UNK Wrestling: Loper Underclassmen Rack Up the Wins in Kansas

Lopers Back at Home Saturday; Airola Lone Winner

Kearney, Neb. – The second-ranked Nebraska Kearney wrestling team had 16 placers at the annual Bob Smith Open Sunday in Kansas. With home duals vs. Augustana and York upcoming on Dec. 17, the Lopers sent the non-varsity to Kansas. Coming in first was Colorado true freshman Joey Airola (133 lbs.) with Colorado redshirt freshmen Jake Boley (285 lbs.) and Beau Hostler (149 lbs.), Garrison redshirt freshman Dylan Vodicka (184 lbs.), North Platte redshirt freshman Gavyn Brauer (174 lbs.), Missouri redshirt freshman Kaden Hart (165 lbs.) and Kansas redshirt freshman Hector Serratos (125 lbs.) all finishing second. Three of the finals losses came to Oklahoma State wrestlers. Next, cracking the top five was Kansas redshirt freshman Bishop Murray (3rd/125 lbs.), Omaha true freshman Zach Ourada (3rd/133lbs.), Bellevue redshirt freshman Daniel DeRosier (5th/141 lbs.), Grand Island redshirt freshman Brody Arrants (3rd/149 lbs.), Kearney redshirt senior Teontae Wilson (3rd/157 lbs.), North Carolina redshirt junior Jacari Deal (5th/184 lbs.) with Iowa redshirt freshman Jackson Kinsella and Bassett redshirt freshman Jud Kuchera tying for fourth at 197 pounds. Finally, Iowa redshirt freshman Briar Reisz managed a sixth-place effort at 157 pounds. Airola continues to impress in the early going as his day featured a pair of 5-1 wins and two bonus point victories. He is now 16-3 to date. A weight class lower, Serratos had a fall and back-to-back techs to reach the finals with Hostler using three decisions by a combined score of 12-3 to reach the 149 lbs. first-place match. Next, Hart used a sudden victory decision over a FHSU Tiger and a 3-2 win over a Chadron state wrestler to reach the 165 finals with Brauer having three falls among four wins. Finally for the runners up, Vodicka beat Oklahoma State's Trevor Dopps, 9-2, in the 184 semis with Boley's three wins being two falls and a 14-1 major. Among the other placers, Arrants, DeRosier and Wilson each had a team-high five wins, Kinsella and Kuchera double forfeited the 197 third-place match after combining for eight victories with Ourada winning a in sudden victory, 3-1, to be third at 133.