MEN’S WRESTLING CELEBRATES SENIOR NIGHT VS. YORK

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Avila men's wrestling was able to celebrate five of its seniors at Mabee Fieldhouse versus York on Friday night, including two wrestlers who have been with the Eagles since the program's inception.

"The two guys here from the start – Logan Johnson and Blake Becker – they were Day Ones for Avila Wrestling four years ago," said Avila head coach Eric Mateo. "To see them go through school and get their degrees, they're great students.

"We care about wrestling, we want to chase the dream down, winning titles, but we're happy to see those guys have success in life and be great men."

"Kendric Gordon is a grad athlete, it's great to have him around. It's cool to see how far Terrell Carter-Williams has come. He's developed so much as an athlete and a young man. And then Sullivan Ruiz, he is a great addition, a great athlete, always ready to go, he's happy to be here, he's always ready to go and a great student. He's going to great things. I'm happy for all of those guys."

After the pre-match festivities, York would come out on top in the dual, 39-9.

"We bumped up six out of the nine contested matches and that's a big ask," noted Avila head coach Eric Mateo. "I asked my guys to bump up because I truly believe they can go out there and compete."

Avila was able to pick up a win in the first match of the night, as Tyler Johnson won with an 8-6 decision in the 133-pound division.

"We're building. We're not where we want to be yet, but it felt good that I got the dub – a late dub, too, getting the takedown there at the end of the match, that always feels good," said Johnson after the match.

The Eagles also notched a win in the 184-pound class from Kendric Gordon, who defeated Kaden Garcia by fall in 5:32.

A busy week for the men's wrestling program continues with the Roger Denker Open in Warrensburg, Mo., on Sunday.

A full list of statistics and results for tonight's dual can be found at TrackWrestling.com.

(cover photo credit: Seriah Hall-Brown)