AMES — Squaring off against some of the top collegiate wrestlers in the nation, the Central College wrestling team gained ground at the Harold Nichols Open hosted by Iowa State University Sunday.
In addition to matches against the host school, the perennial Division I power Cyclones, Central also faced wrestlers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Naval Academy, Utah Valley University and the University of Minnesota. No team scores were kept.
"It was a very tough tournament but I think our guys embraced it," coach Eric Van Kley said. "It doesn't necessarily show in terms of wins and losses, but I thought we got better as a team. We saw a lot of good things, but we also saw a lot of things we've got to get better at."
Daniel Radcliffe (freshman, Lockport, Ill., Lockport Township HS) continued his strong debut for the Dutch by starting the day 2-0 at 141 pounds and advancing to the quarterfinals. He upended an Iowa State wrestler in his first match before losing in the consolation bracket to wrestlers from Nebraska and Navy.
"Daniel really battled," Van Kley said. "I think he's getting better each and every week. We hope it can continue throughout the season."
At 149 pounds, Devin Dilley (sophomore, Springfield, Ill., Lanphier HS) also started 2-0 including a first-period fall in his second bout. He was eliminated by losses to Iowa State and Nebraska.
Devin's a guy that's unassuming and goes about his own business," Van Kley said. "But he works extremely hard and is a great teammate. It's fun to see him have a successful day."
Lane Rumelhart (sophomore, Guthrie Center) made the leap from 157 pounds to 174 pounds in the offseason. Van Kley cited his improvement as especially noteworthy. He registered a fall in his second match
"He just keeps getting better," he said. "He moved up a couple of weight classes and he's battling and improving.
The first dual match of the season is Thursday when the Dutch play host to Coe College at 7 p.m. inside P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium. The two teams were tied at the end of their match last year before Coe got the win based on criteria.
"Our guys are excited for it," Van Kley said. "The last couple of years we've had real competitive duals with Coe and we expect Thursday night to be no different."
