Simpson College wrestling hosted a dual against top-10-ranked Wartburg College on Nov. 5 inside Hopper Gymnasium. The matches marked the start of American Rivers Conference competitions for both the men’s and women’s teams.  

The No. 18-ranked Simpson women’s team took on the No. 10 Knights in a competitive 29–17 loss, while the men’s team faced a steep challenge against the fourth-ranked Wartburg men, falling 50–0. 

Despite the outcomes, both teams found reasons for optimism early in the season. 

The Storm women set the tone in the middle weights, winning four of ten bouts against Wartburg.  

Sophomore Layla Phillips pulled off one of the night’s biggest upsets and beat eighth-ranked Jasmine Luedtke 8–7 at 117 pounds. Phillips built a 4–1 lead early and sealed the victory with two late points in the final period. 

At 124 pounds, junior Ashley Cannon kept the Storm’s momentum going with a first-period pin over Gable Hemann, and finished the match in 2:58.

Soon after, Sophomore Annelise Obermark pinned Alex Harswick in 1:17 to keep Simpson within a one-round lead. 

Obermark said her success came from relying on her go-to moves and staying composed despite the nerves of facing a top 10 team. 

“I feel like I wrestled really good even though it was just a short amount of time,” Obermark said. “My doubles work really well for me in most situations, so they really came in clutch today.” 

She said the pre-match tension was high, but that it fueled her performance. 

“I’m not going to lie, I was really nervous,” she said. “They do this fun little trick where they weigh in two people to play mind games on the other team. But nervous, also excited.” 

Her confidence after the match was also clear. 

“We’re going to beat the crud out of Wartburg next time we see them,” Obermark said. 

Junior Keeley Kehrli rounded out Simpson’s wins with an 8–4 decision over Wartburg’s May Prado at 160 pounds. 

The Simpson men ran into one of the toughest lineups in the country. Wartburg, a program with 15 national team titles, controlled the dual from start to finish, taking all nine contested matches and a forfeit at 184 pounds.  

Despite the 50–0 final, several Storm wrestlers pushed through longer rounds against ranked opponents. 

Sophomore Mazin Arafa provided one of Simpson’s strongest performances of the night, battling No. 9 Carson Martinson at 174 pounds before falling by decision, 16–3. Arafa said he entered the match with belief, knowing he could compete with one of the nation’s best. 

“I was a pretty big believer in this match,” Arafa said. “I wrestled him at the end of the season last year and had a close match, so I knew I could get some takedowns and make it a good one. He’s ranked number nine in the nation, so I knew I couldn’t do any worse than losing. I just went out there and fought really hard.” 

Arafa said he plans to start matches more aggressively going forward. 

“I think a big change I’ll make is to go out swinging at the start instead of trying to finish swinging with intensity,” he said. 

Arafa said facing Wartburg early in the year gives the team a strong benchmark for improvement. 

“I think this will be a good reflection point for the rest of the season,” he said. “They’ve won countless national titles, so it’s a really good baseline to move forward and start the season from.” 

Simpson wrestling returns to action on November 13th in Dubuque as both teams continue conference competition.