Wrestling | 2/14/2020 9:58:00 PM

    BEREA, Ohio – The West Liberty University wrestling team came out on the short end of a 24-12 tally at host Baldwin Wallace here Friday night in a battle of nationally-ranked squads at the Ursprung Gym.
    It was a frustrating evening for Coach Danny Irwin's Hilltoppers (8-8), ranked No. 16 in the NWCA's latest NCAA Division II poll, as three of the seven wins posted by the Yellow Jackets (13-3) were one-point decisions. The hosts – ranked No. 7 by the NCAA Division III coaches – also picked up a two-point win and a four-point decision.
    "The team brought some good effort tonight," Irwin said, "but we just didn't execute in that handful of toss-up matches which led to the final outcome."
    That four-point decision came in the opening match of the evening when BWU junior Stanley Bleich, ranked No. 5 nationally at 149 pounds, outlasted WLU sophomore Jacob Simpson for a 4-0 win and a 3-0 Baldwin Wallace lead.
    The Yellow Jackets moved out to a 7-0 lead with a major decision at 157 and then took control of the match by pulling out back-to-back 5-4 decisions at 165 and 174.
    The Hilltoppers hit the board when freshman Zane Lanham, the reigning MEC Wrestler of the Week and the nation's No. 9-ranked 184-pounder, breezed to a 5-0 decision over Griffin Rathburn.
    That cut the BWU lead to 13-3 but the hosts' Zach Lehman, a senior All-American ranked No. 6 nationally at 197, fended off a spirited upset effort from WLU's Ronnie D'Amico to eke out a 2-0 nod. Another one-point decision at 285 all but put the match out of reach, 19-3, heading into the final three matches of the night.
    Sophomore All-American Cole Laya, ranked No. 8 at 125 pounds, gave West Liberty its second win of the night with a 7-1 victory against Jack Stanley but Baldwin Wallace clinched it with a technical fall by senior All-American Charlie Nash at 133 pounds.
    West Liberty's senior All-American, Darius Bunch, closed out the match with the only fall of the night, stopping Conner Deboe at the 3-minute mark of the third period.
    It was the first action in several weeks for Laya and Bunch, who had been out of action while rehabbing from early-season injuries.
    "Everyone was excited to see our two All-Americans back in the lineup," Irwin said. "It was good for them to have a chance to knock off a little rust before the (Super Region 3 meet) and they controlled their matches from start to finish."
    Coach Irwin and the Hilltoppers wrap up the regular season at home on Sunday with a Senior Day dual against Seton Hill (Pa.). First match is set for 2 p.m. at the ASRC, immediately following the Senior Day festivities.
    "We are going to need everyone ready to go on Saturday as Seton Hill is just as good if not better than Baldwin Wallace," Irwin said. "We're also looking forward to honoring our seniors – Bunch, Chase Logan, Isaiah Myers and Chris Cook – on their Senior Day!"
  125: Cole Laya (WLU) d. Jack Stanley (BWU), 7-1
133: Charlie Nash (BWU) tf. Steven Slack (WLU), 18-1
141: Darius Bunch (WLU) p. Conner Deboe (BWU), 3:00
149: Stanley Bleich (BWU) d. Jacob Simpson (WLU), 4-0
157: Dalton Leightner (BWU) md. Blake Miller (WLU), 12-2
165: Benjamin Hooff (BWU) d. Chase Morgan (WLU), 5-4
174: Lucas Salmon (BWU) d. Chance Morgan (WLU), 5-4
184: Zane Lanham (WLU) d. Griffin Rathburn (BWU), 5-0
197: Zach Lehman (BWU) d. Ronnie D'Amico (WLU), 2-0
285: Parker Meaney (BWU) d. Chris Cook (WLU), 3-2