Tanner Hoops | Staff Wrtiter and Kelsey Ackerman | Sports Co-Editor

The Buena Vista University (BVU) wrestlers were in action Saturday, Dec. 3, hosting the annual BVU Open.

Head Coach of the Beavers Jeff Breese, knew he was going to be sitting some of his starters due to the upcoming big week for the team.

“We were really looking for experience for a lot of younger guys and hoping to get them some win and some confidence,” Breese said.

The Beavers were highlighted by runner-up finishes by Carson Rhoads and Ryan Camp. Rhoads won twice by pin en route to the championship match at 133 lbs before falling to Morningside’s Cameron Williams by technical fall.

“I executed some things I have been working on a lot with Coach Breese well, and that was a big step in the right direction,” Rhoads said, “As a whole I would say we wrestled hard and it showed with some guys placing high in the tournament, but we also need to keep working a few key positions that we struggle in.”

Wrestling at 149 lbs, Camp earned a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over Wayne State’s Devon Rupp before picking up a 14-4 major decision over Ellsworth’s Mark Felix in the semifinals. A medical forfeit forced Camp to concede the tournament championship to Morningside’s Robert Shirley.

“We purposely designed our schedule so we’ve been in tournaments rather than duals, which has given us a chance to get a lot of experience and a lot of matches, and I think that has made us prepared to go fight this week,” Breese said.

The Beavers now turn their attention to Wednesday night’s Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) opener when Coe comes to Siebens Fieldhouse for BVU’s first home dual of the season.

Photo by: Emily Kenny