LA CROSSE, Wis. (November 9, 2023) – Sophomore Ryan Smith scored a first-period pin at 157 as No. 12 Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling defeated No. 8 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 19-16 Thursday evening in a dual meet hosted by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse at Mitchell Hall Gymnasium. 

Blaise Wagner scored a takedown in the final seconds of the second period to earn a key victory at 197 for the Ducks, who won their second dual of the season to improve to 2-0. Dating back to last season, the Ducks have won five straight duals. Wagner's victory clinched the dual.

Jackson Schichel had a major at 285 for the Blugolds, who dropped its dual opener in falling to 0-1. Stevens' victory was its first over Wisconsin-Eau Claire, who still leads the all-time series 2-1. 

Stevens won five of the 10 contested matches with two of the victories coming with bonus points, while Wisconsin-Eau Claire only had one bonus-point win on the evening.

The Rundown

• Graduate student Akhil Vega put the Ducks on the board with an impressive 12-4 major decision over Travis Moelter. The nation's top-ranked wrestler at 133, Tyler Fleetwood pulled away from senior Luke Hoerle down the stretch to score a 5-0 decision victory. 
• Sophomore Nico Diaz followed with a 10-4 decision at 141 to extend the Ducks' lead, but No. 12 Zach Sato snapped a scoreless tie with three points in the final period to defeat senior Pasquale Vizzoni at 149 to pull Eau Claire within a point.
• The next two matches were crucial turning points for Stevens. Smith scored the lone fall of the night in stopping Colton Sund less than two minutes into the match. Smith finished his impressive rookie campaign with three pins. Junior Harrison Hinojosa followed at 165 and earned a 4-1 victory over No. 7 Tristan Massie in sudden victory, scoring a takedown early in the extra session to add a key three points to the Ducks' score.
• Eau Claire won the next two matches via decision, including a 10-7 score at 174 in a matchup of top-five wrestlers, where second-ranked Jared Stricker pulled away from No. 4 Stefan Major late in the final period.
• With the Ducks holding a 16-12 lead, Wagner found himself down 7-6 late in the second period, but the Northampton, Pennsylvania native was able to get into a scoring position and record a takedown just before the period buzzer sounded to take a 9-6 lead. Wagner added another takedown in the final minute to cement his victory and clinch the dual.
• Sophomore Justin Ciliotta and junior Chris Stathopoulos collected victories in extra countable matches.

Top Performers

• Vega matched Wagner with 12 points as the highest point total scored by either side in the dual. 
• Three of the 10 matches were contested by two nationally-ranked wrestlers.

For the Opponents

• Schichel's 11 points were the most by a Blugold wrestler on the evening.

Around the Middle Atlantic Conference 

• Stevens was the only conference school competing on Thursday.

Up Next

• No. 12 Stevens continues its stint in the Midwest on Saturday, Nov. 11 as the Ducks take part in the Luther Open. A second group of Ducks will head to Rhode Island on the 11th for the Roger Williams Invitational. Appropriate links will be posted to StevensDucks.com once available.

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