The men’s team traveled to Rochester, Minnesota, on Nov. 1 to compete in the Yellowjacket Open. Led by head coach Joshua McCarthy, the team faced strong competition in its first tournament of the season.
Several wrestlers stood out. Sophomore Issac Barba, wrestling at 165 pounds, earned a pinfall victory over Connor Marshall of Iowa Central Community College late in the second period.
Freshman Brandon Anderson (125 pounds) won his preliminary-round match against Adam Fish of Hawkeye Community College with a major decision, 15-1.
At 184 pounds, sophomore Kael Morlock scored a decisive pinfall over unattached wrestler Mason Parish in the second round of the consolations.
Freshman Jonathon Santiago (197 pounds) also had an impressive first-round pinfall victory, defeating Preston Thorton of Southeastern Community College in just over two minutes.
Santiago spoke on the switch between the world of fast-paced high school wrestling and the slower rhythm of a college season.
“I come from a school that was pretty big on their wrestling program,” Santiago said, “so wrestling every day was pretty much the norm. We’d even have three practices in a day. [College is a] completely different ball game. Since we started this season, we’ve had the chance to wrestle with a couple of division one and two schools, and I’ve realized how big a difference there is.”
On Nov. 15, both teams traveled to Decorah, Iowa, to compete at the Luther College Open.
Some standout matches for the women’s team included sophomore Jessica Komolafe (180 pounds), who earned a 24-second pinfall over Teagen McKinnie of Wisconsin Stevens Point in the first round.
Komolafe followed that with a 1:03 pinfall over Lucy Read of Loras College in the second round of consolations, finishing the tournament in eighth place and making a strong start to her season.
Teammate Mia Ozorco, a 124-pound freshman, also went 2-2 at the tournament. Her most significant win came against Samantha Felger of Southeast Community College, which she secured with a pinfall just 2:24 into the first period.
For the men’s team, standout performances included freshman Adrian Hernandez (141 pounds), who earned a come‑from-behind third‑period pin over Chase Smith of Augsburg College, marking his first victory of the season.
Freshman 133‑pounder Marquan Godfrey also picked up his first win of the year with a dominant 16‑0 tech fall over unattached wrestler Lyric Fainter in the second period.
Head men’s and women’s coach Josh McCarthy spoke about the Wolves’ season so far.
“It’s hard coming in as a new coach and implementing change,” McCarthy said, “[But] I think the athletes have done a phenomenal job adapting, and we have built some great relationships along the way.”
Regarding the women’s team’s first competition, he added, “I think our women’s team had a good first showing. We made a lot of small mistakes that we can work on individually. [But] overall, getting that first match under their belts and overcoming the nerves of stepping on the mat for the first time was a challenge. The women did a phenomenal job; they are really fun to coach.”
