Eslinger's Fall at 285 Pounds Seals Dual Victory Over No. 18 St. Mary, 23-19

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – Closing out their home schedule for the 2024 season, the (RV) Baker men's wrestling team picked up a huge win on Saturday, knocking off No. 18 Saint Mary by a score of 23-19.

As the dual got started, Baker was open at 125 pounds and fell in an early 6-0 hole. Saint Mary then scored bonus points at both 133 and 141 pounds winning by tech-fall and major decision respectively to hold a 15-0 lead.

No. 21 Dallas Koelzer then put together a strong performance at 149 pounds and defeated No. 25 Austin Almaguer to get Baker on the board and cut the lead to 15-3. At 157 pounds, the Spires added to their lead with another major decision and led the dual, 19-3.

After a big 8-6 decision for Jakob Stovall at 165 pounds, Joey Hancock picked up some bonus points for Baker with a tech-fall at 174 pounds and cut the lead to 19-11. Both No. 9 Brett Bober and No. 8 Malachi Karibo earned decisions in their respective weight classes as Karbio defeated No. 10 Ryker Blackburn as Baker trailed St. Mary, 19-17 heading into the final match of the dual.

Elijah Eslinger then stepped to the mat and picked up a huge fall over his opponent and sealed the dual, giving Baker a 23-19 win over No. 18 St. Mary.

The Baker men's wrestling team will be back in action on February 16-17, when they travel to Oskaloosa, Iowa to compete in the Heart of America Conference Championships.

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