Contact: Sam Fretto, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu

Results

WHEATON, Ill. (Feb. 1, 2025)- The North Central College men's wrestling team made the short trip to Wheaton for the 83rd Pete Willson Invitational hosted by Wheaton College. The two-day tournament, beginning on January 30, ended with the Cardinals placing in ninth place out of 30 teams. 

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire took first in the invite with 150.5 points. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (142.5) placed second, with the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (112.5) taking third. North Central's ninth-place finish was backed with 69.5 points.

North Central sent nine wrestlers to compete in the invite, one for each weight class except 125-pounds. The Cardinals placed three of their nine wrestlers, with all three being top three finishes in their weight class. 

Ethan Spacht, competing at 133-pounds, improved to a 20-9 record and placed second at the invite. He knocked off four straight wins, including a pair of pin falls (1:58 and 1:10) as well as a tech fall. Spacht fell to Whitewater's Dominik Mallinder by a 7-3 decision in the first-place match. 

At 141-pounds, Josh Robison placed second, improving to 17-6. After a first-round bye, Robison rattled off three consecutive wins to put himself in the first-place match. Mark Samuel (Roanoke) defeated Robison by a 19-4 technical fall. 

Casey Aikman placed third in the 197-pound weight class, advancing to the semifinals with a pair of tech falls and a medical forfeit. Aikman fell to Cameron Butka, who is 33-2 on the season. Aikman bounced back, winning his final two matches, including a tech fall in the third place match. Aikman is now 11-3 this season.

The Cardinals wrap up their dual meets this season with a CCIW matchup against Aurora University on Thursday, Feb. 6, for senior night. Click HERE for the full schedule. 

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