The Lindenwood wrestling team opened the season at the Kaufman Brand Open hosted by Maryville University in St. Louis, Mo.  The Lions secured four place winners, including Jared Shafer who took second place in his weight class.

OVERVIEW
Shafer won his first two matches of the day, each by tech fall to secure a spot in the semifinal match.  After winning by a combined score of 35-2 in his two bouts, Shafer earned a tough 8-6 decision win.  Shafer wrestled tough in the championship match, but fell 10-7 to earn a second-place finish.

Austin Raynor won his first match of the tournament by pinning his opponent at the 6:27 mark.  Raynor was on the losing end in the semifinal bout by just one point, but bounced back in the consolation bracket.  Raynor earned his second pin at the 2:11 mark, before capping off his day with a 15-5 major decision to take third place.

Ben Lindley and Trevor Wilson each took sixth place in their respective divisions, giving the Lions four place winners on the day.  Lindley dropped his first bout, but bounced back to win 7-3 and 8-6 in his next two matches.  After his sudden victory, Lindley dropped his next two battles, taking sixth place.  Wilson earned a quick pin at the 1:09 mark in his first action of the year.  After a loss in the quarterfinal, Wilson answered with back-to-back pins to move on to the consolation semifinals.  Wilson took a loss in his next two matches, but earned a sixth-place finish.

QUOTABLE
"We had a young crew at the tournament today, and it was exciting to see them show up and compete," said head coach Dallas Smith.  "We definitely pinpointed some areas that we can build on, but overall these guys stepped up and fought.  I'm more than proud of our effort throughout the entire day."

UP NEXT
Lindenwood will hit the road on Sunday to take on the No. 4 University of Missouri at 1:00 p.m. in Columbia, Mo.  The bout between the Lions and Tigers will take place outside at the Softball Stadium for the Dual on the Diamond.