MEN’S WRESTLING HAS BIG SHOWING AT EAGLE DUALS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – At home for the first time in the 2024-25 season, Avila men's wrestling made the most of wrestling in front of the home crowd. Going up against four teams receiving votes in the most recent NAIA Men's Wrestling Coaches' Top 25, Avila had big performances from both a team and individual side on Saturday afternoon.

Avila went 2-2 on the day, with a 27-19 win over Baker and a 35-18 victory over Waldorf. Head Coach Eric Mateo was happy with his team's performance in the final competition of the first semester:

"I was pleased with how the guys wrestled today. We faced four quality opponents. The general theme of this week was to go out there, compete, have fun and do it for the guy next to you – and the guys did that. I was pleased, the rest of the coaching staff was pleased and the guys were pleased with their performances."

Raul Romero (125), Kendric Gordon (184) and Gavin Howes (285) each went 3-1 at the Eagle Duals.

"It was a good way to end our first semester," Mateo noted. "We're moving in the right general direction mentally and emotionally. Obviously a lot of technical things to work on and get better at, but that's a good thing, that's an opportunity, we have to be grateful for those."

Avila had three wrestlers pick up two wins on the day in Tyler Johnson (133), Luke Ward (141), Blake Becker (197).

It was clear that the Eagles fed off the environment from the home crowd. The team's first time competing on their home mats, Mateo noticed a little extra spark in his wrestlers:

"It's always nice to sleep in your own bed. Mabee Fieldhouse is great to compete in. It's good to be at home and we look forward to having more home events in January."

Avila will have some time off for the holidays before returning to campus three home events in January, beginning with duals against Friends and Central Methodist on January 10.

"A good two weeks off, a good time to heal up mentally and physically and spend some time being grateful for what we have," noted Mateo.

A full list of results from the 2024 Eagle Duals can be found at TrackWrestling.com.