INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Quincy University men's wrestling took part in the Greyhound Open on Sunday (Feb. 9), where the Hawks battled a competitive field of wrestlers from various collegiate levels. Despite the stiff competition, several Hawks delivered notable performances, securing victories and demonstrating resilience throughout the tournament.
One of the standout performances came from Hunter Vernon (157 lbs.), who started his tournament in dominant fashion with back-to-back wins by fall. Vernon pinned Tristan Williams (Montevallo) in just 1:20 and followed up with another fall over Dalton Minnick (Glenville State) in 3:55. He advanced to the quarterfinals but fell in a tough decision (8-3) to Logan Rathjen (McKendree). His tournament ended in a sudden victory loss (10-7) to Ayden Lutes (Wabash).
At 184 lbs., James Soliz also made some noise for Quincy, earning two pins in the opening rounds. He pinned Evan Duncan (Kentucky Wesleyan) in 2:03 and Elijah Kiner (Unattached) in 3:00 to advance to the quarterfinals. There, he faced a formidable opponent in Chris Moore (Illinois) and was defeated by tech fall (16-1). His tournament concluded with a major decision loss (11-3) to Michael Durham (Indiana Tech).
Aaron Taylor (174 lbs.) put together an impressive showing in the consolation bracket. After a first-round loss to Zachary Holstion (Glenville State), he rebounded with two consecutive technical fall victories. Taylor dominated Kwest Thomas (Mount St. Joseph) with a 17-1 tech fall before repeating the feat against Hunter Marlow (Marian University), winning 17-2. His run came to an end against Griffin Ray (SIUE) in a 15-0 tech fall.
Another strong performance came from Easton Norris (157 lbs.), who battled his way through the consolation bracket with back-to-back major decision victories. After dropping his second-round match to Brock Woodcock (SIU Edwardsville) by tech fall, Norris responded with an 11-0 major decision over Keagen Mabie (Manchester). He followed up with another commanding 15-3 major decision over Tristan Williams (Montevallo) before his run ended in the fourth round to Pablo Macias (Unattached - Campbell) by tech fall.
Overall, the Greyhound Open provided valuable experience for Quincy's wrestlers, as they competed against high-level opponents from across the region and beyond. With multiple wrestlers picking up wins and advancing in the brackets, the Hawks will look to build on their performances as the postseason lingers just ahead.
Next Up
The Hawks are back at it next Sunday (Feb. 16) for the GLVC Championship Duals, hosted by McKendree University. Postseason tournament action is set to start from Lebanon, IL at 9:00 AM.
