LINCOLN, NEB. — In its final action of 2023, the Central College men's wrestling team was victorious in a trio of dual matches Saturday at the Prairie Wolf Duals hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan University.

Central (8-1) opened with a 45-0 thrashing of the Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.) before winning handily against Westminster College (Mo.) 42-9. An early lead started to slip against Concordia College – Moorhead (Minn.) but the Dutch held on 19-16.

"It was a good way to finish up first semester," coach Eric Van Kley said. "We earned some hard-fought wins but at the same time every coach and wrestler in our program knows there are things we need to improve upon."

Central's smallest wrestler provided the biggest difference in the win over Concordia. David Vukobratovich (sophomore, Homer Glen, Ill., Lockport Township HS) opened the match with a first period fall to give Central a 6-0 lead. Both teams won five bouts but Vukobratovich's bonus points swung the match in favor of the Dutch. He won his other two matches by decision against MSOE and Westminster.

"David is a first-year starter," Van Kley said. "We talk all the time about attacking and earning bonus points. Getting falls are huge for the team score."

Austin Roos (junior, Atkins, Benton HS) also scored a major decision for the Dutch against the Cobbers. He won his first match by fall against MSOE and received a forfeit win against Westminster.

"He had a really good day," Van Kley said. "He finished with his best match of the day."

Central's 141-pounder Pierre Baldwin (sophomore, Carol Stream, Ill., West Chicago HS) and 149-pounder Duncan Delzell (senior, Burlington) also went 3-0 on the day.

The Dutch are off for a few weeks now, returning at the home Under Armour Invitational on Saturday, January 6 at 9:30 a.m. in H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse.

"We're going into Christmas Break 8-1, healthy and as a really close-knit team," Van Kley said. "This is a great foundation to start on, but we know we need to get better."