SANDUSKY, Ohio – It was a tough afternoon for the Otterbein men's wrestling team at the Kalahari Duals, as the Cardinals unfortunately dropped all three head-to-head showdowns in the varsity section during the annual event hosted by Heidelberg.

The Cards came up short in duals against nationally-ranked Loras (34-9), Delaware Valley (40-3) and then Augustana (26-17) to end the day. Otterbein also competed in an exhibition dual with Olivet.

Gary Steele was a 2x winner on the day at 184 pounds, earning a pair of admirable and hard-fought decisions by scores of 11-10 and 8-6.

Cale Callahan represented the lone Otterbein points of the showdown with Delaware Valley, working hard for a 5-3 decision.

The Cardinals then had a knock-down, drag-it-out matchup with Augustana to conclude the action. Trace Williams (141) had a dominant 21-6 tech fall early on, followed by a decision from Nathan Leko (149).

Otterbein trailed 18-8 entering the second half of the bouts, but a pin from Logan Cormell and that narrow decision by Steele got the team back within 18-17. Unfortunately, the Cards dropped the final two bouts by major decision.

The holidays will now give Otterbein three weeks off bridging the New Year, with the Cardinals getting back to action on January 6 at the Fairmont State Duals.