By Corey Meints, The Times Citizen
The Ellsworth Community College wrestling squads traveled to Storm Lake for the Buena Vista University Open Saturday and came home with a cache of placings.
The Panther women crowned two champions, and placed six of seven weights. The men placed one out of their nine wrestlers.
Melonie Barillas picked up four falls and an injury default to claim the gold at 103. None of her matches got out of the first period after opening with a 53-second pin against Upper Iowa's Madison Arispe. She finished with a 1:47 fall against Minnesota North's Anna Kos.
Amara Ehsa followed with two pins and two technical falls to grab the title at 110. She capped her day with a 12-0 tech against Cornell College's Milar Little.
Julia Kanne came within a win of reaching the finals at 124 after a bye and win put her in the semifinals. She bounced back from a pin at the hands of Wartburg's Liannette Ortiz to stop Augsburg's Grey Peck in 1:53 to finish third.
Other Panther placers were Destiny Lofton with a fourth at 131, Meridian Snitker in seventh at 145, and Audrie Felkins at eighth at 117.
The ECC men were shutout until the last weight as Aiden McFadden took eighth at 285. He reached the quarterfinals with a pin and a decision before falling to Paul Ballard of the Iowa State University Wrestling Club. He dropped the next two to recruits at Iowa State and UNI, Xavier Bruening and Grant Stromberg respectively, to settle for eighth.
For more on ECC Athletics, click here: https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.timescitizen.com%2fsports%2fecc%2f&c=E,1,K7ldIzoWkOpUwZJpOzIVhJFwhVYMbWNK2Q050C2NgJ7AWiwluoUQ8IByD4ziETj_34QN2k-UmgehRrbu934gw0hYdtO99GbWUZkHPaVdcqJZyiXLMRs0NMhj&typo=1
BVU Open
Saturday at Storm Lake
125: Zahyr Cronk (DNP)- TF by Tyler Japp (Buena Vista) 17-1; Bye; Bye; inj, def. to Santana Ramon (SW Michigan College) 1:23.
125: Nick Needham (DNP)- Bye; pin by Kolton Keller (IC) 1:52; MD by Cole Sykora (Minnesota St. Mankato) 20-7.
133: Tyler Roper (DNP)- Bye; TF by Teague Holzer (UW Lacrosse) 16-1; TF by Kaden Lapaugh (SW Michigan College) 17-1.
149: Caiden Rentz (DNP)- pin by Gordien Nzeyimana (IC) 6:10; Bye; pin by Benjamin Fosdick (IC) 2:44.
157: Nicholas Fischer (DNP)- TF by Logan Stotts (ISU) 19-3; TF by Joe Ebaugh (Upper Iowa) 15-0.
165: Josh Berlin (DNP)- Bye; TF by Tyler Goebel (UW Lacrosse) 17-2; MFF to Gabe Carver (ISU).
174: Giles Cowell (DNP)- TF by Jack Gillis (UW Lacrosse) 15-0; Bye; Bye; TF Daniel Pacheco 16-1; pin Ben Brushaber (ISU WC) 5:29.
184: Kaleb Homan (DNP)- pin by Nathan Andrina (SW Michigan College) 1:19; Bye; Bye; Bye; TF Alex Schmitz (Minnesota West) 15-0.
285: Aiden McFadden (8th place)- pin Dylan Powell (SW Michigan College) 2:44; dec. Marcelo Rosario (ICCC) Dec 7-5; pin by Paul Ballard (ISU WC) 3:53; pin by Xavier Bruening (ISU) 6:53; TF by Grant Stromberg (UNI) 17-2.
103: Melonie Barillas (1st)- pin Madison Arispe (Upper Iowa) 0:53; pin Kylie Loffer (Loras) 1:52; inj. def. Sofia Meza (Loras); pin Aroura Preston (BVU) 2:29; pin Anna Kos (Minnesota North) 1:47.
110: Amara Ehsa (1st)- pin Olivia Sackor (Minnesota North) 3:32; TF Bentley Hills (Upper Iowa) 14-4; pin Lexi Timmerman (Iowa Lakes) 1:55; TF Milar Little (Cornell College) 12-0.
117: Audrie Felkins (8th)- Bye; TF by Shea Reisel (Dubuque) 10-0; Bye; inj. def. to Makayla Matson (Upper Iowa); lbff. Cheyenne Mulford (Cornell College).
124: Julia Kanne (3rd)- Bye; pin Ava Garcia (Cornell College) 0:47; pin by Liannette Ortiz (Wartburg) 2:50; pin Grey Peck (Augsburg) 1:53.
131: Destiney Lofton (4th)- pin Mikalah Konz (Iowa Lakes) 2:03; dec. by Khylie Wainwright (Wartburg) 5-5; pin by Holly Garrett (Iowa Lakes) 2:51.
145: Meridian Snitker (7th)- FF AvaBlue McDermott (Loras); TF by Tatum Levendahl (Dubuque) 11-0; pin Brianna Berge (Northland) 2:43; pin by Arionna Beatty (Northland) 1:52; pin Willow Stewart (Iowa Lakes) 0:42.
160: Cambree Howe (DNP)- Bye; pin by Alexandra Hofrichter (Dubuque) 0:25; pin Kaylynn Sparks (Cornell College) 0:22; pin by Madison Horn (Augsburg) 0:48.