The American University wrestling team (7-6) went 1-2 at the Chippewa Challenge in Bender Arena, failing to take home the trophy on Jan. 26.
The Eagles had plenty of standout performances in the six hour meet against California State University at Bakersfield (5-8), Central Michigan University (4-8) and Campbell University (7-7). This was the first time the event was held at Bender Arena.
Junior Raymond Lopez starred for American, winning all three of his 133-pound matches in convincing fashion. Graduate student heavyweight Will Jarrell and senior 184-pounder Lucas White put up great performances of their own, taking two wins each.
American began their day with 10 matches against CSU. An impressive performance by Lopez saw him get three crucial takedowns in the 133-pound match to defeat CSU Roadrunners sophomore Santino Sanchez 10-2. The decision gave the Eagles a 4-3 lead.
The Eagles wouldn’t get another win until the 157-pound match, where senior Jack Nies secured American’s best individual performance with a 19-3 win over sophomore Devyn Flores-Che, tying the dual 9-9 overall. Nies recorded four takedowns in the match.
American would not secure another win, going 2-8 in all competitions. The Roadrunners won the dual with a score of 28-9.
The Eagles’ afternoon continued with another 10 matches against the tournament’s namesake, the Central Michigan Chippewas. The Chippewas came off a loss to Campbell University earlier in the tournament.
American got off to a much better start as freshman 125-pound JJ Peace won the opening match with a takedown in sudden victory, giving him a 4-1 win. Lopez continued his impressive day with two takedowns and a reversal to give him a major decision 16-7 win.
After a string of close losses, freshman Kaden Milheim gave the Eagles a huge boost in the 165-pound match with a 13-3 decision that included penalty trouble for the Chippewas and three takedowns for Milheim. American led 14-6 against Central Michigan.
Going into the heavyweight bout, the Eagles held a narrow 17-13 lead. Jarrell began the match against junior Bryan Caves with a takedown in the first minute. A fall and another takedown in the final minute gave Jarrell a 9-2 win and American the overall dual win 21-13.
On what sparked the Eagles to rebound against Central Michigan, head coach Jason Borrelli said his locker room talk likely helped.
“I challenged our guys that we were better than how we performed,” Borrelli said. “And I’m proud of how we responded.”
American went into their final match against the Campbell University Camels. Campbell won its previous two matchups, and the Eagles were the only thing standing in their way of the Chippewa trophy.
Lopez gave American its first win with another major decision, winning 14-3 in the 133-pound match against graduate student Logan Heil, which included three takedowns in the first period. Lopez ended the day as the only Eagle to win all of his matches.
“When he gets momentum, he’s really difficult to beat,” Borrelli said. “His matches were a spark for us.”
The Eagles wouldn’t get their second victory until the 174-pound match, where sophomore Caleb Campos shined for American, winning 5-1 on a takedown and a reversal. American was down 15-7 to the Camels heading into the 184-pound match.
White kept American in it with a chance, blanking sophomore Logan Heckert 6-0 in a match that included a takedown within the first 30 seconds. Down 15-10, the Eagles would need to win their next two bouts to take home the trophy.
Despite a competitive match, senior Carsten Rawls could not overcome graduate Levi Hopkins in the 197-pound bout, losing 6-1. Jarrell went into the heavyweight match, securing three takedowns and two escapes to defeat freshman Landon Sargent 11-3.
Although the Eagles kept it close, they lost to the 2025 Chippewa Challenge winners Campbell University 18-14.
American heads to Pennsylvania on Jan. 31 to face Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association rivals Drexel University (7-8) and Lehigh University (7-4). The Eagles return home to face Brown (1-4) on Feb. 9.
“The good thing is that we got a little tougher today,” Borrelli said. “We fought hard today, the takeaway is that we just need to start a little stronger.”
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella and Sabine Kanter-Huchting.
