3 Dickinson State wrestlers win in Hastings

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HASTINGS, Neb. — The Dickinson State wrestling team had three champions Saturday at the Quality Inn Invitational hosted by Hastings College.

Bryden Lazaro, Jose Lopez and Adam Orton each won their weight class while four other Blue Hawks placed and qualified for the NAIA national tournament.

Lazaro won all four of his matches at 125 pounds, beating Buena Vista University’s Austin Mogg 7-3 in the finals. Lopez earned a 5-1 decision over Nebraska’s Donny Longendyke at heavyweight. Orton earned a 13-5 major decision over Christian Hernandez of Bacome (Okla.).

“A lot of different teams we didn’t see and that really helped us focusing on our own style of wrestling instead of stopping someone else,” DSU head coach Thadd O’Donnell said. “They didn’t know anything about these guys, they hadn’t seen them.”

Jesse Hellinger took runner-up at 184 pounds and Brad Steele finished third at 149. He capped his day with a 75-second pin of Nebraska-Kearney’s Nick Ridgeway, Steele’s fourth pin in five wins Saturday.

Robert Meador (133) and Nestor Ruleas (141) each took sixth for DSU, which had 21 pins as a team.

“I thought we wrestled really well, from top to bottom,” O’Donnell said.

The Blue Hawks host Minnesota State Moorhead in dual at 7 p.m. Wednesday and host their annual Blue Hawk Classic tournament Saturday.

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