Freshmen Lead At Ridgewater Open
Concordia had six wrestlers place in the Top 5 at the Ridgewater Open and was led by freshmen Kellen Schauer and Gabe Zierden who both posted runner-up finishes.
WILLMAR, Minn. (1/11/20)--- Concordia had six wrestlers place in the Top 5 at the Ridgewater Open which featured teams from NCAA Division I and II.
The Cobbers, who were competing in their first multi-team invite since Dec. 7, were led by freshmen Kellen Schauer and Gabe Zierden who both posted runner-up finishes.
Schauer continued to shine at 149 pounds in his return from injury. He started his day with a bye then won two matches against Division II opponents before falling to an NDSU wrestler in the finals. Schauer was one of several Cobbers who had two wins at the meet.
Zierden competed in a four-man round robin bracket at 197 pounds. He started his day with a solid win over a DII Southwest MN State opponent. The most dramatic match for any Cobber came in Zierdan's second bout. He trailed 14-0 heading into the second period, but he staged a dramatic comeback as he turned his opponent to his back and won by fall. Like, Schauer, Zierden lost to an NDSU opponent in the finals.
Zierden has now placed in the Top 4 in all four multi-team invitationals this year. He is now 13-7 on the season and his 13 wins are second most on the team.
Junior Alex Skaare defeated a pair Division II opponents on his way to a fourth-place finish at 165. He earned a hard-fought 13-10 win over a wrestler from St. Cloud State in the first round. He then came back from a tough semifinal loss to pin a wrestler from Southwest MN State and earn a chance at the consolation title. Skaare would be denied third place by yet another Division II opponent - but he came away with the solid fourth-place showing.
Freshman 184-pounder Ayden Friese also finished fourth after competing in a loaded round robin bracket. He was the only Division III competitor in his weight class and earned fourth place by defeating a Division II opponent from Minnesota State Mankato.
Freshman Tyler Bents, who was wrestling up a weight class from last weekend, posted a fifth-place finish at 157. His only losses on the day came to Division II wrestlers - and both of those matches were decided by two points or less. Bents also defeated two Southwest MN State opponents to help him get on the podium. Bents has now won five of his last eight matches.
INSIDE STAT INFO: The Cobbers now have seven wrestlers in the 10-win club on the season. Tyler Bents is the newest member of the double-digit win club. He recorded two wins on the day and now has 11 on the year. Kellen Schauer is the next in line for CC. His two wins on Saturday have him at eight for the year.
UP NEXT: The Cobbers will step back into Division III competition next when they compete at the Mike Dunroe Invitational held at Cornell College (Iowa) on Saturday, Jan. 18.