The Stars beat Concordia, Neb., 28-15 and Indiana Tech 31-9 on Saturday at the Flamingo Hotel in the Desert Duals.
The Stars, ranked seventh in NAIA wrestling, dropped a 32-6 verdict to No. 1-ranked three-time defending national champion Grand View, Iowa. The Stars challenged opponents ranked in the top 10 as Concordia has the sixth spot and Indiana Tech shares No. 7 with the Stars.
The Stars improved to seventh in the latest NAIA ratings for its highest ranking since they were sixth in the Jan. 9, 2013 rankings. The Stars highest ranking was No. 3 on Nov. 15, 2007.
Senior Aaron LaFarge accounted for the Stars’ only dual points against Grand View. LaFarge won by forfeit at 125 pounds. Grand View won seven matches by decision, winning three by one point each. Grand View’s Grant Henderson, ranked 10th at 157 pounds, upended third-ranked junior Zach Skates 1-0. Christian Mays, Grand View’s top-ranked 184-pounder, nipped sophomore Derek Sivertsen 3-2, while seventh-ranked Derrick Hawkins of Grand View edged sophomore Miguel Tovar 3-2 at 197. Grand View’s Jimmie Schuessler, ranked second among NAIA 165-pounders, knocked off sixth-ranked sophomore Ricky McCarty 3-1.
Against Concordia, the Stars erased a 6-4 deficit as freshman Parker Bohannan picked up a forfeit at 149 pounds. The Stars took five matches in a row as Skates beat 13th-ranked Austin Starkey 11-5. Sivertsen pinned Noel Richardson in 2:14 in the 197-pound bout.
In the Indiana Tech dual, the Stars dug out of a 6-0 hole with five consecutive victories. Sophomore James Landoll provided the Stars with an 11-7 victory at 141 pounds, then Bohannan put Oklahoma City in front with a fall in 2:26 over Mitch Roadruck.
McCarty pulled out a 12-10 sudden-victory win over eighth-ranked Jacob Johnson at 165 pounds.
The Stars also posted a 39-9 romp past Central Florida, a club team, in an exhibition dual. Senior Jared Bass, Bohannan and Sivertsen notched falls.
OCU competes in the Midland Warrior Classic at 9 a.m. Jan. 3 in Fremont, Neb.
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