CRETE, Neb. – Blue Hawk men's wrestling team faced one of the deepest and most competitive early-season fields on Friday at the Conner Oppenheim Open, wrestling through full 32-man brackets and delivering several strong individual performances, highlighted by a runner-up finish at 197lbs. Head coach Justin Schlecht said the tournament offered a true national-level test and noted the team's effort remained strong throughout the day, even as technical and execution details will continue to be areas of focus moving forward.
Early Weights Show Competitive Moments
At 125 pounds, Wyatt Engwicht produced one of DSU's most notable wins of the day when he pinned Brian Peck of Doane, who entered the event nationally ranked No. 13. Engwicht advanced to the quarterfinals before finishing with four team points. In the amateur division, Abraham Montealegre earned a fall in his opening match, while Makoyi Fish advanced through an early bye to the second consolation round.
At 133 pounds, Charlie Irwin wrestled through a competitive bracket, earning a 19-14 decision in the consolations after receiving a first-round bye. Dickinson State featured two wrestlers at 141 pounds. Marcus Mireles and Dongjoon Gin each advanced to the third consolation round after opening with byes before falling to opponents from Eastern Oregon, Grand View and Dakota Wesleyan.
Middle Weights Record Several Bonus-Point Wins
The Blue Hawks sent three wrestlers into the 149-pound bracket. Hunter Forshee-Kurtz recorded a fall over Gavin Smith of Doane and reached the fourth consolation round, while Cohen Schleich added a 31-second pin in his first consolation match. Daniel Reza advanced to the third consolation round after an opening bye.
At 157 pounds, Ian Mehrens wrestled through the championship and consolation rounds, while in the amateur bracket, Tucker Fiene earned a first-period fall in 1:26.
Dickinson State's 165-pound group delivered several strong moments. Jesse Van Baalen advanced with a medical forfeit and later added a fall in the consolations to collect 6.5 team points. In the amateur division, Gavin Engwicht produced one of the team's most productive consolation runs, earning back-to-back pins before exiting in the fourth round.
At 174 pounds, both Cutter Jones and Bradlee Shaw contributed key wins. Jones opened with a 2-0 victory and later pushed a match into sudden victory before being eliminated. Shaw posted two decision wins over St. Ambrose and Eastern Oregon and finished among the top eight in the weight class.
Upper Weights Lead the Team With Multiple Deep Runs
Dickinson State's best collective results came from the upper weights, where three wrestlers reached the late stages of their brackets.
At 184 pounds, Jackson King produced a balanced performance with three wins, including a tech fall and a first-period pin. He advanced deep into the consolations and finished among the top eight. In the same bracket, Jack Simons earned a 9-3 decision over Kolton Kammeyer of Doane.
The 197-pound bracket featured Dickinson State's strongest showing. Donivan Giangregorio reached the championship match and finished second after recording back-to-back tech falls and a 12-4 major decision in the semifinal. Behind him, Charlie Larsen put together one of the meet's most notable consolation surges with four straight pins to reach the consi-semifinals, finishing 4-2 on the day and placing inside the top six. Grayson Beaudrie also continued to gain experience in a challenging bracket.
At heavyweight, Seth Suvak earned a first-period fall over Shane Mattson of Montana State-Northern, while Connor Bleymeyer added a pin in his consolation run.
In the amateur 184 bracket, Easton DeJong delivered three total pins, including two in championship action and one in the consolations. His 3-2 record added 8.5 team points and ranked among the program's best amateur performances of the tournament.
Coach Schlecht's Assessment
"Great tournament with full 32-man brackets and really tough national-level competition," Head Coach Justin Schlecht said. "Our effort is good; we just need to clean up some technical mistakes and finishing execution. Not too bad for a start, but we will get back to work on Monday."
Schlecht also shared a message for fans: "See you Blue Hawk fans on Thursday."
UP NEXT
Dickinson State returns home for a dual against Bismarck State College on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. MST. The Blue Hawks will then head to Minot State University on Friday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. MST.
