FINAL RESULTS

WHEATON, Ill. – The Otterbein Wrestling team headed west to compete in its toughest tournament so far this season, strapping up for the two-day/annual Pete Wilson Invitational hosted by Wheaton College in The Prairie State.

The Cardinals found their leading charge from a fifth-year veteran, and grabbed a few more victories along the way en route to finishing 20th of 30 participating schools.

LEADING THE WAY:

• Jarrod Setliff nearly pulled off a championship effort at 197 pounds, advancing all the way into the title bout before enduring a 4-2 loss (in sudden victory) against nationally-ranked Demetrius Henry of Cortland State… Setliff trailed 2-1 entering the final period but managed an escape point to force extra time. Henry would enjoy the final say, however, with a takedown roughly 30 seconds in.
   
• Setliff went 4-1 on the day as a whole, rattling off four victories prior to that with two coming by fall in the first period. He then admirably moved through the semifinal round with a grinding 6-5 decision over Braden Homsey of Ferrum.

CONTRIBUTING CARDINALS:

• Senior Ryan Whitten also hit the podium with a seventh-place finish, rotating wins and losses to rest 3-2 on the day. He opened with a decision before a setback to No. 10-ranked Tristan Massie of Wisconsin Eau-Claire... Responding nicely, Whitten posted a football-like score of 14-7 to begin the consolation portion and overcame a tight 1-0 loss (to No. 14-ranked Brandon Peckham of UW-Stevens Point) to win his bout for seventh.
   
• Nathan Leko turned in a 3-2 record at 149 pounds, opening with a dominating tech fall before coming up short against top seed Jake Burford of UW-Whitewater. He then ripped off a 10-1 major and a narrow decision (5-3) before running out of steam in his third consolation bout.
   
• Zach Orseno (133 lbs) overcame an early loss in the championship bracket to grab a victory in the wrestleback, beating Emilio Acosta of Concordia by a 6-2 margin. He was then eliminated in the next match after another hard-fought decision result.

 
ROUNDING OUT THE LINEUP:

• Noah Houchins, Andrew Sas, Austin Amens, Logan Cormell, Kyle De Moss and Zac Stray also competed but were unable to advance in their respective weight classes.

 
MOVING FORWARD:

• The Cardinals will have next week off to regroup before hosting Ohio Northern in the final conference dual of the season, slated for February 7 in the Rike Center.