What had been a modest dual meet in Amarillo has turned into a major on-campus tournament for the Wayland Baptist wrestling program, and it will be held for the very first time this weekend.
WBU coach
Aaron Meister is proud to have transformed the Raider Duals, an event the Pioneers have hosted in past years at Canyon Randall High School, into the Wayland Invitational.
The men will host a bracketed tournament on four mats starting at 9 a.m. Saturday in Hutcherson Center while the women compete in duals starting at 8 a.m. in the Laney Center.
"We've contemplated in the last couple years to making this a tournament," Meister said. "We decided we were going to pull that trigger and host a (big) tournament for the guys. It gives fans a great chance to watch the guys wrestle."
The ninth-ranked Pioneer men are especially looking forward to facing competition from NAIA teams Bethany (Okla.) and Midland (Neb.), which are both receiving votes in the polls.
"We're excited to see Bethany and Midland because we haven't seen them yet," Meister said.
As for the No. 8-ranked Pioneer women's team, their dual will feature No.18 Bacone (Okla.), No. 21 Emmanuel College (Ga.), and No. 24 Lyon (Ark.).
"There's going to be a lot of good matches on the women's side," Meister said.
Overall, the coach is looking forward to competitive matches and a big turnout from the Wayland fan base.
"We're just focused on wrestling to the best of our ability at a home event," Meister said.
"We want everyone to come out and watch both of our teams compete."
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