Corbin, KY – The 12th-ranked Patriots turned in a dominant performance at home, finishing first out of 16 teams at the Battle in the Bluegrass on Friday. Cumberlands finished the day with eleven placers, including five individual champions and four top-four finishes, while competing in a strong multi-division field featuring NAIA programs from across the country.

#10 Malachia Harris was dominant throughout the day, going 4-0 and capturing the 165-pound title at the Battle in the Bluegrass. After receiving a first-round bye, Harris opened his tournament with a 19-4 technical fall at the 3:00 mark over Ben Blyveis (Cleary). He followed that up with a second straight tech fall, this time over Noah Myrick (Brewton-Parker) in just 1:39. In the semifinals, Harris posted his third consecutive tech fall, defeating Benjamen Mitchell (Simpson) by a score of 21-5 in 4:32. He capped off his championship run with an 18-7 major decision over #16 Braden Getz (Marian), using a plethora of 3-point takedowns to lock in the first-place finish.

Lane Kiser put together one of the most commanding performances of the tournament to take the 184-pound title, going a perfect 4-0. He opened his tournament with a 19-4 technical fall in 4:24 over Nicolas Makwala (St. Ambrose), then followed up with a first-period fall in just four seconds over Thomas Crawford (Brewton-Parker) — one of the fastest of the entire event. In the semifinals, Kiser rolled to an 11-3 major decision over Kale Waxler (Defiance), and he closed out his title run with another 19-4 tech fall at 4:24 over Jason Bowers (Friends University) to go unbeaten on the day and take the top spot at 184.

#17 Riley Bettich went 4-0 en route to the 133-pound title. He opened the tournament with a fall at 2:09 over Jaydon DeHart (Rio Grande), then followed with a second pin at 3:37 against Cory Moten (Brewton-Parker). In the semifinals, Bettich posted a 19-4 technical fall over Tyler Clarke (St. Ambrose) to punch his ticket to the finals. There, he locked down a 2-0 decision over Isaiah Rubio (Life University), using solid defense and mat control to secure the championship.

Ty Lehman went 5-0 on the day to capture the 149-pound title with a mix of decision victories and bonus-point wins. Lehman began his run with a 5-3 decision over Blake Walker (Brewton-Parker), then advanced to the quarterfinals with an 11-3 major decision against Daniel Gravette (Siena Heights Gold). In the semifinals, Lehman kept the momentum going with a 14-4 major decision over Luke Thornton (Lourdes). He moved into the championship bout following a medical forfeit win over Marlin Williams (Marian). In the finals, Lehman capped off his perfect day with a 9-4 decision over Charlie Fitzgerald (St. Ambrose) to earn the top spot at 149.

The Patriots claimed both top spots at 174 as Weston Melvin and Derrick Bannister each went unbeaten en route to a co-championship. The two teammates were slated to meet in the finals but did not wrestle, earning shared first-place honors.

#8 Weston Melvin had a dominant run to the finals, going 4-0 with three bonus-point wins. He opened with a fall at 1:53 over Jean-Luc Guerra (St. Ambrose), followed by a 16-0 technical fall in 2:53 over Daniel Thatcher (Defiance). Melvin then added another tech fall, 15-0 in just 2:03, against Josh Mojica-Smith (Montreat) before securing a 4-2 decision over #20 Jeivan Ross (Marian) in the semifinals.

#23 Derrick Bannister also went 4-0 on the day. He advanced through the early rounds with a first-round bye and a medical forfeit over #6 Reese Jones (Life University). He then won back-to-back decisions, including a 4-2 win over Dylan Hogan (Montreat) and a 2-1 tiebreaker victory against Chase Price (Pikeville) in the semifinals to set up the all-Patriot final.

#5 Matteo Vargo went 3-1 on the day to take second place at 125, picking up two major decisions and a tech fall before dropping a close match in the finals. Vargo opened the day with a 14-2 major decision over Sam Gosnell (Montreat), followed by a 20-3 tech fall at 5:50 against Maliki Mosher (Siena Heights Gold). In the semifinals, he controlled his match against #3 Braydon Pacheco (Friends University), earning a 15-6 major decision to advance to the finals. Vargo faced #13 Anthony Hughes (Marian) for the title but came up short in a 10-3 decision to finish as the runner-up.

#14 Brice Coleman finished 3rd at 157 after going 4-1 with three bonus-point wins and a victory over a teammate in the placement round. Coleman opened with a lightning-fast fall in just 36 seconds over Jack Gruno (Cleary), then followed with a 15-0 technical fall at 3:06 over Carlos Martinez (Simpson). In the quarterfinals, he notched another pin, this time at 5:55 against Jeff Dunasky (Marian). Coleman dropped a 10-1 major decision in the semifinals to #19 Cayleb Atkins (Friends), but rebounded in the third-place match with a 1-0 decision over teammate Marc Le Gaspe to secure a spot on the podium.

Marc Le Gaspe put together a strong 4-2 showing to take fourth place at 157. He started off hot with a fall at 1:24 over Dontarris Wesby (Cleary), followed by an 11-3 major decision over Chris Begley (Midway). In the quarterfinals, he earned a 4-3 decision over Jeff Dunasky (Marian) to advance. After a close 5-0 decision loss to #2 Fabian Padilla (Life), Le Gaspe bounced back with a 18-2 tech fall in 6:00 over Carlos Martinez (Simpson). He faced teammate Brice Coleman in the third-place match, where he dropped a narrow 1-0 decision to finish fourth.

#15 Eli Peyton placed sixth at 141 with a 2-3 record that included a pair of technical fall victories. Peyton started the day strong, defeating Nico Pasienza (Cleary) by a 19-3 tech fall in 6:46, followed by a 15-0 tech fall in 3:58 over Luke Kelley (Friends University). He dropped a close 2-1 decision to #11 Guiseppe Guerra (St. Ambrose) in the quarterfinals, then exited the tournament after back-to-back medical forfeits in the consolation rounds, finishing sixth overall.

Treyshawn White placed sixth at heavyweight after a strong start that included two bonus-point victories. He opened with a dominant 16-1 technical fall in 7:00 over Eathan Westfall (Cleary), followed by a first-period pin at 1:41 over Camron Kirtz (Lourdes) to advance. White's momentum was halted in the quarterfinals with a 3:59 injury default against Benjamin Vega-Sanchez (Simpson). He was later withdrawn from the consolation rounds by medical forfeit, ultimately finishing 2-3 on the day and securing sixth place.
 
The Patriots will return to the mat on Monday, January 5^th as they host Georgetown College for their first home dual of the season. First whistle is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
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