Cedar Falls, IA – The #3-ranked Parkside wrestling team finished day one of the NWCA National Duals with a 2-1 record, defeating King University and #14 Central Missouri, while falling to #4 Central Oklahoma. The Rangers will vie for a fifth place finish on Saturday.
#3 Parkside 23, #14 Central Missouri 9
The Rangers dominated Central Missouri in their opening dual, securing seven individual victories. Top performers included Matthew Chi, who earned a thrilling 10-7 victory over James Wright at 133 pounds, and Easton Worachek, who delivered a dominant 11-3 major decision over Garrett Lyons at 149 pounds. At 157 pounds, Ben Durocher edged John Ridle 2-1, while Dajun Johnson cruised to an 11-2 major decision at 165 pounds. The dual also saw Reece Worachek and Crosby Schlosser notch key wins at 184 and 174 pounds, respectively. Cayden Henschel also provided points with a 5-0 win by decision at 141 pounds.
#4 Central Oklahoma 20, #3 Parkside 15
Parkside's only loss on the day came in a tough dual against #4-ranked Central Oklahoma. Despite solid wins from Worachek (184 pounds) and Johnson (165 pounds), the Rangers couldn't overcome key losses, including a major decision from Gabe Johnson at 157 pounds and a fall from Zane Coleman at 174 pounds. Lloyd Reynolds picked up a critical victory in a 2-1 sudden victory at heavyweight, but it wasn't enough to secure the win.
#3 Parkside 30, King University 13
The Rangers rebounded in their final dual of the day with a commanding 30-13 win over King University. Parkside recorded four victories by either technical fall or fall, including a dominant 18-0 tech fall from Shane Corrigan at 125 pounds and a 3:59 pin from Joey Roti at 133 pounds. Cayden Henschel also impressed with an 18-2 tech fall at 141 pounds along with Dajun Johnson winning by a 20-3 tech fall at 165 pounds. Reece Worachek provided another highlight, winning by a 8-5 decision in sudden-victory at 184 pounds.
Looking Ahead
The Rangers will return to action on Saturday morning at 9:00am from the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Parkside will open the day against NSIC foe Augustana. Depending on the result, Parkside will then wrestle for either fifth or seventh place at 1:00pm. Links to live coverage can be found at ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
