Sagan Osborne – Dickinson State Sports & Marketing Information Director
Central Dutch, Iowa - Dickinson State delivered a strong performance at the Central Under Armour Invitational, highlighted by individual championships from Jose Gonzalez (125) and Donivan Giangregorio (197), as well as a runner-up finishes from Kavika Aholelei (141) and Seth Suvak (285).
"The guys wrestled well today," said head coach Justin Schlecht. "It was exciting to coach them as they implemented lots of technical situations they have been working on during break. They wrestled aggressively and with good offense against some tough competition."
Gonzalez led the way for Dickinson State at 125 pounds, earning 18.5 team points. After receiving a bye in the opening round, Gonzalez pinned Kale DiMarco (Wartburg) in just 2:29. He followed up with an 8-3 decision over Raekwon Shabazz (Wartburg) in the semifinals and dominated the championship match with a 17-2 technical fall over Brett Birchman (Wartburg), securing first place.
At 197 pounds, Giangregorio contributed 17 team points with an impressive tournament run. After a first-round bye, he pinned Zach Weidler (Wartburg) in 6:17 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Giangregorio defeated Zak Kozumplik (Wartburg) by a 9-4 decision. He capped off his championship effort with a 9-6 decision over Carter Smuck (Grand View), solidifying his place atop the podium.
Suvak added to the Blue Hawks' success at heavyweight, finishing second and scoring 18.5 team points. Suvak opened with a fall over Quinn Wilcoxen (Cornell College) in 3:39, followed by another pin against Makota Misgen (Minnesota State) in 1:57. In the semifinals, Suvak earned a 20-4 technical fall over Kyler Hall (Central). He fell just short in the championship match, losing by fall to Jake Walker (Wartburg) at 4:01.
Kavika Aholelei (141) also had a standout performance, finishing second and scoring 15 team points. Aholelei pinned Nich Silva (Simpson) in 1:24 in the opening round and earned decisions over Jared Gallub (Nebraska Wesleyan) and James Lovelady (Upper Iowa) in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. He fell to Tommy Thongseng (Wartburg) in the finals by a 14-6 major decision.
Jackson King (184) added a third-place finish, scoring 13.5 team points. King advanced to the semifinals with a 17-1 technical fall over David Papach (Wartburg) before being pinned by Jameel Coles (Grand View). King bounced back in the third-place match with a 14-2 major decision over Bruce Lukehart (Grand View).
Additional contributions came from Wyatt Engwicht (125), who placed sixth and scored 6.5 team points, and Jack Simons (184), who also finished sixth, adding 5.5 points. Bradlee Shaw (174) earned 2.5 points with a consolation win, while Caleb Nielsen (149) and Ian Mehrens (157) combined for 8.5 points through their respective consolation matches.