Indianapolis, Ind. — The West Liberty University men's wrestling team opened competition at the 46th Annual Midwest Classic on Saturday, turning in several strong individual performances against a deep national field.

Leading the way for the Hilltoppers was Nico Taddy at 157 pounds, who went a perfect 3–0 on the day. Taddy opened with an 18–0 technical fall over Kevin Boston (CSU Pueblo), followed by a 16–4 major decision against Fernando Lopez (Ashland). He capped his day with a hard-fought 1–0 decision over Matt Hoelke (Newberry) to advance into the championship quarterfinals.

At 165 pounds, Bodie Morgan rebounded from an early setback to post a 3–1 record. Morgan collected a decision over Gavin Nelson (Ashland), a major decision against Jake Taylor (Wheeling), and closed the day with a pin over Anthony Lawrence (East Stroudsburg) in the consolation rounds.

Tony Wood (149) also pieced together a solid opening day, finishing 2–1 with back-to-back consolation wins over Daniel Sinclair (Millersville) and Micah Cotrell (Findlay), both by decision.

At 141 pounds, Khyvon Grace posted a 2–1 record, earning a 6–3 decision over Rylen Campbell (Ashland) before bouncing back in the consolation bracket with a 10–4 decision against Tanner Arjes (Upper Iowa).

Carter Winegardner (174) finished 2–1 on the day, highlighted by a 14–4 major decision over Zach Meisenzahl (Glenville State) and a decision win over Breck Williams (Adams State).

Heavyweight Parker Bentley went 2–1, opening with an injury default win over Albert Butler (Shorter) before defeating Tyler Wise (Fairmont State) by decision. Bentley's run was halted in the championship bracket by Cale Gray (Indianapolis).

West Liberty will return to the mats on Sunday with multiple wrestlers still alive in the consolation rounds.