Omaha, Neb. – Minnesota State continued its rugged early-season schedule at the Kaufman/Brand Open, hosted by the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Four Maverick grapplers placed in the top six in at the tournament, which boasted some of the top talent in the nation including three of the top-five team finishers at last season’s NCAA Division I National Championships.
In the Elite Division, returning All-American Andy Forstner (Madelia, Minn.) opened the day at 125 pounds with a 9-3 win but followed with a 4-0 loss to Andy Pickrel of South Dakota State. He rattled of three straight wins in the consolation bracket, including wins over Division I opponents from Air Force and North Dakota State. In the third-place match, he fell by a score of 14-4 to Trent Sprenkle of North Dakota State. The 4-2 record on the day improves his season ledger to 5-4.
At 157 pounds, senior Justin Turek (New Prague, Minn.) was bumped to the consolation brackets quickly after a loss to Derek St. John of Iowa in his first match. He picked up three straight wins, including a first-period fall, to advance to the consolation semifinals where he dropped an 8-6 decision to Brett Robins of Northern Iowa. Turek finished fifth via a medical forfeit to close out the day. His record now stands at an even 5-5 on the young season.
Three-time All-American senior Brady Wilson (Fairbault, Minn.) continued his strong early season performance with a fourth-place finish at heavyweight. After a 13-3 major decision to start the day, he topped Levi Wofford of Nebraska 3-2 to advance to a rematch with Blake Rasing of Iowa. Wilson closed the gap from last weekend’s 5-2 loss, pushing Rasing into two tiebreaker sessions before falling 4-2. He then beat Elijah Madison of Nebraska-Omaha before falling to another Division I opponent, Ben Berhow of Minnesota. Wilson is now 7-4 on the season, with all four losses coming to Division I competition.
Minnesota State’s final placewinner was freshman Robby Fisher (Bloomington, Minn.) who placed fifth at 141 pounds in the amateur division. Fisher opened up with three wins to advance to the semifinals but lost a 3-2 squeaker to eventual tournament champ Dustin Walraven of South Dakota State. He dropped another close decision, this one 8-6 to Tim Chavez of Nebraska-Omaha, to head to the fifth-place match. This time, Fisher was on the winning side of a slim decision, edging Mike Migawa of Wisconsin-Parkside 3-1 in sudden victory. He is now 6-4 in his maiden season.
Minnesota State will enjoy a three-week respite from official competition, returning Dec. 12th to take part in the St. Cloud State-hosted Husky Open.
