EAST LANSING, MI – The #12 University of the Cumberlands Men's Wrestling team traveled to Michigan on Saturday to compete in the Michigan State Open inside Jenison Field House. The Patriots faced a competitive field of 26 teams and approximately 400 wrestlers, recording 16 total victories across the Open and Freshman/Sophomore divisions. After dropping 20 of their 22 opening matches, UC responded with 14 consolation victories. Aaron Campbell and Austin Perez led the way with three wins apiece, while Noah Rankin and Elijah Valencia added two victories each.

Leading the way for Cumberlands was Aaron Campbell, who posted a 3-2 record in the Freshman/Sophomore 149-weight class. Campbell opened the tournament with an 11-4 decision loss to Wyatt Lees (Michigan), a four-time Michigan state champion who went on to finish third in the tournament. Campbell bounced back with a fall over Ethan Brown (Unattached) in 2:04 before earning an 8-5 decision over Will Deutschlander (Oklahoma), an eighth-place finisher in U20 Greco-Roman at the U.S. Open Championships.

Campbell continued his run with a hard-fought 6-4 decision over Oliver Davis (Northern Illinois), a two-time Illinois state placer. After trailing 3-1 following the opening period, Campbell recorded a second-period takedown and added a point on a stalling penalty to take a 5-4 lead. He then secured an escape in the third period to earn his third consecutive victory. Campbell's tournament came to an end in the fifth consolation round, where he fell to Eddie Kessen (Central Michigan) by a 19-4 tech fall in 4:44.

At 157 lbs., Austin Perez matched Campbell with a 3-2 record in the Freshman/Sophomore division. Perez began his day with a loss by fall to eventual tournament champion Gabriel Delgado (Arizona State), a three-time Nevada state champion and two-time Fargo All-American, in 6:53. He responded with a dominant 16-1 tech fall over Rickey Sims (Unattached) in 3:19 before earning a narrow 4-2 decision over Teague Smith (Army Prep), a three-time Iowa state finalist.

Perez then faced Lane Blanchard (Grand Valley State), a Michigan state runner-up, where he earned a 7-2 decision to advance further into the consolation bracket. Perez opened the match with a first-period takedown before adding an escape in the second. Leading 4-2 late in the third period, Perez recorded another takedown with just one second remaining to secure the victory. His run ended in the following round with an 11-1 major decision loss to Braylenn Aulbach (Grand Valley State), a Michigan state champion.

Noah Rankin also turned in a strong performance in the Freshman/Sophomore 149-weight class, finishing with a 2-2 record. Rankin opened his tournament with a commanding 14-0 major decision over Blake Sloan (Grand Valley State), a four-time Michigan Division 4 state finalist and former state champion. He then fell to eventual tournament champion Drake Hooiman (Purdue), a four-time Nevada state champion, by a 6-3 decision in the quarterfinals.

Rankin responded with a triple-overtime 2-1 decision over Parker Reynolds (Purdue), the 2025 Indiana state champion. After a scoreless opening period, Reynolds earned an escape in the second before Rankin answered with an escape of his own in the third to even the match at 1-1. Neither wrestler scored in sudden victory or the first two tiebreaker periods, but Rankin earned the deciding point on a stalling penalty in the third overtime period. Rankin's tournament ended with a 12-3 major decision loss to Nick Strand (Northern Illinois), a Minnesota state placer and NHSCA All-American.

In the Open division, #23 Elijah Valencia led the way for UC with a 2-2 record at 125 lbs. Valencia began his tournament with a 19-4 tech fall loss to eventual champion Henry Aslikyan (Michigan), a former U17 World Championships bronze medalist and two-time California state champion, in 5:54. He bounced back with a 6-4 decision over Drew Hansen (Michigan State) before earning a 5-1 decision against Christopher Nucifora (Bucknell), a three-time New Jersey state quarterfinalist.

Valencia then faced Talan Parsons (Northern Illinois), a two-time Michigan state champion and three-time finalist, in a defensive battle. After a scoreless opening period, Parsons earned an escape in the second before Valencia responded with an escape in the third to tie the match at 1-1. Parsons recorded a takedown in sudden victory to earn the 4-1 decision, bringing Valencia's tournament to a close.

At 133 lbs., Isaac Thornton finished with a 1-2 record in the Open division. Thornton opened with an 11-8 decision loss to Nick Molchak (Kent State), a sixth-place finisher at the MAC Championships, before earning a 4-2 decision over Caelen Riley (Illinois), a two-time Illinois state placer. He then fell to Blue Stiffler (Bucknell), a three-time South Carolina state champion and three-time Fargo All-American, by a 4-1 decision to close out his tournament.

Ninth-ranked Eli Peyton also recorded a victory in the Open division at 141 lbs. After opening with a 15-0 tech fall loss to Matt Hart (Wisconsin), a National Preps runner-up, in 3:00, Peyton bounced back with an 8-2 decision over Bryce Manera (Bucknell). His tournament ended with a 16-0 tech fall loss to Eren Sement (Michigan), a Pennsylvania state champion and Midlands placer, in 6:07.

At 174 lbs., #22 MacLaine Percival posted a 1-2 record against NCAA competition. Percival opened with a 24-4 tech fall loss to 13th-ranked NCAA Division I wrestler Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State) in 3:58. Larkin, who went on to capture the 174-pound Open title, entered the event ranked 13th nationally by InterMat. Percival responded with an 8-5 decision over Hunter Andel (Kent State), an Ohio state champion.

After trailing 3-1 through the opening period, Percival earned an escape in the second to cut the deficit to one. He then recorded two third-period takedowns, including one with just 12 seconds remaining, to secure the victory. Percival closed out his tournament with a 10-0 major decision loss to Connor O'Neill (Michigan State).

Cumberlands also picked up victories from Nathan Marquez, Jack Willen, and Troy Ceja in the Freshman/Sophomore division.

At 157 lbs., Marquez opened with a loss by fall to Jabari Hinson (Arizona State), a three-time Iowa state placer, in 4:36 before responding with a 4-2 decision over Ryder Say (Edinboro). He then fell to Dallas Korponic (Central Michigan), a three-time Michigan Division 1 state champion, by fall in 2:44 to finish with a 1-2 record.

Willen, competing at 165 lbs., opened with an 8-2 decision loss to David Perez (Iowa State), a highly regarded prep prospect, before earning a 5-0 decision over Ryan Barone (Army Prep). He closed out his tournament with a narrow 5-3 decision loss to Jt Bowers (VMI), a three-time Georgia state champion, finishing 1-2 on the day.

At heavyweight, Ceja opened his tournament with a fall over Humberto Valverde (Wisconsin) in 6:29. He then fell to Kal-El Fluckiger (Arizona State) by a 15-0 tech fall in 1:58 before dropping his final match to Logan McClellan (Edinboro) by fall in 2:40.

The Patriots will return to action Saturday, November 21, as they travel to Marietta, GA, for the Lucha Open. Matches are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter/X - @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram - @UCPatriots, TikTok - @ucpatriots, YouTube - Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook - University of the Cumberlands Athletics.