Two days after he earned a team win-clinching pin for a second straight season, junior heavyweight
Wyatt Bailey ground out a 6-5 decision over McKendree's No. 15-ranked Tyler Haynes on Sunday (Jan. 19) afternoon – giving the No. 16 Ashland University wrestling team a 19-18 win on a third criteria tiebreaker.
The win puts the Eagles at 8-1 in duals so far in 2024-25 – Ashland now having one more victory than in all of 2023-24. The No. 6-ranked Bearcats are 5-4.
Bailey, whose pin gave Ashland a 22-20 win at home on Friday (Jan. 17) night against No. 2-ranked Glenville State, won late on Sunday on a reversal to improve to 11-8 on the season.
Of Ashland's eight dual wins this season, five have come against nationally-ranked opponents.
The opportunity for Bailey to give the Eagles the win at the end, however, couldn't have happened without a comeback in the second half of the dual.
After sophomore 125-pounder
Luke Acuna, ranked No. 12 in the country, pinned No. 14-ranked Jason Strope with three seconds left in their dual, McKendree ran off 15 consecutive points.
No. 5-ranked junior
Nate Barrett stopped that run at 165 pounds, moving to 18-7 after an 8-5 overtime victory against No. 6-ranked Cory Peterson. No. 8
Sevriano Garza's (18-2) 11-6 win over No. 2 Matt Ortiz at 174 pounds moved the Eagles one step closer at 15-12, then sophomore
Braden Welch (8-3) topped Brandon Lloyd at 184 pounds, 7-4, to tie the match at 15.
McKendree went up 18-15 after a decision at 197 pounds – once again setting up Bailey at the end.
T-NO. 16 ASHLAND UNIVERSITY 19, NO. 6 MCKENDREE 18 (ASHLAND WINS ON THIRD CRITERIA TIEBREAKER)
125 pounds – No. 12
Luke Acuna (AU) pin No. 14 Jason Strope (MU), 6:57 (6-0 AU)
133 pounds – Anthony Bernardo (MU) won by forfeit (6-6 tie)
141 pounds – No. 3 Ronan Schuelke (MU) dec. No. 15
Brock Durbin (AU), 2-0 (9-6 MU)
149 pounds – No. 12 Joey Semerad (MU) dec.
Hayden Kuhn (AU), 4-1 (12-6 MU)
157 pounds – James Hoskinson (MU) dec.
Lance Overmyer (AU), 4-3 (15-6 MU)
165 pounds – No. 5
Nate Barrett (AU) dec. No. 6 Cory Peterson (MU), 8-5 OT (15-9 MU)
174 pounds – No. 8
Sevriano Garza (AU) dec. No. 2 Matt Ortiz (MU), 11-6 (15-12 MU)
184 pounds –
Braden Welch (AU) dec. Brandon Lloyd (MU), 7-4 (15-15 tie)
197 pounds – Ridge Schutte (MU) dec.
Reese Redman (AU), 6-1 (18-15 MU)
285 pounds –
Wyatt Bailey (AU) dec. No. 15 Tyler Haynes (MU), 6-5 (18-18 tie)
UP NEXT
The 2025 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday (Jan. 25) at 10 a.m. at Findlay.
