MVC wrestling: Vikings win seven medals at Iowa meet

DES MOINES -- Missouri Valley College sophomore wrestler Paulie Hansen of Turner, Kan., blew through the 125-pound division to take the gold medal Saturday in the Grand View Open at Des Moines, Iowa.

The fifth-ranked Hansen notched a pin and technical fall among his three victories leading to an encounter with No. 7 Zach Meury of Missouri Baptist in the finals, a 7-2 decision.

Hansen wasn't the only Viking to grapple for a title at a meet which had a heavy representation among nearby NCAA Division I programs like Iowa, Iowa State and Wisconsin. All-America senior Brian Graham (149 pounds) also won three bouts, including a pin and technical fall, before being stopped in the second period of the championship match against the Hawkeyes' Dylan Carew.

Senior Joe Cornejo (157) also seemed to be well on his way to a gold-medal contest, with three straight pins to begin the meet, before being hurt in the semifinal round -- a 5-2 loss to eventual champion Derek St. John of Iowa. With two injury defaults, Cornejo wound up sixth.

Valley had two entries finish third. Junior D.W. Bradshaw (165) of Marshall split his first two matches, losing an 8-1 decision to eventual finalist Brad Lower of Grand View, then reeled off four straight wins -- with a fall, tech fall and major decision among them -- for a bronze medal.

Sophomore Colin Pierce (133) pinned his first two foes before being beaten by an ultimate finalist, a 7-3 decision for Iowa's Mark Ballweg, but then won twice by fall and a 4-1 decision over Wisconsin's Tom Kelliher in the trophy round.

Senior Chad Williams also got to the third-place match, winning four in a row on the back side, before losing a 9-3 decision to the Badgers' Derrick Brolie.

Also having to advance through the wrestlebacks to wind up in fifth place was senior Eric Graham (141), whose two losses were both to Cameron Wagner of Wartburg (Iowa).

Although not reaching the medal round, sophomores Jake Guernsey (174) and Jesse Alter (184) went 2-2.

The previous day, the third-ranked Vikings blanked William Penn (0-5), 46-0, during a dual match at Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Valley (10-1) won all seven bouts, with Pierce getting the only pin. Brian Graham recorded a technical fall, Alter and freshman Gian Travarso (165) won by major decision, and Hansen, Eric Graham and junior heavyweight Travis Ewart each claimed decisions.

Although the inaugural Missouri Valley Invitational scheduled for Jan. 24 was cancelled due to the withdrawal of teams for health reasons, the Vikings will host the annual MVC Open on Saturday in the Burns Athletic Center.