MITCHELL, S.D. – In season-opening action at the DWU Open, three members of the Augustana Viking wrestling team won their respective weight classes as 14 total athletes placed, including 10 attached wrestlers.
Payton Handevidt took first place at 165 for the second consecutive season at the DWU Open after going 5-0. The junior earned three decisions and two majors, including a dominant 10-1 victory over Lane Ewing of UMary in the final. His closest match came against fellow Viking Cash Raymond, winning by sudden victory in the semifinal.
The most dominant showing from the day came from Coy Gunderson, the champion at 174 pounds. Gunderson earned a pin, three tech falls and a major decision in his five matches, capped off by a tech fall in 5:25 over unattached Viking Gunner Mullen in the final.
Another all-Viking final came at 285 points when Jaret Peterson wrapped up an individual title with a 2-0 victory over Max Balow. The redshirt freshman earned a pair of tech falls to start his day before a 4-0 decision over Riah Ostrander of Fort Hays State. Peterson earned a pin in the semifinals and then scored two third-period points against Balow to earn the crown.
Balow was the lone Viking to earn runner-up honors among attached wrestlers, joining Mullen and Kaden Nicolas among all AU wrestlers. Balow had a decision and pin to open his day, both over NSIC foes, and reached the semifinals after a tech fall. He then inched out a win by sudden victory in the semifinal to secure his spot on the podium.
Three Vikings earned third-place finishes as Nolan Ambrose, Charlie Petit and Owen Wasley each made their way into a top-three day. At 149, Ambrose went 5-1 with three wins over NSIC opponents and earned an 8-1 decision over Aidan Callahan of Chadron State. Petit won four straight matches, three against the NSIC, after starting 1-1, closing it out with a 4-1 sudden victory over Logan Berger of Chadron State in the third place match. Wasley also roared back after a 1-1 start to close a third-place finish. Four of his matches, including three of his wins, were decided via decision and he added two pins to round out his day.
For full results, click HERE
The Vikings enter dual season next week, taking on South Dakota State on Friday, Nov. 14 before opening its home slate at 2 p.m., against Central Oklahoma inside the Elmen Center on Sunday Nov. 16.
