INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The No. 14-ranked West Liberty State College wrestling team battled its way into fourth place after the first day of the Midwest Classic on Saturday at the University of Indianapolis's Nicoson Hall.
Newberry (S.C.), ranked No. 5 in the nation, leads the team standings with 91.5 points. No. 17 Wisconsin-Parkside is a distant second with 71 points with No. 19 Ashland (63.5) edging Coach Brian Davis's Hilltoppers (56) for third place.
No. 4 Adams State (Colo.), the two-time defending tournament champion, is fifth with 54 points in a talent-laden 22-team field that includes 10 of the Top 20 NCAA Division II squads in the country in addition to nationally-ranked NAIA and NCAA Division III teams.
Six Hilltoppers wrestlers have clinched a spot in the top eight of their respective weight divisions and three will still be in the hunt for individual titles when action resumes today.
Two-time NCAA All-American Doug Surra remained unbeaten on the season with a pair of impressive victories at 141 pounds. The No. 2-seeded Surra (17-0), ranked No. 5 in the nation, will meet No. 3-seeded Matt Irwin of Indianapolis in a semifinal. A victory there could set up a showdown with top-seeded Raymond Dunning of Adams State, ranked No. 1 nationally at 141 pounds.
Former Bellaire St. John standout Kayne Melko, the No. 5-seed at 149, avenged his only loss of the season with an 8-3 romp against Ohio Northern's No. 4-seeded Mick Letcher in the quarterfinals and will wrestle unseeded Keith Johnson of Mesa State.
Heavyweight Mike Carpenter also advanced to a championship semifinal. The No. 7 seed will battle No. 3 seed Trey Moss of Limestone.
Matt Wykoff (125), Mitch Smith (157) and Mitch Knapp (184) were knocked out of championship contention Saturday but wrestled their way back into the consolation semifinals to guarantee a top-eight finish.
