Tiffin University competed against some of the nation's top Division II programs and went 2-1, advancing to the second day of the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The sixth-ranked Dragons opened with a 22-16 win over 21st-ranked Upper Iowa.Â
Anthony Aniciete (125 pounds) opened with a 10-2 win while
Bret Minnick (141) also got a big 15-1 win. The Dragons then won three in a row starting at 157 pounds, where
Casey Barnett won a slim 12-11 decision,
Nolan Gessler (165) won 9-3, and
Emilio Arellano (174) picked up a 14-6 victory. Tiffin's final win came at 285 pounds, where
Jake Powell won 16-5.
Tiffin then took on 2nd-ranked Nebraska-Kearney, and UNK lived up to its ranking wtih a 35-3 victory. Aniciete got the lone win with a 10-4 victory, while the Dragons also dropped some close matches.
Cael Woods (133) fell 5-2,
Gavin Owens (165) fell 4-0,
David Davis (184) lost 6-0, and
Max Millin (197) dropped a 5-1 bout.
TU finished its day with a 33-16 win over 9th-ranked Ashland. The Dragons opened with three straight wins, as
Zavian LaFountain (125) won by fall in 4:17, Woods won by fall in 1:19, and Minnick picked up a 14-2 victory. Tiffin then won three more in a row as Barnett won by pin in 1:57, Owens did the same in 5:00, and Arellano won by tech fall 19-4.
The Dragons will now take on the 19th-ranked University of Mary at 10 am on Jan. 10.
Â
