Five earn top-five placing for wrestling team at Coe

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Simpson wrestling team had a solid outing at the Coe Turkey Open on Saturday as five individuals finished in the top five in their respective brackets. No team scores were kept.

Jacob Mize (149), Brett Roberts (174) and Colby Vlieger (285) all placed fourth and Zach Johnston (133) and Spencer Ward (184) took fifth to lead the Storm.

Mize tied for the team's best record on the day, going 4-2 with a pair of pins. The sophomore won his first three matches, which included pins over Jake Marlin (North Iowa Area CC) and Andrew Still (Truman State). His first loss came against eventual champion Elijah Sullivan (Grand View) in the semifinals. He earned a 6-3 decision against William Upson (Missouri Baptist) in the consolation semifinals before falling to Marlin in the third-place match.

In the 174-pound bracket, Roberts cruised in his first two matches before falling in the semifinals to eventual champion Thomas Moman (Grand View). He notched a 10-4 decision over David Perez (Harper) in the consolation semis before falling to Andrew Carter-Johnson in the third-place match. Roberts went 3-2 on the day.

Vlieger was Simpson's other fourth-place finisher, going 3-2 in the 285-pound bracket. Like Mize and Roberts, Vlieger advanced to the championship semifinals before falling to the eventual champion. He went on to earn a 10-3 decision over Creighton Fox (Coe) before losing in the third-place match.

Hitting the mat for the first time this season, Johnston, a freshman, went 4-2 in the 133-pound bracket. After losing in the second round, he rattled off two straight wins in the consolation bracket. Losing in the consolation semis, he advanced to the fifth-place match where he earned a win due to injury.

Ward recovered from a first-round loss to go 4-1 on the backside of the 184-pound bracket. After a first-round loss, Ward posted three-straight bonus-point wins before losing in the consolation semis. He went on to earn a 12-8 decision over Michael Cole (UW-Platteville) in the fifth-place match.

Up Next

The Storm are off until Dec. 4 when they travel to Galesburg, Ill. to face Augustana (Ill.) and Knox in dual action. Simpson is set to take on Augustana at 6:30 p.m. and Knox at 8:30.

Tournament Rundown