Bryan LaVearn was unbeaten after the first day of the Midwest Classic, as Tiffin University's men's wrestling team took on some of the nation's top teams.
Overall TU was 15th of 41 teams after the first day. Joining LaVearn in action on day two will be Nicholas Mason at 197 pounds, as he lost just once in the quarterfinals. LaVearn will battle in semifinal action on Dec. 19.
LaVearn (165 pounds) had a strong day, pinning Lincoln Memorial in 26 seconds before nipping Mary University 4-2 in sudden victory. He then flattened Coker in the quarters in 5:32.
Mason opened with a pin over King in 3:32 before beating Newman by tech fall 15-0. He then lost a narrow match to Alderson Broaddus 9-8 in the quarterfinals.
Matt Zuckerman (141) also picked up three wins before bowing out. He beat Bluefield State 18-4 in a major decision, then beat Pitt-Johnstown by medical forfeit and Ashland 8-0 in another major decision. A 13-2 loss to Maryville ended his run.
Also getting wins on day one were Jackson Collins at 133 pounds (pin over Fort Hays State in 5:12), Collin Adkins at 149 pounds (12-8 over Drury, 9-6 over Newman), Dylan Mansor at 157 (15-4 over UNC-Pembroke, pin over Bluefield State in 1:08), and David Henson at 285 (4-2 over San Francisco State).
The Classic concludes on Dec 19.