Gioffredi, Robinson take fifth at Lower Midwest Regional

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- John Gioffredi and Noah Robinson each finished in fifth place to close the Simpson wrestling team's weekend at the NCAA Lower Midwest Regional at the Five Flags Center.

DeVaughn Scott added a sixth-place effort as the Storm finished in 12th place in the team standings. 

Gioffredi opened the day in the championship semifinals of the 133-pound bracket, where he suffered a close 9-6 loss to Augustana's Brendan Gould. He lost to Nathaneal Rankin of Ozarks on the back side of the bracket, ending up in the fifth-place match. There, he beat Luther's Kyle Clough 8-2.

Robinson needed to finish climbing his way through the consolation bracket at 184 pounds. He started the day with a 5-1 win over Cornell's Bryce Ovesen to advance to the consolation semifinals. Needing a win to advance to the third-place match and a shot at nationals, he lost a tough 4-2 decision to Luther's Awais Arain in sudden victory. In the fifth-place match he rallied to beat North Central's Joshua Bouie 11-6.

Scott opened the day in the semifinal round of the 197-pound bracket, where he suffered a 9-3 defeat to Loras' Guy Patron. Needing a win in the consolation semifinals to earn a spot in the third-place match, Scott dropped a tough 8-6 decision to Cornell's Andrew Holladay. He lost another two-point decision to Dubuque's Ethan Cain in the fifth-place match, falling 9-7 to take sixth.