SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – On Thursday evening, Notre Dame College wrestling welcomed No. 16 ranked Grand Valley State University and No. 1 West Liberty University to Murphy Gymnasium. In the first matchup, Notre Dame won its first dual meet of the season, taking down Grand Valley by a final score of 28-24. The Falcons fell to WLU, 42-8.
 
"Our guys wrestled well, they rose to the occasion," said head coach Jordon Tague, after the win. "I told them, don't worry about the rankings, just go out and wrestle your match and they competed to the best of their ability."
 
To start the day at 125 lbs., junior Jake Arnold was all over the mat, taking a 6-1 lead after the first period with a pair of takedowns. He would expand that lead to 10-1 in the third period before finishing the job with a pin of Luca Conflitti.
 
After a couple of forfeits, junior Parker Moore took the mat for NDC at 149. GVSU's Michael Merrit pulled ahead by a score of 4-1, late in the second period, but Moore grabbed Merrit's leg and took him to the ground for a takedown to tie the match. An escape and a takedown in the third period led to an 9-4 victory for the NDC grappler.
 
Senior Matthew Kaufmann was back for the Falcons, wrestling at 157. He had taken a 3-0 lead, and made quick work of Gustavo DeLima with a pin, just 2:26 into the bout.
 
Sophomore Alec Hall had maybe the most impressive win of his season, and it helped the Falcons retake the lead. Hall led by just three points heading into the second period and then Grand Valley's Matthew Morris cut the lead to two, 3-1. That was prior to Hall dominating the rest of the way. A takedown in both the second and third periods allowed Hall to coast to a 10-2 major decision and put NDC in front, 19-18.
 
Still, the match came down to heavyweight junior La'Ron Parks, as NDC led by just one point, 25-24. He kept it close with Brett Boudreau, leading 3-0 in the third period. With less than a minute left in the match, Parks secured a second takedown and the win.
 
Near the end of the West Liberty match, sophomore Marvelous Rutledge and Parks put on a show against the top team in Division II. At 197, Rutledge led by just three, with a takedown in the first period. He wasted no time in the second period, putting Luke Justice on the mat, less than 10 seconds in. He would pull ahead by 10, 12-2, by the time the third period began and he would give Notre Dame five points with an 18-3 tech fall.
 
Parks' bout was much closer. WLU's Jamie Kilmer trailed by four points, but would tie the match with just 30 seconds remaining in the third. The two ended the match in a tie on the scoreboard, but Parks had built up over a minute of riding time, which was the deciding factor in the 6-5 victory.
 
The Falcons will travel to Glenville, W.Va., on Jan. 20, for another tri-match. They will battle Garrett College and No. 25 Glenville State University.