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Johnston Paces Wrestling at 8-Man Battles

Women’s wrestling notches first ever match win in program history

11/23/2024 5:09:00 PM

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – For the first time in program history the men's and women's wrestling teams found themselves wrestling in the same facility as the Titans competed at the 8-Man and 8-Woman Battles in Eau Claire, Wis. Saturday, Nov. 23, hosted by University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. IWU saw a second-place finish from sophomore Austin Johnston (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) in the 141-pound Gold Division while multiple Titans picked up match wins in the flights. The women's team claimed its first ever match win in freshman Jurdan Tyler (Champaign, Ill.-Urbana).

Johnston had a 2-0 start in the 141-pound Gold division defeating two UW-Eau Claire wrestlers, the first by way of a 2:24 fall and the second in a narrow 3-0 decision. Johnston met Royce Butt of UW-Eau Claire in the first-place match but was stunted in an 8-4 decision to place second with a 2-1 record on the day.

Turning in the best record of the day was freshman Ameer Alamawi (New Lenox, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central), who posted a 4-1 record in the 149-pound flights. Alamawi opened the day with a 24-12 major decision over Jackson Marr of Concordia-Moorhead before utilizing 43 seconds on the mat to pin Khadario Earl of Nebraska Wesleyan. Alamawi dropped his third match in a 13-10 decision but bounced back with a pin over Alex Schroeder of Nebraska Wesleyan (2:40). Alamawi would ultimately face fellow freshman teammate Evan Carel (Hamilton, Ill.-Hamilton) in the fifth round, winning in a narrow 7-6 decision to place second.

Before meeting Alamawi on the mat, Carel defeated his first and third opponents in a 16-1 tech fall and a pin (1:38), respectively. The freshman finished fourth overall in the 149-pound flights with a 2-3 record on the day.

Freshman Jackson Castaneda (Oak Forest, Ill.-Oak Forest) won the 165-pound flights, with a pair of wins over Logan Hede of Nebraska Wesleyan and Gabe Eckerd of UW-Eau Claire in a 19-4 tech fall and a 8-3 decision, respectively.

Freshman Elijah Villegas (Chicago, Ill.-Wells Community Academy) placed third in the 197-pound flights after turning in a 2-2 record on the day and earning the first two wins of his collegiate career. Villegas won his first match of the day in a 10-7 decision before pinning Reise Davis of Buena Vista in just over a minute (1:05).

On the women's side Tyler not only picked up her first collegiate win but also the first-ever win for the IWU women's wrestling program in the best way, pinning Magalie Mogiga of Buena Vista in just over two minutes (2:02) of action. Tyler went on to place fourth in the 207-pound Gold division.

Freshman Sifa Feruzi (Denver, Colo.-Macomb Senior) notched her first collegiate pin, and first collegiate win, in her third match of the day at 180-pound Gold, against Gracyn Heine of UW-Oshkosh (2:55).

IWU heads to Naperville, Ill., next for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin dual against North Central College, Dec. 3 at Gregory Arena inside Merner Fieldhouse.

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