St. Ambrose battled ranked opponents at Heart Conference Duals
The St. Ambrose University wrestling team faced a challenging slate at the Heart of America Conference Duals on a blistery Saturday at the Wellness and Recreation Center, squaring off against three nationally ranked opponents in No. 11 Missouri Valley, No. 14 Central Methodist, and No. 25 Baker.
No. 11 Missouri Valley 43, St. Ambrose 3
The Bees opened the day against 11th-ranked Missouri Valley, which controlled the dual with bonus-point victories throughout the lineup. SAU's lone win came at 141 pounds, where Guiseppe Guerra earned a 4–0 decision over Blaine Ortiz to put St. Ambrose on the board. Missouri Valley recorded three falls and four bonus-point decisions to pull away early and secure the 43–3 win.
AJ Trendle (125 pounds), Mitchell Murphy (133 pounds), Josh Zeman (149 pounds), Georgino Moraga (157 pounds), Berett Callison (165 pounds), Brody Schmidt (174 pounds), Nicolas Makwala (184 pounds), Jeremiah Morris (197 pounds), and Ray Hughes (285 pounds) wrestled for the Bees.
No. 25 Baker 30, St. Ambrose 20
St. Ambrose delivered its strongest performance of the day against 25th-ranked Baker, pushing the Wildcats deep into the dual before falling 30–20.
SAU picked up four victories, including bonus-point wins from Tyler Clarke (major decision at 133), Kayden Marolf (major decision at 157), and Schmidt, who closed his match with a fall at 174. Guerra added a win by injury default at 141. Despite the strong middle-weight performances, Baker capitalized on four falls of its own to edge the Bees.
Trendle (125 pounds), Zeman (149 pounds), Treagan Hansen (165 pounds), Makwala (184 pounds), Colin O'Grady (197 pounds), and Hughes (285 pounds) wrestled for the Bees.
No. 14 Central Methodist 35, St. Ambrose 3
In the final dual, St. Ambrose faced 14th-ranked Central Methodist. The Eagles built an early lead with close decisions and extended it with a pair of falls at 174 and 285. Once again, Guerra provided the lone victory for the Bees, earning a 2–0 decision at 141 pounds. Central Methodist secured the 35–3 team win with victories in nine of the ten bouts.
Trendle (125 pounds), Clarke (133 pounds), Zeman (149 pounds), Moraga (157 pounds), Callison (165 pounds), Schmidt (174 pounds), Makwala (184 pounds), Morris (197 pounds), and Hughes (285 pounds) wrestled for the Bees.
St. Ambrose travels to Williamsburg, Kentucky, on Friday, December 19, to compete in the Battle in the Bluegrass.