Mustangs take down Briar Cliff on Senior Night

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The Morningside men's wrestling team showed resilience on Friday night, defeating Briar Cliff 26-9 in Allee Gymnasium.

Morningside won eight of the ten matches competed, including two major decisions. Head coach Rulin Pederson was pleased to see the bounceback from Tuesday's disappointing loss against Dakota Wesleyan.

"They bounced back from some of the conversations we had," Pederson said.

Morningside got to pick what weight it wanted to start with against the Chargers, and Pederson chose to begin with 141-pound freshman Isaac Lomas. The Waterloo East High School alum wrestled a tough match on Tuesday that ended in sudden defeat, but Pederson knew Lomas could answer the call.

Lomas had the first takedown of the match, then after allowing a couple points on escapes, he responded with a second takedown during the second period.

"I believe a lot in him, and I think he's got a little bit of dog in him," Pederson said. "He's a guy who comes from a good program, and his work ethic has been tremendous since he's come to the college level. From Day 1, he's never backed down from ranked guys or upperclassmen."

Here's a look at the other victories Morningside earned on Friday:

149 — Caden Eggleston won in an 8-2 decision. Eggleston scored four points during the second period.

165 — Zander Ernst posted 10 points on three separate second-period takedowns to earn a 20-6 major decision. He also led 3-1 after the first period.

"I wrestled hard, and tried to find some offense," Ernst said. "I had to win the position at hand. I tried to keep all the external factors out, and focus on myself and score as many points as I could."

174 — John McGill won by major decision, thanks to four takedowns. He had three in the first period alone.

184 — Joseph Monge set the tone with an early takedown and solid defense, and won his match, 8-1.

197 — Mekhi Bovee earned the win 4-1 and a late escape gave him an insurance point, and another win for Morningside.

285 — West Monona grad Megaeska Kalskett took his man down in the first minute en route to a 5-0 victory.

125 — Ty Lorentzen won 10-4, thanks to two takedowns during the third period.

"The belief of seeing the guy in front of you getting a win definitely motivates you," Pederson said.

Morningside also recognized Samuel Moore, Bryce Kwiecinski, and Justin Parsons during a Senior Night ceremony before the dual.