ADRIAN, Mich.--The Adrian College men's wrestling team made program history in front of an enthusiastic Merillat Sport & Fitness Center crowd on Thursday night with a 46-9 victory over visiting Defiance College on Senior Night, producing the Bulldogs' first-ever 12-win season.
Adrian, which recorded four pins during the rout, improves to 12-5 in dual matches while the Yellow Jackets drop to 1-6 overall. The 1970 and 1969 squads went 11-4-1 and 11-6, respectively, according to available school files.
The Bulldogs spotted the visitors a 6-0 lead as Rosendo Beltran notched a pin in 6 minutes and 17 seconds at 125 pounds, but sophomore Elijah Sanchez returned the favor at 133 with a pin of his own over Seth Majewski in 5:56 to knot things up at 6-all.
At 141, Alex Smith edged Tanner Smith in a 5-3 decision to give Defiance its final lead of the evening at 9-6.
After that third bout, it was all Bulldogs all the time. Junior Noah Nieman at 149 put the Bulldogs in front for good with an 18-2 technical fall in 4:07. Nieman ranks fifth in NCAA Division III and tops the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association with now 11 tech falls.
After sophomore Zach Altman won by injury default at 157, classmate Derick Duvall extended the Bulldogs lead to 23-9 with a 1:00 pin at 165.
After junior Bryant Moore won by forfeit at 174, freshman Kyle Emery made it 34-9 after a 15-0 tech fall in 4:27 at 184.
Junior Devon Pingel recorded one of the team's fastest pins of the season at nine seconds at 197, increasing the AC lead to 40-9. Pingel is nationally ranked No. 5 by D3wrestle.com and No. 7 by the National Wrestling Coaches' Association, and added to his team-best 12th fall while improving to 25-3 on the season.
Sophomore Isaiah Espinoza wrapped up the scoring with a 5:31 pin at 285, improving on his Bulldog-best record to 27-3 with 10 falls. He is ranked No. 4 by D3wrestle and No. 8 by NWCA.
During the intermission after the fifth bout, Emmanuel Rankine (Detroit/Lutheran Westland High School) was honored on Senior Night for his contributions on and off the mat as a four-year member of the program. He was victorious in his exhibition match at 157 with a second-period fall.
Adrian returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 15, when it travels to the Mid-States Conference in Crawfordsville, Ind., at Wabash College. The Bulldogs will host the NCAA Division III Central Region Championships on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28-29.
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