HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State celebrated senior night with an MIAA victory over Central Missouri on Wednesday (Feb. 3) by the score of 44-9.
A brief ceremony before the dual honored the seven Tiger seniors on the team – Joey Dozier, Tyler Dryden, Noah Killip, Bradley Little, Adam Ludwin, Nathan Shipley, and Matt Ziegler.
The Tigers took an early 6-0 lead as a result of a forfeit at 125 pounds and never lost the lead for the rest of the night. Adam Ludwin received the win, moving to 20-7 on the season. He reached 20 wins for the fifth consecutive year (which includes a redshirt season).
Anthony Calderon doubled the Tiger lead to 12-0 when he pinned Daide Agnew at the 4:51 mark in the 133-pound bout.
The first senior Tiger to wrestle in the dual was Noah Killip at 141 pounds and he did not disappoint. Killip extended the Tiger lead by six more points with a pin at 1:50 in the first period over Caleb Crabtree.
Another open weight class (149) by the Mules gave the Tigers a 24-0 lead heading into the 157-pound bout featuring FHSU’s Joey Dozier and UCM’s Dylan Lewis. Dozier, another senior honored on the night, ended his home wrestling career at Fort Hays State with a quick pin just 57 seconds into the first period.
FHSU’s Kregg Clarke and UCM’s Allan Person hit the mat for the 165-pound bout with the Tigers leading 30-0. Trailing 3-2 heading into the third period, Clarke earned a key two-point reversal with 30 seconds left in the match and remained in control to earn the 4-3 decision.
With the Tigers on top 33-0, senior Nathan Shipley faced the toughest opponent on the Mules roster, No. 7 wrestler at 174 pounds Archie Williams. Despite a solid effort from Shipley, Williams showed why he is among the best in the nation and recorded a pin at 1:55 making the score 33-6 in favor of the Tigers.
FHSU countered with its ranked wrestler as No. 6 Jon Inman increased the Tiger’s lead to 39-6 when he scored a pinfall of his own at 1:55 over freshman Tyler Nelson at 184 pounds.
At 197 pounds Cash Drylie had full control of his match and only suffered a one-point escape on his way to an 18-1 technical fall victory.
In the final bout of the evening (285), Central Missouri’s Nick Lovejoy was able to hang on over Fort Hays State’s Dakota Gulley with a 5-3 decision. Despite the late victory by the Mules, it was too little, too late as the Tigers earned the 44-9 victory.
The Tigers now hold a dual record of 6-5, 1-3 MIAA and the Mules dropped to 2-9 overall and 1-4 in the MIAA.
The Tigers look to pick up a second MIAA win on Thursday (Feb. 11) when they head to Wichita, Kan. to take on the Newman Jets at 7 pm.