Men's Wrestling places fourth at WHAC Championships; Alayan earns programs first-ever WHAC Championship

(Fort Wayne, IN) - The Rochester Christian men's wrestling team headed to Fort Wayne and Indiana Tech to compete at the WHAC Championships on Saturday. Warrior senior, #8 Nickolas Alayan, would make program history, becoming the first individual WHAC Champion. The Warriors totaled a record of 17-20 for the tournament. 

Alayan wasn't the only highlight of the day as several Warriors earned placements in their respective brackets, as RCU would also earn a second, third, fifth (4), and sixth-place finish. 

Alayan, also voted as the Tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler, earned the top finish, going 2-0 (with a first-round bye), winning the semifinal match by an 11-3 major decision, before pulling off an upset against the #3-ranked wrestler with a fall at the 2:19 mark in the first period. 

In the 174-pound class, Jacob Gonzales earned runner-up in the bracket with a 3-1 record. Gonzales would also earn himself an upset win in the first round with a 15-2 major decision over the 19th-ranked wrestler, before earning two straight fall wins, getting to the finals. In the championship match, Gonzales would battle before falling in the second period. 

Sawyer Kuenzer earned a third-place finish after dropping his first match (to the 13th-ranked wrestler) and having to battle through the consolation bracket. Kuenzer finished with a 3-1 record, earning a pair of fall wins, including one in the 3rd-place match, as well as a sudden victory win. 

Cristian Rojas (2-2), David VanDaele (2-2), Julian Rojas (2-2), and Nick Meli (1-2) all earned a fifth-place finish. 

Peyton Frederick placed sixth in the tournament after going 1-3. 

UP NEXT

Nickolas Alayan and Jacob Gonzales earned automatic bids to the NAIA National Championships on March 5-7 with their placements today, which will be held at the Heartland Credit Union Arena in Wichita, Kansas.