GLENDALE, Ariz. – Wayland Baptist's
Johnathon Ortegon earned a big win here Saturday to get the match started, but the Pioneer men's wrestling team wound up falling short of No. 18 Arizona Christian, 34-12.
Ortegon, a redshirt freshman from Amarillo, pinned the NAIA's No. 5 wrestler, Elias Gonzales, in the 125-pound match to get the Pioneers, ranked the equivalent of 46
th, six quick points.
"I am very proud of the run Johnathon is putting together," WBU coach
Kiiler Stephens said of Ortegon, now 8-1 on the season with wins in his last six matches.
Those six points wound up being half of Wayland's total for the day. The other six came courtesy of decisions by
Hunter McCarty at 184 and
William Bennett at 285.
"We were open at 165 due to illness, and I think that created a 12-point swing in the wrong direction," Stephens said. "We did a really good job of wrestling a full match. We just need to focus on cleaning up some technique and getting better from the bottom position."
Wayland's match against Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) was cancelled.
The Pioneers, now 3-5 on the season, are next scheduled to participate in the Sooner Athletic Conference/Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships on Feb. 13 in McPherson, Kan.
No. 18 Arizona Christian 34, Wayland Baptist 12
.
