FINDLAY, Ohio -- The Lake Erie wrestling team competed in the 2024-25 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championships this weekend on the campus of the University of Findlay. The Storm had a good showing, finishing third as a team, with Jack Haskin earning the 165 lbs title and three others finishing on the podium.
Recap
Seven Storm wrestlers placed during the event, and Braden Hahlen was the first to do so. At 125 lbs, he started the day with a sudden victory over Findlay's Wyatt Nemitz. After a close 17-14 decision loss to #13 Luke Acuna from Ashland, Hahlen defeated teammate Jordan Rodriguez by a 7-2 decision, advancing to the 3rd place match, where he overcame Trevor Wilcox from Thomas More, 8-6.
At 133 lbs, Anthony Sagaris easily defeated Chase Dickerson (Tiffin) by a 16-0 technical fall. He then fell to #15 Ashton Anderson (Findlay) by an 8-4 decision but bounced back with another technical fall victory, this time over Christopher Ferraro from Thomas More. In the 3rd place match, Sagaris earned a 10-4 decision victory over Rylen Campbell (Ashland), securing a podium finish and the Storm's second of the day.
Josh Howey delivered the Storm's next big finish. He began with an 18-2 technical fall victory over Ashland's Nathan Parks. This set him up against teammate Austin Fietz, where he lost by a 4-1 sudden victory. Howey moved on to face Matt Ellis from Thomas More, winning easily by a 15-0 technical fall. This led to a rematch with Parks, where he dominated again, taking him down by a 12-3 major decision. Howey then faced Cole Karasinski from Davenport in a close battle but ultimately lost 12-9. With the loss, Howey competed for 5th place, where he faced Fietz once again. Unfortunately, Fietz medically forfeited, giving Howey the victory.
At 165 lbs, it was #3 Jack Haskin's time to shine. He began the day with a pin victory over Colin Campbell (Davenport). In the semifinals, he faced Thomas More's Johmon Spiller, defeating him with a 12-0 major decision and guaranteeing himself a podium spot. In the championship match, Haskin faced Tiffin's Emilio Arellano in a tougher matchup but emerged victorious, earning the title with a 4-0 decision.
The Storm's next podium finish came at 184 lbs, with Jordan Barnett earning a convincing first victory over Ethan Ramsey (Davenport) by a 20-4 technical fall. In the semifinals, Barnett defeated Ashland's Braden Welch by an 8-2 decision, advancing to the championship match against #14 Peyton Lemon (Ashland). The match was exciting and closely contested. With the score tied 5-5 as time expired, Lemon edged Barnett with a decisive takedown to claim victory.
Collin Fairbanks also competed at 184 lbs for the Storm and placed. His day began with a technical fall loss to Lemon, but he advanced in his next match due to a medical forfeit by his opponent and secured a 5th place finish when his subsequent opponent also medically forfeited.
At 285 lbs, newcomer Jordan Smith delivered a couple of impressive performances. Smith, who hasn't wrestled in a few years, started with a major decision loss to Tiffin's Jake Powell. In his next match, he earned a gritty 9-6 sudden victory over Findlay's Wyatt Bailly. After being pinned by Ashland's Elisha Baldridge, he bounced back to defeat Israel Tshunza (Thomas More) in a 2-1 decision, securing fifth place.
Looking Ahead
The Storm will return to action on Saturday, February 1st, for a dual match against Hiram College. The match is set for 12 p.m.
