MITCHELL, S.D. — Matt Chustz won his first collegiate tournament title to head the Penn wrestling team at the Dakota Wesleyan Open Saturday.
Chustz went 4-0 to take the 125-pound crown. The senior entered the day as the No. 5 seed and opened with back-to-back falls, including a pin over the fourth-seeded grappler in a time of 1:25.
He then won his semifinal match 3-2 before concluding his perfect tournament with a 4-3 win over No. 3 seed Al Meger.
Josh Swanson did not win the gold at 157 pounds, but his performance was equally as impressive as he finished 7-1 to place third.
The junior came up short in his opening match, but then reeled off seven-straight victories, including three technical falls, one fall, one major decision, one decision, and one forfeited win. He avenged his opening-round loss by pinning that same opponent in a time of 1:49 in the third-place match.
Karl Spain placed for the Statesmen as well, taking home fifth at 197 pounds. The junior won his first two matches before dropping his next two, but ended the day at 3-2 with a win in the fifth-place match.
Chustz, Swanson and Spain become Penn’s first national qualifiers this year as all three reached qualifying standards to compete at the national championships in March.
Corey Johnson matched Spain with a 3-2 record, including one technical fall, but did not place at 149 pounds.
Penn posted four other multiple-win grapplers, highlighted by heavyweight Ryan Groom, who was 2-2 with a pair of falls.
125-pounder Taylor Louie, 133-pounder David Crow and 174-pounder Chris Diaz were also 2-2 at the Open. All three had one win via fall, while Diaz also had a major decision victory.
Penn travels to Decorah for a pair of dual meets Tuesday. The Statesmen open the evening by facing Ellsworth Community College at 5 p.m. before meeting host Luther at 6:30 p.m.
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Chustz champs, Swanson wins seven at Dakota Wesleyan Open
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