FHSU Athletics
HASTINGS, Neb. - The Fort Hays State men's wrestling team picked up 41 wins and had five student-athletes reach the podium at the Hastings Open on Saturday (Jan. 11).
Two Tigers reached the championship bout, with Connor Padgett (174 pounds) and Ryan Patterson (197 pounds) both finishing second, while Matthew Rodriguez finished third at 184 pounds and A.B. Stokes (125 pounds) and Drew Bell (149 pounds) both placed fourth.
Padgett made quick work of his first two opponents, recording a pin in 42 seconds in the opening round before racking up a 19-4 technical fall in the quarterfinals. The redshirt-freshman then picked up a 4-2 decision against a Division I opponent from the University of Nebraska before falling in the championship bout to a competitor from Nebraska-Kearney. This is the second time Padgett has placed at the Hastings open after finishing fourth last season while this is his first podium finish this season.
Patterson also beat a DI wrestler on his road to the championship bout, beating another Nebraska competitor with a 10-0 major decision. The Peyton, Colo. native then slipped by with a 5-4 decision in the quarterfinals before securing a trip to the finals with a 7-4 win in sudden victory over a Loper from UNK. He fell in the title match via technical fall. This is Patterson's second podium finish at the Hastings Open after he placed fourth as a true freshman in 2023. It is his second-straight podium finish after winning the Cougar Open.
Rodriguez advanced to the quarterfinals with a medical forfeit before picking up a first-period pin in his first action of the day. His lone defeat of the day came against a Cornhusker from Nebraska before the sophomore picked up a pair of wins in the consolation bracket, including another first-period pin in the third-place match to earn his first placement of the season.
Bell turned in a record of 4-2 on the day to finish fourth and reach the podium for the first time this season. He suffered an early loss to a DI wrestler from Nebraska before rattling off four-straight wins in the consolation bracket to reach the third-place bout. The Hoxie, Kan. native picked up one pin, one technical fall and two decisions before falling in the consolation final.
Stokes also picked up his first placement of the season with a 3-2 record. The redshirt-freshman lost a narrow 4-3 decision in his first bout of the day before picking up three-straight wins in the consolation bracket. He picked up a 16-1 technical fall before beating a UNK wrestler with a 10-1 major decision. Stokes reached the consolation finals with a medical forfeit before falling to the same wrestler he lost to in the opening round.
Jacob Judd finished the day with a 3-2 record in the 165-pound bracket, reaching the consolation semifinals. His tournament opened with an 11-0 major decision before falling in the quarterfinals 4-1. The freshman then picked up a 1-0 decision and a win via medical forfeit before falling just before the 3rd-place bout.
Marcell Dely tied for the team lead with four wins on the day, finishing 4-2 in the 157-pound bracket. The Budapest, Hungary native won via fall in the opening round before suffering a defeat in his second bout of the day. He then recorded three more bonus-point wins, including two technical falls and another pin. Dely's four wins via pin or technical fall were tied for the most out of any of the 165 wrestlers in the event.
Cody Castelline went 3-2 in the 133-pound bracket, including two wins via decision and one win in sudden victory. Jett Schwartz (133 pounds), D'Andre Brown (133 pounds), Houston Frank (174 pounds) and Ernesto Duenez (184 pounds) all picked up a pair of wins on the day, including two bonus-point wins from Schwartz and Duenez and one from Frank.
Kevin Honas picked up one win via fall at 141 pounds, pinning his opponent in 21 seconds for the second-quickest pin of the tournament and the fastest by a Tiger this season. Justus Hulse (149 pounds), Charlie Huston (157 pounds), Griffin Mitchell (165 pounds), Jaxson Thomas (285 pounds) and Riah Ostrander (285) all finished the day 1-2.
UP NEXT
Looking ahead, the Tigers will next travel to Marshall, Minn. for the SMSU Duals next Saturday (Jan. 18). FHSU will match up with DIII program Wisconsin-Eau Claire before battling host Southwest Minnesota State and Minot State.