PLEASANT HILL, Iowa – Freddy Rodriguez won the 125-pound weight class (open division) Saturday to lead SIUE wrestling at its opening event of the season at the Grand View Open.
Rodriguez defeated Iowa State's Markus Simmons 9-7 in the sudden victory period after winning his first three matches with a technical fall and two pins.
"Freddy was down in every match and came back," said SIUE Head Coach Jeremy Spates.
Jake Residori finished second at 174 pounds in his return to the Cougar lineup. He had two major decisions during the day.
SIEU picked up third place finishes from Gage Datlovsky (125-freshman), Trevor Feagans (141), Nate Higgins (165), Clayton Bass (174), Jake Tindle (197) and Jake McKiernan (HWT). The Cougars also picked up sixth-place finishes from John Fahy (149), Erik Travers (157) and Jacob Godinez (184)
"We lost a lot of matches that were winnable," said Spates. "We had some sloppy wrestling. The good thing is that we're early in the season and can fix those mistakes."
SIUE next looks to the Kaufman Brad Open next Saturday for its next event.
"We now have a better idea of where we are at as a team," said Spates. "I know the guys are working hard. We have to make sure we are working smart, and I expect our results to get better as we go."
