EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE wrestling wants only to build upon last season's success, and Head Coach Jeremy Spates and Associate Head Coach Daryl Thomas believe the Cougars are on track.
Last season, SIUE recorded a 6-6 dual match record, posting its first .500 or better record since the 1991-92 season.
That accomplishment is but a leaping off point for the Cougars, which return several wrestlers from last season's eighth-place finish at the 2024 Mid-American Conference Championships. Davian Guanajuato (125/5th), Marcel Lopez (133/3rd), Eric Almarinez (141/4th), Caleb Tyus (149/3rd), Dominic Lopez (174/7th) and Deron Pulliam (184/5th) all were placewinners and are on the 2024-25 roster.
"Coming into the year, we're excited," said Spates. "We have a really interesting group because we have that returning core of placewinners, and we have a group of freshman as well as some transfers."
In fact, Spates said only Marcel Lopez and Pulliam will be in the opening match lineup against Illinois on Saturday. That speaks volumes to the depth on the roster.
"Across the board we have some really good depth and competition," said Thomas. "Any time you have that, it pushes whoever comes out of that. It keeps them honest and makes the do things right every day. You can't cut corners because you know you have somebody nipping at your heels.
Spates and Thomas each noted that several wrestlers are still determining in which weight class they will compete. Below is a breakdown by weight class.
125 pounds
"125 will be interesting because we have a true freshman in there," said Spates. Drew Davis won his spot in the opening day by defeating both Porter Matecki and Guanajuato in the preseason wrestleoffs. Guanajuato was the SIUE starter last season and was SIUE's top-ranked wrestler in the Mid-American Conference rankings at No. 2. Deion Johnson also competed in the wrestleoffs and needs a little more offense to advance, according to Spates.
133 pounds
"Marcel Lopez came off a nice year last year as a first-year starter," said Spates. "He's dangerous and is really good in scrambles." Matecki also wrestled Lopez in the preseason wrestleoffs at 133. Sophomore Gavin Alexander is coming off injury and will be working his way back.
141 pounds
"Danny Martinez has worked hard during the offseason and has done the right things," said Spates. Martinez bested Minnesota transfer Ben Lunn in the wrestleoffs after collecting 21 wins last season. Martinez posted a 21-win season during the 2023-24 campaign.
149 pounds
Eric Almarinez is up a weight class from last season and dropped a triple overtime match to Hayden Whidden in what was a razor-thin finish at the wrestleoffs. Almarinez finished with 23 victories last season. Whidden recorded 10 wins in limited action last season. "Hayden has struggled with injuries in the past so for him to have a prolonged training period really helped him. He is really tough to score on," said Spates. "We're interested to see where Hayden is at." Alec Peralta also is in the mix at 149, a position that has been held solid by Caleb Tyus who has appeared in the NCAA Championships twice as a Cougar. Tyus will likely sit out the 2024-25 season.
157 pounds
Caine Tyus may be competing at 149 or 157 to make his way into the 2024-25 lineup. He'll see a stacked lineup that includes Brock Woodcock, Braxton Strick, PJ Murphy and Jorden Johnson. Woodcock posted a 12-7 record last season as a true freshman and hopes to improve after winning the preseason wrestleoffs.
165 pounds
The 165-pound weight classic hardly could get any more competitive. With Dominic Lopez, Hayden Shepherd, Luke Odom and Bradley Gillum all are vying for position. Odom becomes eligible second semester after the Edwardsville native transferred from Illinois. Gillum and Lopez battled in a spirited match at the wrestleoffs with Gillum taking the final decision. "We're expecting a big jump from Bradley this year. He's really worked on his offense," said Spates.
174 pounds
Griffin Ray will be the opening starter for the Cougars at 174. He comes to SIUE after sitting out last season at Nebraska. "Griffin was really highly-ranked coming out of high school. He knows how to wrestle. He's one who is very experienced and is very hard to wrestle," said Spates. Amare Overton, a freshman, also could step in at 174. "Amare has done a really good job. We knew he was an athlete, but he has worked really hard," said Spates. Hayden Trezek also lost in the final wrestleoff to Ray. He won 10 matches last season.
184 pounds
Deron Pulliam returns to his starting position at 184 after collecting 32 victories after the past two seasons. Pulliam was 6-1 in Mid-American Conference matches last season. Aaron Cramer, a sophomore, competed in two tournaments last season and will look to make improvements this season.
197 pounds
Nick Nosler gained invaluable experience at the U20 Pan-American Championships as a Greco-Roman wrestler. He collected 21 wins last season, 14 of which were major decisions or better.
Heavyweight
"Bryson Buhk did a great job last year. He was a little bit smaller heavyweight last year. He was working his way up from being a 197-pounder," said Spates. Buhk will be pushed in the wrestling room by freshman Jake Fernandez and Dan McKiernan.
SIUE wrestling opens the season Saturday with a 6 p.m. dual match against Illinois at First Community Arena.
