OMAHA, Neb. - Redshirt freshman Kenny Moenkedick and junior Gabriel Mooney highlighted the day for North Dakota State wrestling at the Kaufman-Brand Open, placing third in the amateur division at 174 and fourth in the elite division at 141. It is the second straight top-four finish for Mooney after a runner-up showing at the Bison Open on Nov. 10., while Moenkedick recorded his second straight third-place showing.
Mooney went 3-2 in the elite division at the highly competitive Open, beginning with a 7-3 decision over Shad Rissler of King College and a 5-3 decision over Joe Soto of Iowa Central Community College. The junior then faced a familar adversary in Minnesota's Manny Rivera, who had defeated Mooney in each of the past two Bison Open championship bouts. Rivera once again had the upper hand, earning an 8-1 decision en route to the 141 pound title. Mooney then took a 7-3 decision over Nexi Delgado of UC Davis before falling to unattached Daniel Leclere 3-1 in the third place match.
Moenkedick started quickly in the amateur division at the Open, recording a technical fall at the six minute mark against Minnesota West Community College's Jesse Evans, a 10-5 decision over Ahmad Motley of Iowa Central Community College, and a win by fall 41 seconds into the match against Nebraska Omaha's Jake Ellenberger. Following a 6-3 loss to eventual champion Alex Caruso of Lehigh, Moenkedick finished up the afternoon with a 15-0 technical fall of unattached wrestler Billy Lewis and a 13-3 major decision in the rematch with Ellenberger in the third place match.
Mooney and Moenkedick were the only Bison wrestlers to place at the Kaufman-Brand, the largest single-day collegiate wrestling tournament in the country. Over 40 schools and 650 wrestlers competed, representing programs such as Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State and Oklahoma State.
North Dakota State will compete in the first dual meets of the season on Saturday, Nov. 24, when it participates in the Northern Quad Duals in Rochester, Minn. Hosted by the University of Minnesota, the Bison will compete in a trio of dual meets against Northern Colorado, Northern Illinois and the Golden Gophers.
