Last Saturday, Feb. 9, Northwestern’s wrestling team hosted their final GPAC dual against Hastings College. The home team was victorious, ending the dual by a landslide with a 45-3 team score – ending their dual season with a 6-3 record.
“It was a step in the right direction,” Coach Rik Dahl said when asked how he felt about the team’s performance.
Senior Cole Mills, 141 lbs.; junior Dante Preciado 149 lbs.; and sophomore Haggen Meyer 174 lbs. All won by decision. Senior Austin Boles 125 lbs.; freshman Darian Murphy 133 lbs.; and sophomore Bennett Sikkink 184 lbs. all received forfeits. NW had three pins on the night by junior Andrew Null 165 lbs.; junior D’Rell Gist 197 lbs; and junior Victor Garcia 285 lbs.
In duals, there are 10 weight classes, each with a max team score of six points – the result of a pin or forfeit.
There are other ways of scoring for the team. A tech fall is when a 15-point lead is created, at which point the match comes to an immediate stop, adding five points to the team score. A major decision is the result of an eight-point lead, tallying four points for the team. Finally, and more commonly, a match ending with a lead less than eight is a win by decision. This only scores three points for the team, but every point counts.
Saturday, Feb. 16, NW will be hosting the GPAC National Qualifier. With action starting at 10 a.m., Coach Dahl would like to see the biggest crowd of Raiders cheering on the team as they complete their regular season.
“For the guys, just being there and being loud is motivation. If you aren’t doing anything Saturday and you have an attraction to a little violence, stop on by,” said coach Dahl.
