CORBIN, KY – The #12 University of the Cumberlands Men's Wrestling team opened its 2026-27 campaign Saturday at the Pepsi Patriot Open inside The Corbin Arena. The Patriots were led by runner-up finishes from Elijah Valencia and MacLaine Percival, while Jack Willen added a third-place finish and Jackson Locke placed fourth. Cumberlands also turned in several strong performances in the Freshman/Sophomore division, with four wrestlers earning placements in the tournament results.

Leading the way for UC was #23 Elijah Valencia, who posted a 4-1 record to finish second in the 125-weight class. Valencia opened the tournament with a dominant 16-1 tech fall over Connor Bayliss (Marian) in 3:40. He recorded two takedowns and seven nearfall points in the opening period before adding another takedown to secure the victory. Valencia followed with a 20-3 tech fall over Brandon Didat (Pikeville) in 5:40, closing the bout with a third-period takedown and riding time.

Valencia continued his run with an 11-3 major decision over Parker Leverknight (Briar Cliff) before facing Cristian Rojas (Rochester) in the semifinals. He earned a 10-4 decision over Rojas, recording two takedowns and a four-point nearfall to secure his spot in the championship match. His undefeated run came to an end in the finals, where he fell to fifth-ranked Jesse Lewis (Southeastern) by a 6-0 decision to earn runner-up honors.

At 174 lbs., #22 MacLaine Percival matched Valencia with a 4-1 record and a second-place finish. Percival began his tournament with a fall over Austin Brandenburg (Marian) in 4:12 before recording a commanding 21-3 tech fall against Parker Holt (Cornerstone) in 5:00. He followed that performance with a 7-4 decision over Justin Grant (New College of Florida) to advance to the semifinals.

Percival then faced #11 Husam Mustafa (Southeastern) in a tightly contested semifinal bout. He came away with a narrow 6-5 decision over the nationally ranked opponent to advance to the championship match. In the finals, Percival faced #12 Logan Heckert of Cumberland (Tenn.), where he fell by a 20-4 tech fall in 3:17 to close out his tournament with runner-up honors.

Jack Willen put together an impressive run in the 165-weight class, finishing third with a 7-1 record. Willen opened his day with an 8-5 decision over Deacon MacNeill (Rochester) before suffering a narrow 4-2 defeat to #12 Braden Getz (Marian). He responded with back-to-back tiebreaker victories, defeating Nick Piontkowski (Unattached) 6-5 and teammate Lincoln Krull 2-1 to keep his tournament alive.

Willen continued his run through the consolation bracket, advancing by medical forfeit over Emmanuel Akpadija (Marian) before earning a dominant 22-9 major decision over Zane Willobee (Indiana Tech). He then advanced through the consolation semifinals by forfeit over Logan Brown of Cumberland (Tenn.). In the third-place match, Willen earned a commanding 7-0 decision over Kutter Christensen (Southeastern) to secure his spot on the podium.

At heavyweight, Jackson Locke finished fourth after posting a 4-2 record. Locke opened the tournament with consecutive falls over Nicholas Vincent (WVU Tech) in 4:11 and Jaylin Bien-aime (Lindsey Wilson) in 6:03. He followed those victories with a narrow 2-1 decision over Eathan Westfall (Cleary) to advance to the semifinals.

Locke then faced #25 Marcus James (Georgetown), where he fell by a 6-0 decision. He responded in the consolation semifinals with a 6-5 victory over Brandon Lively (Brewton-Parker) to advance to the third-place bout. Locke closed out his tournament with a narrow 2-0 loss to Leonard Christian (Life), earning fourth-place honors.

Cumberlands also saw strong performances in the Freshman/Sophomore division, highlighted by Michael Kowalski and Eli Ogle at 133 lbs. Kowalski recorded five victories in contested bouts, opening his tournament with a fall over Avery Fielder (Unattached) in 3:42. He followed that performance with a 10-3 decision over Clayton Badidda (Georgetown), recording two first-period takedowns and a three-point nearfall before adding riding time to secure the victory.

After falling to Noah Krauss (WVU Tech) by an 8-5 sudden-victory decision in the quarterfinals, Kowalski battled back through the consolation bracket. He earned a 16-10 decision over Mazzy Lambert (Southwestern Michigan) before defeating Logan Woodard of Cumberland (Tenn.) 8-5. In the consolation semifinals, Kowalski faced teammate Eli Ogle, where he held off a comeback to earn a 7-5 decision. Kowalski was listed tied for fourth in the tournament's placement results, with the third-place bout recorded as a forfeit without an identified winner.

Ogle finished fifth in the Freshman/Sophomore 133-weight class with a 4-2 record. He opened the tournament with a fall over Maximus Bowers (Unattached) in 3:31, recording a takedown and two reversals before securing the pin. Ogle followed with a 9-3 decision over Aaron Wilson (Rochester), using seven first-period points, an escape, and riding time to earn the victory.

Ogle continued his run with another fall, pinning Aidan Diaz (Unattached) in 3:51 to advance to the semifinals. After falling to William Harvey (Indiana Tech) by a 6-3 decision, Ogle dropped a narrow 7-5 decision to Kowalski in the consolation semifinals. He closed out the tournament with a disqualification victory over Kortez Samuels (Andrew College) in the fifth-place bout.

At 141 lbs., Ryan Smith put together five victories in contested bouts to earn a share of sixth place in the Freshman/Sophomore division. Smith opened with a 7-2 decision over Cole Reitz (Southwestern Michigan) before falling to Achilles Alexander (Briar Cliff) by a 6-1 decision.

Smith responded with a disqualification victory over Joshua Figueredo (Unattached), followed by a fall over Owen Ostler (Midway) in 3:00. He added a 10-3 decision over Darius Ambs (Southwestern Michigan) and a 10-4 victory against Brayden Kreikemeier (Briar Cliff) to continue his run through the consolation bracket. His final two scheduled bouts were recorded as a no contest and a double forfeit, resulting in a shared sixth-place finish.

Evan Hemmeter also turned in a strong showing in the Freshman/Sophomore 149-weight class, recording five victories in contested bouts. Hemmeter opened with an 8-4 decision over Carter Moore (Southwestern Michigan) before suffering a narrow 13-11 defeat to Jeremy Ortiz (Campbellsville).

Hemmeter bounced back with a fall over Chandler Nowlin (Campbellsville) in just 1:03 before battling Keyaun Bradford (Cornerstone) in a tightly contested matchup. Trailing 7-5 after the second period, Hemmeter fought back to force overtime with the score tied at 8-8. He then recorded a takedown in sudden victory to earn an 11-8 decision.

Hemmeter followed with a 12-4 major decision over Cayden Blodgett (Indiana Tech), overcoming an early 3-0 deficit to take control of the match. He added another fall over Nate Carter (Southwestern Michigan) in 3:39 to round out his scored victories. Hemmeter finished sixth after dropping the fifth-place bout to Preston Hammond (Southwestern Michigan). 

The Patriots will return to the mat Saturday, November 7, as they travel to East Lansing, Michigan, for the Michigan State Open. Competition is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

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