The No. 4 Lindenwood wrestling team (2-0, 2-0 GLVC) opened the season on a high note, after taking down Davenport and No. 5 McKendree on Sunday in Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
 
DUAL ONE: No. 4 Lindenwood 44, Davenport 0
Austin Kegley got the Lions off to a good start against Davenport, as the 125-pound freshman earned a 13-7 decision to open the season.  No. 2 Colby Smith dominated his opponent in the 141-pound weight class, as he was earning points at a rapid pace.  Smith closed the match by earning a pin in the second period.  No. 1 Gavin Londoff had a tight match in the 149-pound weight class, as he secured a 7-5 decision in his first match of the year.
 
Ronnie Gentile returned to the program this year, and made a statement with a quality 19-6 major decision.  Gentile put the pressure on in each of the three periods, building even more momentum for the Lions.  Nate Trepanier wasted no time in his 165-pound bout, as the Oconto Falls, Wis. native earned a pin in just 1:08 of his match.  Defending regional champion No. 1 Abner Romero handled his opponent in the 174-pound weight class.  Romero was nearly flawless in his 9-0 major decision victory for the Lions.
 
Kyle Dickhaus added to the team total with his 11-4 victory in the 184-pound weight class.  Dickhaus worked for quality position all match, and earned the decision win.  Keaton Fogler picked up a decision victory in the 197-pound weight class, before Michael Kramer worked his way to a first-period pin to cap off a shutout victory over Davenport.  Kramer needed just one minute to get in position to earn a fall, giving Lindenwood the 44-0 win.
 
RESULTS
125 - Austin Kegley def Manuel Leija - Dec 13-7
133 – No. 6 Tanner Hitchcock def Open - FF
141 – No. 2 Colby Smith def Liam Hillary - Fall 3:46
149 – No. 1 Gavin Londoff def Jordan Ringler - Dec 7-5
157 - Ronnie Gentile def Quintin Lopez - MD 19-6
165 - Nate Trepanier def Julian Abbott - Fall 1:08
174 – No. 1 Abner Romero def Sam Greco - MD 9-0
184 - Kyle Dickhaus def Jackson Nevadomski - Dec 11-4
197 - Keaton Fogler def Crue Cooper - Dec 5-0
285 - Michael Kramer def River Fox - Fall 1:04
 
DUAL TWO: No 4 Lindenwood 19, No. 5 McKendree 18 (Lindenwood won tiebreaker)
The Bearcats took a quick lead with a pin the in opening match, but the Lions bounced back as No. 6 Tanner Hitchcock earned a 3-2 decision at 133 pounds.  At 141 pounds, Smith did not put up many points, but he controlled the match to earn a 4-0 shutout win.  Londoff put together a quality match at 149 pounds, posting a 6-0 decision.
 
The 157-pound bout was a dogfight, but Gentile came out on top with a 4-2 sudden victory over No. 6 Nate Smalling.  In the 165-pound match, Nate Trepanier was in a battle with lots of action.  Trepanier picked up key points when he needed, and eventually scored the winning takedown in overtime to post an 8-6 decision.
 
Romero fell behind early in his 174-pound match, but handled his opponent for the remainder of the bout.  Romero defeated No. 2 Joshua Jones by a final of 7-2, giving the Lions an 18-6 lead with three matches remaining.  McKendree won the next three matches to tie the match at 18-18, but the Lions earned the extra tiebreaker point to win 19-18 over the Bearcats.
 
RESULTS
125 - Austin Kegley lost to Cam Fusco - Fall :17
133 – No. 6 Tanner Hitchcock def Brody Norman - Dec 3-2
141 – No. 2 Colby Smith def Devin Schwarzkopf - Dec 4-0
149 – No. 1 Gavin Londoff def Nathan Callaway - Dec 6-0
157 - Ronnie Gentile def No. 6 Nate Smalling - SV 4-2
165 - Nate Trepanier def Cory Peterson  - SV 8-6
174 – No. 1 Abner Romero def No. 2 Josh Jones - Dec 7-2
184 – Colton Clingenpeel lost to No. 5 Dan Filipek - Dec 8-3
197 - Keaton Fogler lost to No. 1 Ryan Vasbinder - Fall 1:37
285 - Tage McNutt lost to Ian Kuehl - Dec 4-3
 
UP NEXT
Lindenwood will head to Wichita, Kan. on Sunday to take on Emmanuel College, No. 23 Newman, and No. 12 Fort Hays State.