RESULTS
INDIANAPOLIS – University of Montevallo Wrestling's Gabe Hixenbaugh led the Falcons to a 29th-place finish at the 44
th Annual Midwest Classic as he claimed the 133 Championship Title, Sunday.
Hixenbaugh defeated No. 2 Quentrevion Campbell by decision 9-2 in the finals, to earn the 133 Championship.
In the two-day event with over 50 NCAA Division II teams in attendance, Hixenbaugh went 5-0 in the 133 bracket to win the championship title. En route, Hixenbaugh defeated three of the top-ranked wrestlers in Division II, including the 2023 defending national champion.
As a team, Montevallo totaled 30.5 points to finish 29th out of 51 total Division II teams on the weekend., 23.5 of which came from Hixenbaugh.
On Saturday, Hixenbaugh began with a 13-0 major decision win in the championship bracket second round over Collin Creach from Newman. Next, the Alabaster, Alabama native faced McKendree's Ryan Rippingler and won by tech fall, 18-2 to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarters, Hixenbaugh faced No. 1 Gavin Quiocho, the defending national champion from Glenville State, and earned a 4-2 win by decision to advance. Hixenbaugh returned on Sunday to take on No. 5 Elijah Lusk from Lander, winning by a decision 11-4. The redshirt junior capped off the tournament with a 9-2 decision win over No. 2 Campbell from Chadron State.
Following his championship win, Hixenbaugh, currently ranked No. 7 by OpenMat and No. 10 by NWCA, was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
"Gabe wrestled incredibly this weekend," said Head Coach Daniel Ownbey. "Putting his name on the map by beating both returning national finalists."
This marks Hixenbaugh's third tournament win of the season as he is now 17-0 overall with six ranked victories.
In addition to Hixenbaugh, three other Falcons garnered points in the event. Freshman
Jeffery Tubbs scored 3.5 points as he advanced to round four of the 184 consolation bracket and finished 2-2. Freshman
Colt Brown joined Tubbs in going 2-2 on the weekend while advancing to the consolation round four at 125. He earned 2.5 points for UM. Freshman
Derek Hussey was the final Falcon to score as he earned a major decision victory and two points.
"As a whole, we wrestled good for a young team," added Ownbey. "WE have some room to grow, however, I am pleased with how we performed. This was a good tester going into the second half of the season. We know what we need to work on and will be prepared come regionals. I'm excited to get back to work after the holidays.
Tournament Information
WHAT: 44
th Annual Midwest Classic Hosted by UIndy
WHERE: Indianapolis, Indiana
WHEN: Dec. 16-17
Individual Highlights
- No. 7/10 Hixenbaugh (17-0) led UM with 23.5 points as he won the 133 bracket with a 5-0 record that included a tech fall, a major decision, and three wins over top-5 ranked opponents.
- Hixenbaugh was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament
- Colt Brown (15-9) finished 2-2 in the 125 bracket with his ninth tech fall of the year and earned two points for UM.
- Jeffery Tubbs (13-8) added 3.5 points for the Falcons as he finished 2-2.
- Derek Hussey (12-5) 1-2 and added his second major decision of the season, earning two points for Montevallo.
Team Highlights
- Montevallo finished 29th out of 51 total Division II teams with 30.5 total points.
- The Falcons were one of 12 Conference Carolinas teams in the event and finished ahead of eight conference foes.
Up next, the Falcons will enjoy winter break before returning to action against Emory & Henry and Bluefield State on Jan. 10, in Emory, Virginia.
