BOBBY'S BACK

By Brandon Petersen

Robert Pinto didn't ease back into competition at the Doane Open.

In his first full tournament since returning from injury, the grad student out of Asuza pushed through a demanding 133-pound bracket at the Fuhrer Field House and went 3–2 on the day, mixing pace, pressure and a pair of early pins that set the tone for Westcliff's effort in Crete, Nebraska.

His win over Missouri Baptist showed the grit the Warriors expect from him, grinding through scrambles to take an 18–11 decision before closing out a long morning against a stacked field.

He wasn't alone.

At 141, Santiago Pacheco delivered one of the tournament's biggest results with a decisive win over the No. 10 wrestler in the NAIA, powering his way to a 3–1 finish that included a major decision in the final round.

For his efforts, Pacheco was named Westcliff's wrestler of the tournament alongside Vanessa Alvarado on the women's side.

Brian Geiger added two strong victories at 157, opening with a pin and following it with an 8–4 decision before falling in a close match late in the bracket.

At 165, Thomas Venezia fought his way to a 2–2 day, including a major decision win and a steady 8–4 performance over an unattached opponent.

"There were a lot of pros and cons today," Westcliff head coach D'Rell Gist said. "The guys overall wrestled tough, especially our veteran wrestlers. Robert Pinto, Santiago Pacheco, Brian Geiger and Thomas Venezia all had some big wins and wrestled hard until the final whistle.

"Santiago beating the No. 10 guy in the nation was a major win. Robert had his first full tournament back from an injury and wrestled very tough. I'm proud of their performance.

"Some of the other guys wrestled tough too — they just need to show a little more of that dog mentality and push it for the entire seven minutes. We made a few mistakes we shouldn't be making, so we'll get back to work Monday and fix what we need to fix.

"Overall, I'm proud of the team and excited for where we're headed."

Up next for both the men and women is a home tri-meet with Embry-Riddle and Hope International.

Originally scheduled to take place at Golden West, playoff football has pushed the event to a venue not yet named.

Stay tuned to @westcliffu_athletics on IG for the announcement of the new venue later this week.

FULL RESULTS: Doane Open – Crete, Nebraska

Doane Open Division
133: Robert Pinto 3–2
NOIO – Pin Win 1:46
CUKY – Fall Win 2:46
DWSD – Decision Loss 3–5
MBU – Decision Win 18–11
DNEU – Pin Loss 1:18

141: Santiago Pacheco 3–1
MBU – Decision Win 10–3
ACU – Decision Loss 4–11
CUKY – Decision Win 8–3
DWSD – Major Decision Win 17–4
GVI – Match Forfeit

157: Brian Geiger 2–2
WBT – Fall Win 5:00
MBU – Decision Win 8–4
FU – Fall Loss 3:52
GVI – Decision Loss 7–9

165: Thomas Venezia 2–2
UP – Major Decision Loss 1–11
WBT – Major Decision Win 12–4
Unattached – Decision Win 8–4
DSND – Fall Loss 4:18

184: Juan Luquin 0–2
DSND – Tech Fall Loss 4:52
Unattached – Fall Loss 4:18

285: Armando Sandoval 0–2
DWSD – Fall Loss 6:18
GVI – Major Decision Loss 3–11

Doane Amateur Division
133: Cameron Silber 1–2
HANE – Fall Win 1:51
BCI – Major Decision Loss 3–11
NOT – Major Decision Loss 2–13

133: Jesus Bracamonte 2–2
CCC – Fall Win 2:38
BCI – Fall Loss 4:24
WAIO – Decision Win 12–11
NOT – Defeat Loss 3:35

149: Isriel Gutierrez 2–2
CCC – Fall Win 1:16
BCI – Sudden Victory Loss 10–11
BECO – Fall Win 2:21
WAIO – Decision Loss 1–7

174: Landon Hernandez 0–2
BCI – Decision Loss 4–10
BECO – Decision Loss 9–10