:23. In the semifinals, Moelter progressed to the finals after an illegal move by his opponent Quintin Wolbert from UW-La Crosse. However, Moelter was unable to compete in the final due to a medical forfeit and took runner-up honors.
Sloan Welch placed third in the Elite 285-pound bracket. After receiving a first-round bye, Welch pinned Isaac Ericson of Hawkeye Community College in just 39 seconds. In the quarterfinals, he lost a close match in sudden victory to Tyler Raway of Augsburg College by a score of 4-1. Welch secured third place with a 4-0 decision over Donnie Hidden from St. Cloud State.
Ian Pepple and Cole Matulenko both earned fifth-place finishes in their respective brackets. Pepple started with a pin but lost in the quarterfinals to Kain Killmer of UW-Platteville by major decision. In subsequent matches, Pepple defeated Broady Sampson from Iowa and Griffin Schultz from Luther College before winning his fifth-place bout against Ben Strehlow of Luther College with a 7-6 decision. Matulenko opened with a win over Joshua Gaye from Minnesota State but fell in his next match by decision. He rebounded with wins by pin and major decision before defeating Wyatt Smith of Coe College by pin in just 53 seconds for fifth place.
The Blugolds will return to competition on Saturday, November 22 when they host the 8-Man/8-Woman Battles presented by Mancino’s Pizzas and Grinders at McPhee Gymnasium, starting at 10 a.m.
For more information about UW-Eau Claire athletics, visit Blugolds.com or follow them on social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
