The Simpson College men’s wrestling team hosted a conference dual against Buena Vista University in Hopper Gymnasium on Feb. 6. This matchup marks the second-to-last regular season competition before postseason regionals are underway.
The Storm dominated in the matchup from the start, tallying a 41-8 win over the Beavers. Key performances by Nicholas Silva, Trey Kellow, Troy Galloway and Carson Slorah gave the Storm the energy to pull ahead in the end.
The duel opened with forfeits at 124 and 141 pounds, followed by an electrifying start to the duel with a pin from Nicholas Silva early in the first period at 133 pounds.
The Storm continued to show dominance as Noel Torres came out on top of a three-period match, and finished 10-3 at 157 pounds. Immediately following Torres’s win, senior Trey Kellow concluded with a fall over his opponent at 165 pounds, putting the Storm up 27-3.
Kellow gave his insight into his overall performance on the night.
“I think it was phenomenal really. I showed Simpson College and what it was about, and represented it well. I went out there and won by a pin for my teammates and put us up on the board,” he said.
As the upperweights began, the fans were in for a rowdy battle between sophomore Mazin Arafa and Buena Vista’s Hayden Stout. The two fired up the crowd and one of the best matches of the night. Arafa came out on top, as he took control of the match with multiple takedowns, and finished the match by a win by decision 9-3 after all three rounds.
The fans were then introduced and witnessed the debut of first-year Connor Hangartner. Although he fell short of the win, he managed to finish the match in all three rounds. He lost by decision 26-11, which put Beavers on the board, and made the score 30-8 after 184 pounds.
Towards the final matches of the night, Galloway was the final senior to put up a performance which kept the Storm rolling. With a couple of early takedowns in the first period, Galloway was able to take control of the match right away.
He continued to dominate, which led into the next period where he would finish his opponent by fall early, and added to the Storm’s monster lead with only one match to go.
Galloway gave a few words after the meet about his mindset heading into his final matches as a Storm wrestler.
“Just have fun, make the most out of every moment, as this will probably be some of the last times I compete and step on a mat,” he said. “It’s been nice to be a part of a class that’s turned the program into something more than what it was, and I’m proud to be a role model for these underclassmen.”
The meet finished with first-year Carson Slorah continuing to dominate this night for the Storm with a tech fall win 18-3 in the third period at 285 pounds.
The Storm will return for action, hosting the Central College Dutch on Feb. 12 in Indianola. This matchup marks the last regular-season conference meet before regionals.
