WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Fort Hays State wrestling team defeated Central Missouri in dominant fashion on Friday (Feb. 2) with a 37-15 drubbing of the Mules on their home mat. The Tigers improved to 5-4 overall in duals and 1-2 against conference opponents. The Mules dipped to 3-14 overall and 1-4 in MIAA duals.
The Tigers took a 6-0 lead right out of the gates when Conrad Cole received a forfeit victory as the Mules left the 125-pound bout open. In the 133-pound match, Dy’Juan Carney pinned Daide Agnew in the first period (1:14) giving him his eighth fall of the season, tying him with Cole for the second-most falls on the squad.
The 141-pound bout was a carbon copy of what Carney completed as No. 8 Brandon Ball pinned Dakota Thevel in the first period (1:58) after leading 7-0 in the match. Ball earned his second fall of the season, while improving his overall record to 26-3.
Efe Osaghae joined in on the scoring frenzy and defeated Zach Schridde in the 149-pound weight class by way of a first period fall (2:48). Osaghae earned two 4-point nearfalls in the bout before ultimately earning his second fall and 23rd victory of the year.
The Tigers took a 24-6 lead after leaving the 157-pound weight class open, giving the Mules their first points of the dual. The five initial bouts were completed in the first eight minutes of the dual.
Redshirt-freshman Marty Verhaeghe battled against Shea Conley in the 165-pound bout until the end of the third period, but was unable to outscore Conley in a 5-3 decision defeat. UCM cut into the FHSU lead to make it 24-9 with four matches remaining in the dual.
Fort Hays State was able to run away with the dual the rest of the way, winning three of the final four bouts. The run started with a 2-0 decision from Micquille Robinson over Tyler Selemaea in the 174-pound bout. In the ensuing bout, Micah Felton fell to Zach Benner in the 184-pound weight class in the first period. The Tigers then held a 27-15 advantage.
Senior Rakim Dean earned a 16-2 major decision over Dominique Hampton in the 197-pound match. The major decision was Dean’s fifth of the season, tying Osaghae for second-most on the team.
The Tigers wrapped up the dual with Dakota Gulley earning a fall over Chase Miller in the first period (2:42) of the 285-pound weight class, moving the Tigers over .500 in duals on the season.
FHSU is back in action on Sunday (Feb. 4) as they make their way to St. Charles, Mo. to battle the 20th-ranked Lindenwood Lions. The dual is set to commence at 2 p.m.