GREENWOOD, S.C. – History has been made in the inaugural season of Montevallo wrestling, as the Falcons secured their first-ever regional placer, regional champion and national qualifier.
No. 1 Gabe Hixenbaugh led the way for the Falcons as he went 3-0 in the Super Region II tournament and was crowned the 133 Super Region II Champion, punching his ticket to the NCAA Division II National Championships. The Alabaster, Alabama native opened the tournament with a 12-4 major decision win over Timothy Luke from Mount Olive in the quarterfinals. In the semis, Hixenbaugh blanked Franky Medina from King by major decision, to advance to the regional final. In the final, Hixenbaugh faced No. 8 Elijah Lusk from Lander for the third time this season and earned a win by decision, 10-4.
With nationals on the horizon, Hixenbaugh is now 27-0 on the year.
Joining Hixenbaugh as the first Falcons to place in the Super Region tournament was
Colt Brown who finished fifth. Brown dropped his first match but worked his way through the consolation bracket with a 15-4 major decision win 7-1 decision win. In the fifth-place match, Brown defeated King's Tyson Upchurch by fall in 3:42.
Brown finished 3-2 on the day and improved to 22-12 on the year.
In addition,
Noah Todd and
Aiden Knight each earned wins during the tournament.
Todd dropped his first match to No. 11 Devon Rice from Newberry in the first round. Todd responded with a 13-3 win over Limestone's Caleb Melton to advance in the consolation bracket. Todd fell just short of moving on to the placement matches when he narrowly lost to Slade Watkins from Mount Olive, 3-2, in sudden victory.
Match Information
WHO: NCAA Division-II Super Region II
WHERE: Greenwood, S.C.
WHEN: Saturday, Mar. 2
Individual Results
125
- Colt Brown fell by pin in the first match to No. 5 Logan Seliga of UNC Pembroke.
- Brown turned in a dominant 15-4 major decision win over Porter Finstad from Lincoln Memorial to advance in the consolation bracket.
- In his third match, Brown topped Mount Olive's Lens Mathurin, 7-1, to move on in the competition.
- Brown advanced to the fifth play match after falling to Newberry's Zach Shupp, 14-4.
- Brown won the fifth-place match by fall, in 3:42, over Tyson Upchurch from King.
133
- No. 1 Gabe Hixenbaugh received a first-round by and advanced with a 12-4 major decision win over Timothy Luker from Mount Olive.
- In the semifinals, Hixenbaugh defeated Franky Medina from King by major decision, 12-0.
- Hixenbaugh won the Super Region II crown with a 10-4 win over No. 8 Elijah Lusk in the final.
141
- Chad Strickland advanced to the quarterfinals on a bye and fell by major decision, 17-4, to Belmont Abbey's No. 19 John Carayiannis.
- Strickland fell to Limestone's Heard Kaleem by major decision, 11-3.
149
- Trent Gilham lost to Emmanuel's Davin Lundquist by pin.
- Gilham dropped his second match by pin to Limestone's Brandon Seawright.
157
- Carson Freeman battled hard against UNC Pembroke's No. 8 Keegan Roberson but fell just short by decision, 20-16.
- Freeman was defeated in his second match by Newberry's Keegan Judd, 16-7.
165
- Derek Hussey fell to Mount Olive's Aaron Bancroft by major decision, 11-2.
- Hussey dropped his second match to Limestone's Chace McKinney by sudden victory, 4-1.
174
- Aiden Knight was pinned by No. 1 Scott Joll from UNC Pembroke in the first match.
- Knight won by fall in 3:58 in his second match over Osmar Rivera-Rosas to advance.
- Knight fell to King's Vincent Galang by major decision, 16-2, in his third match.
184
- Savian Graham was pinned by Lander's Anthony Yacovetti in the first match.
- Graham dropped a hard-fought battle in his second match, by decision, 8-7, to UNC Pembroke's Chris Dickey.
197
- Mark Pennison was pinned by No. 18 John Parker Wilson from Newberry in his first match.
285
- Noah Todd lost by a major decision, 8-0, to No. 11 Devon Rice from Newberry
- In his second match, Todd defeated Limestone's Caleb Melton by major decision, 13-3 to advance.
- Todd dropped a tough battle with Mount Olive's Slade Watkins by sudden victory, 3-2.
Team Highlights
- The Falcons made history on Saturday, Mar. 2, with their first-ever Super Region II placer, Super Region II champion and national qualifier.
- Montevallo earned 32.5 dual points as a team in the event.
UP NEXT: Gabe Hixenbaugh will represent the Falcons in the NCAA Division II National Championship for the 133-weight class, on Mar. 15-16, in Park City, Kansas.