Wrestlers fall to pair of ranked foes

INDIANOLA - The Simpson wrestling team kicked off a big weekend Friday night, falling in a pair of duals to nationally-ranked Luther and Williams.

A day before the annual Simpson Wrestling Invitational, the Storm hosted No. 18 Luther and No. 13 Williams in a double-dual. Simpson fell to Iowa Conference-foe Luther, 28-15, and dropped a 34-10 decision to Williams. In the first dual of the evening, Williams topped Luther, 23-16.

Jordy Ammons and Calvin Barber each went 2-0 on the night for the Storm (0-3, 0-1 IIAC). The 174-pounder, Ammons earned an 8-3 decision against Luther's Nick Jazdzewski and picked up a 22-9 major decision against Mir Hanglin of Williams.

Wrestling at 157 pounds, Barber took an 8-3 decision from Luther's Shaun O'Neill before escaping with a 1-0 win over Darius Charles of Williams.

Simpson battled against the Norse (2-2, 1-0 IIAC), trailing by a point with three weights to go. Sophomore 133-pounder Jeff Sand gave the team a lift early on when he recorded Simpson's only fall of the night, pinning Jayson Swanson in 4 minutes. Caleb Brus also recorded a win against the Norse, tallying a 10-4 decision against Brent Blaser.

Simpson managed three wins against the Ephs (2-0), who travelled to Simpson from Williamsburg, Mass. Freshman 165-pounder Justin Bruce picked up a 2-0 decision over Scott Sanderson in addition to the wins from Ammons and Barber.

Cowles Fieldhouse is the site for the 2010 Simpson Wrestling Invitational, which takes place Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. This year's tournament features 14 teams from six states, spanning NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA and the NJCAA. Ten teams are nationally ranked in the Top-25 or receiving votes in their respective divisions.

For live video of the tournament, visit ttp://www.simpsonathletics.com/sports/wrest/livevideo