So far this season, the Ashland Eagles Wrestling has competed in two matches. To open their season, they wrestled in the Ohio Intercollegiate Open. 

At the Ohio Intercollegiate Open, the Eagles were able to bring home a second-place finish and three third-place finishes. Junior Drew Wiechers came back as runner-up sitting at 165 pounds, where he went 3-1 to finish the tournament. 

“Ashland was dominant in our first match of the season. I’m looking forward to winning our third GMAC Title for Ashland,” says Wiechers. “I know that I am competing to become a National Champion. After a 5th place finish last year, I know that I have what it takes to be at the top.”

Eagle Head Coach Colton Sponseller also has high hopes and is proud of how the season is so far. The team has brought in many new freshmen, so the transition to the season is key to having that winning season they see in the future. 

“I am most looking forward to the growth of the wrestling team as we move from the preseason through the actual competition season,” Sponseller explained. “This year we are a mix between having an older team but we have a ton of young guys. I am excited to see how the veterans help the younger men.”

On November 19th, the Eagles competed at the Findlay Open, where freshman Sevriano Garza was the top placer taking fifth place and finishing 5-2.

When asked about the first-year freshman and fresh faces on the teams, Coach Sponseller had nothing but good things to say.

“They [freshman] have already shown they are hard workers both in the classroom and in training. We believe that they are a great fit with what we are trying to build here at Ashland University and I am excited to see their growth.”

Coach Sponseller stated “We stress the idea, what you put in is what you get out. We also stress a mentality of focused consistent effort in everything you do.  If we act in that manner, we can accomplish our goals of being the best wrestling teams in the country and placing individuals in the NCAA Championship come March.”

The Eagles are set to take on their next competition on December 2nd, where they will take on Mercyhurst to continue to dominate the season.