ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst University men's wrestling team took down Carthage College, 27-15, Thursday evening inside R.A. Faganel Hall.

Elmhurst improved to an even 2-2 record overall and in CCIW action, while the Firebirds fell to 3-2 and 2-2 in the CCIW.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Chris Kish edged Donovin Fields in a tightly contested bout at 125, earning a 12-9 decision to give Carthage an early 3-0 lead. Joe Fornaro responded with an emphatic performance, dominating Zach Miller with a 16-7 major decision at 133, flipping the score in favor of the Bluejays, 4-3. Carthage reclaimed the lead as Cole Nelson earned a forfeit victory at 141, putting them ahead 9-4. Diego Garcia turned the tide back to the Bluejays with a commanding 13-5 major decision over Elijah Zepeda, narrowing the overall score to 9-8, while Rhenzo Augusto delivered a steady performance, defeating Zaren Anderson by an 8-3 decision, giving Elmhurst its first lead of the meet at 11-9.

Mataeo Blessing extended the lead with an explosive win, pinning Joey Barnett in just 2:26 at 165. The fall gave Elmhurst a significant boost, pushing the score to 17-9. Corey Bradley continued the momentum, defeating Christian Gilbert in a hard-fought 6-1 decision, increasing the Bluejays' advantage to 20-9. Devin Rogers kept the Firebirds in contention with a quick pin over Connor Kelly at the 2:02 mark, narrowing the score to 20-15. Colin O'Neill answered with a dominant 11-3 major decision against Jared Werner, securing the dual victory and moving the score to 24-17 heading into the heavyweight bout. David Ortiz sealed three more points with a 4-1 decision over Mason Kochersperger, cementing the final score at 27-15.

UP NEXT

The Bluejays return to the mat on Saturday, December 14, splitting squads between the Art Kraft Invitational in River Forest, Ill. and the North Central Open in Naperville, Ill.

FULL RESULTS

Weight	Matchup	Score
125	Chris Kish (CC) over Donovin Fields (ELM) (Dec 12-9)	ELM 0, CARTH 3
133	Joe Fornaro (ELM) over Zach Miller (CC) (MD 16-7)	ELM 4, CARTH 3
141	Cole Nelson (CC) over (ELM) (For.) 4-9	ELM 4, CARTH 9
149	Diego Garcia (ELM) over Elijah Zepeda (CC) (MD 13-5)	ELM 8, CARTH 9
157	Rhenzo Augusto (ELM) over Zaren Anderson (CC) (Dec 8-3)	ELM 11, CARTH 9
165	Mataeo Blessing (ELM) over Joey Barnett (CC) (Fall 2:26)	ELM 17, CARTH 9
174	Corey Bradley (ELM) over Christian Gilbert (CC) (Dec 6-1)	ELM 20, CARTH 9
184	Devin Rogers (CC) over Connor Kelly (ELM) (Fall 2:02)	ELM 20, CARTH 15
197	Colin O`Neill (ELM) over Jared Werner (CC) (MD 11-3)	ELM 24, CARTH 15
285	David Ortiz (ELM) over Mason Kochersperger (CC) (Dec 4-1)	ELM 27, CARTH 15

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