Kearney, Neb. – With the Younes Hospitatlity Open featuring multiple brackets, Adams State's depth was on display across the intermediate and amateur division, where the Grizzlies added eight more placers to cap an impressive season-opening weekend for most of the Grizzlies.Â
Royce Uhrig, wrestling at 149 pounds, was one of two Grizzlies to earn a first-place finish in the intermediate division. Uhrig dominated his bracket, opening the day with three major decisions before rolling to a 17-0 tech fall against Midland's Zion Amerson. In the championship match, Uhrig trailed early but rallied and sealed the title with a fall at 4:17 over Northern Colorado's Carlos Stanton.
At 165 pounds, Malachi Rider also climbed to the top of the podium. Rider opened with a 5-2 decision in the first round and followed with back-to-back major decisions to reach the semifinals. He then posted a 10-4 win over Nebraska–Kearney's Garrett Willuweit before edging teammate Dallas Porter in an 8-5 sudden victory decision to secure the championship.
Also at 165 pounds, Dallas Porter earned a runner-up finish after falling to Rider in sudden victory. Porter put together a strong run to the finals, winning his first four matches by decision before pushing the all-Adams State championship bout into overtime and ultimately securing second place.
Jaylen Ignacio was the lone third-place finisher for the Grizzlies, placing at 285 pounds. After receiving a bye in round one, Ignacio dropped a decision in round two and moved to the consolation bracket. He responded with a 4-0 decision before clinching third place with a 4-3 tiebreaker win after three overtime periods.
At 184 pounds, Sergio Zaragoza battled to a fifth-place finish. Zaragoza opened the tournament with a tech fall and a sudden victory decision before falling by decision in round three, sending him to the consolation bracket. There, he dropped a 7-3 decision to CSU Pueblo's Mario Tafoya but rebounded in the placement match, earning a 6-4 decision over Briar Cliff's Jeremiah Bethel to secure a spot on the podium.
DJ Van Matre, wrestling at 141 pounds, took sixth place in his first tournament back after suffering an injury last season. After receiving a first-round bye and winning 7-1 in the second round, Van Matre fell 8-3 in round three. On the consolation side, he secured two decision victories to keep himself in podium contention. He dropped a major decision to Augustana's Bentley Williams before ultimately falling to Hudson Palmer of Iowa Western CC in the fifth-place match to finish sixth.
At 174 pounds, Breck Williams also finished sixth. Williams received a first-round bye and earned a major decision in round two before falling by major decision and moving to the consolation bracket. He battled back with a fall in 2:14 followed by two straight major decisions to re-enter podium contention. After a narrow 10-7 loss that placed him in the fifth-place match, Williams forfeited to take sixth.
In the amateur division, Nick Dardanes was the lone placer for Adams State, securing second place at 141 pounds. Dardanes recorded two decisions, a major decision, and a tech fall en route to the championship match, where he fell by fall to the University of Mary's Koltyn Grebel to finish as the runner-up.