Wrestlers finish in second-place at Mid-States Conference Tournament

The Olivet College wrestling team finished in second place (out of seven teams) today at the Mid-States Conference Wrestling Tournament at the Upton Center. The Fighting Comets tallied 144.0 team points to trail Manchester (Ind.) College by 12.5 points. Olivet Head Coach Steve Laidacker shared Coach of the Year honors with Tom Jarman from Manchester.

Individually, sophomore 133-pounder Robert Dodson (Elsie/Ovid-Elsie High School), senior 141-pounder David Bishop (Algonac High School), sophomore 197-pounder Jeff Wright (Rock/Escanaba High School) and junior heavyweight Charlie Walker (Romeo High School) placed first.

Dodson had a 2-0 record, including a 12-2 victory in his championship match. Bishop was 3-0 with two pins (1:07 and 4:56). Wright and Walker also had 3-0 records.

Sophomore 125-pounder Kefentse Mandisa (Westland/John Glenn High School) and junior 157-pounder Tyler Hubert (Grand Ledge High School) finished in second. Sophomore 133-pounder Shawn Parker (Inkster/John Glenn High School), junior 174-pounder Todd Miller (Casnovia/Kent City High School) and sophomore 184-pounder Ryan Newberry (South Haven High School) placed third for Olivet.

In addition, sophomore 149-pounder Ken Andrews (Swartz Creek High School) and sophomore 165-pounder Mike Andrews (Swartz Creek High School) were fourth and fifth, respectively. Freshman Andy Kosinski (Jackson Northwest High School) was sixth.

The wrestlers will next compete on Saturday, Feb. 28, when it participates in the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championships at Manchester College. The top finisher in each weight class along with four wildcard wrestlers will advance to the NCAA Division III National Championships on Friday-Saturday, March 5-6, at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.