AND ANOTHER ONE! Eagle Wrestlers Win Third Straight G-MAC Title, Fifth In Six Years

At the pace Ashland University's wrestling team has won Great Midwest Athletic Conference championships, the Eagles could start to be considered hoarders.
 
Holding off both Tiffin and Findlay on Saturday (Jan. 31), Ashland won the 2026 Great Midwest Championships at Kentucky Wesleyan – the Eagles finishing with 161 team points to the Dragons' 149 and the Roughnecks' 140.

"Today was a team effort. Every win and point scored mattered," said Ashland head coach Colt Sponseller. "The men showed up and represented Ashland Eagle Nation well. We had gritty performances by everyone. Hayden Kuhn, Peyton Lemon, and Wyatt Bailey had great performances taking home championships, and guys like Luke Acuna and Fletcher Rose fought back hard on the backside to finish the day strong.

"We also had a lot of younger talent in there today gritting through some toughs wins. Overall, it was a great team effort from top to bottom. Really proud of the men, and it is a great stepping stone as we head into the last few weeks of the season."
 
Ashland did not have the most individual league champions in the field, but got key points up and down the lineup. And the Eagles needed all of them, as they led Tiffin 141-136 going into the finals.
 
Junior 149-pounder Hayden Kuhn was Ashland's first individual champ, going 4-0 and topping Tiffin's Micah Cottrell in a 9-0 major decision in the finals. Kuhn ended the day at 4-0 with a pin, two technical falls and a major decision.
 
Another junior, Peyton Lemon, won a conference title at 197 pounds after going 3-0 – including a 4-2 win over Tiffin's Max Millin. He added a pin and a major decision on the day.
 
Finally, senior 285-pounder Wyatt Bailey won by default in his final, and was 4-0 with three pins on Saturday.
 
It wasn't just the champs who led AU to the team victory in the finals round:

• Senior Nate Barrett was second at 165 pounds (2-1, pin, tech fall).
• Senior Sevriano Garza took second at 174 pounds (3-1, two major decisions).
• Junior Luke Acuna was third at 125 pounds (3-1, major decision).
• Redshirt freshman Fletcher Rose finished third at 184 pounds (4-1, two pins, tech fall, major decision).
• Sophomore Donovan Paes took fourth at 133 pounds (2-2, pin).
• Redshirt freshman Fernando Lopez was fourth at 157 pounds (2-2, pin, tech fall).
• Sophomore Rylen Campbell was fifth at 141 pounds (4-2, pin, three major decisions).
• Redshirt freshman Gavin Nelson placed fifth at 165 pounds (3-2).
• Freshman Michael Millin was fifth at 285 pounds (3-2, pin, two technical falls).

COMING UP
The No. 10-ranked Eagles will go to No. RV West Liberty at 6:30 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 6).