Danville, Va. – After having won placer at the Pembroke Classic, the Wheeling University Wrestling team looking for continued improvement. They did just that at the Averett Open, placing three different wrestlers and just missing out on having five wrestlers place on the day.

The Cardinals' highest-ranked finisher was freshman Brennon Reid, who placed 5^th in the 157-pound weight class. He went 5-1 in his six matches on the day and ended it with an 8-5 decision over Averett's Thomas Baldwin in the fifth-place match. He started his day with two Major Decisions (18-5 and 13-5) in the first and second rounds of the 157-pound class. He would lose by pinfall in the quarterfinals but bounced back with a decision (6-3) and a Major Decision (16-5l before winning in the 5^th place match. Reid secured the second top-five finish for Wheeling this season after Hobbs placed fourth in the last tournament.

The next placer was Hobbs who finished 6^th in the 133-pound weight class. After a bye in the first round, Hobbs suffered an 8-3 loss in the second round that sent him to the Consolidation bracket. This is when he turned it on, rattling off three consecutive wins to make it to the 5^th place match. He picked up two pinfalls and a major decision on the run. He would face Coker's Reuben Calderon and ended his night falling in an 8-6 decision. Austin Mele was the final placer for the Cardinals finishing seventh overall in the 157-pound weight class. He made it to the quarterfinal round with a 5-1 decision in round two. He then fell in the quarterfinal round before picking up two Major Decisions to play in the 7^th place match. He won the 7^th place match 10-6 over George Vrachnos (Shenandoah) to secure his first place of the season.

Wheeling's other two competitors Mason Kuneff and Zach Kuneff both nearly placed, losing in the blood round. Mason Kuneff went 2-2 in his four matches on the day, and he started it with a pinfall (5:11) in the first round of the 184-pound bracket. After falling in the second round, he bounced back with his second pinfall win of the day in the consolidation round two when he beat Jasiri Dingle (Averett) in 2:07. He would fall in the Blood round to Kowan Lee (Averett) in a 2-1 decision ending his day. His brother Zach Kuneff competed for the first time this season in the 285-pound weight class. He went 3-2 in his five matches, picking up a pinfall and two decisions. He made it to the Blood round against Roanoke's Brady Elswick, before losing a 5-1 decision to end his day.

The Wheeling University Wrestling team returns to the mat on Saturday, November 20^th when they head to the Findlay Open.