Falcons Put on a Show at CCIW Championships, Place Third Overall

ELMHURST, Ill. - The Concordia Wisconsin wrestling team assembled a strong showing at the CCIW Championships, landing four wrestlers in the top three of their respective brackets, including two champions.

Every Falcon wrestler notched at least one victory in the event, and the squad's  24 victories by ten competitors notched 110.5 team points to grant Concordia third place as a team.

Junior Devin Gore (Plymouth, Wis.) was the Falcons' representative at 125 pounds, collecting wins by technical fall and major decision to take fourth place.

Freshman Christopher Khoasanga (Jackson, Wis.) notched three team points for Concordia after picking up a fall victory in his second match of the afternoon. Senior Emilio Acosta (El Paso, Texas) likewise found a win in his second contest, finding a reversal with eight seconds remaining to take a 12-11 decision.

Freshman Cole Ramos (Kenosha, Wis.) became just the second Falcon in history to take first place at the CCIW Championships, storming through the field at 149 pounds. After a first-period fall in the quarterfinal and 15-0 technical fall in the semifinal, Ramos completed a thrilling comeback in the first-place match to take the bracket. Trailing 7-4 entering the third period, he collected six points in the final two minutes to secure the victory. Ramos also earned the First Year Student-Athlete of the Year award.

Senior Carson Cook (Las Vegas, Nev.) stood as another Falcon to win multiple matches in the event, emerging victorious by decision and fall before taking fourth place at 157 pounds.

Junior Jeremy Pullen (Joliet, Ill.) won three of his first four bouts before securing a dominant 15-6 major decision in the third-place match. Sophomore Ruben Vasquez (Westminster, Calif.) snagged another victory for Concordia at 174 pounds, winning by fall in the second consolation round.

Senior Jonathan Pullen (Joliet, Ill.) was the highest-scoring wrestler for the Falcons at the tournament, recording 21 team points en route to becoming the team's second first-place finisher of the day. After taking his opening two matches by technical fall, a 46-second fall in the semifinal contest clinched a berth in the first-place match. He met North Central's Cole Cerventes for the title, who entered the bout ranked 15th by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Pullen dominated the bout, notching a 19-5 major decision. He would go on to take the event's Most Valuable Wrestler Award, having outscored his opponents 58-6.

Senior Peyton Smith (Milwaukee, Wis.) also landed on the podium for the Falcons, taking second place at 197 pounds. His 3-1 performance included two major decisions and a first-period fall.

Fellow senior Cam Mercer (Glenview, Ill.) tallied another three wins for Concordia, notching two decisions and a fall at 285 pounds to collect eight team points.

The Falcons will look to carry their momentum into the NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Regionals, beginning on Friday, March 1.