MARIETTA, Ga.--Cumberland wrestling has four wrestlers place at the Life Open in Marietta on Saturday.The Phoenix were led by Victor Guzman in the Gold division and three wrestlers who placed in the Silver division.
Victor Guzman had a standout performance at the LifeOpen, battling through a challenging 149-pound Gold division bracket to finish in 6th place. Guzman started his day in dominant fashion, earning a 19-0 technical fall over Devin Stone in the opening round. He continued his strong form in the second round, pinning Davin Lundquist in the first period. Guzman carried that momentum into the third round, claiming an impressive 17-3 major decision over Yuta Otero of Chattanooga.
In the quarterfinals, Guzman advanced via medical forfeit against Elijah Lusk of Lander University, earning his spot in the semifinals. There, he faced fourth-ranked Jace Luchau of Cumberlands (Ky.), falling by the narrowest of margins, 4-3. Gizman defaulted to sixth place with two forfeits to earn sixth on the podium.
Aslan Nadeau earned eighth place in the silver division at 133. After a tough opening-round loss to Jacob Ohl, who edged him out with a 9-5 decision, Nadeau roared back with a series of commanding victories.
In his first consolation match, Nadeau pinned Matthew Ball of Lindsey Wilson in just 1:10 to kickstart his comeback. He followed that with a flawless 15-0 technical fall over Kale Shultz of Keystone Kids in the second round. Nadeau's momentum continued as he secured another quick pin, taking down Tristan Luna of Life University in just 1:27. In the fourth round, Nadeau picked up an 18-0 technical fall against Aiden Lipford of Andrew College before defaulting to eighth.
Evan Dixon battled his way to a sixth-place finish in the 285-pound Silver division. Dixon opened his tournament in explosive fashion, pinning Zach Knowles of Keiser University in just 48 seconds. He followed it up with a hard-fought 9-7 decision over Devin Dudley of Life in the second round, securing a spot in the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, Dixon faced Wade Wheeler of Liberty but was stopped short via a fall at the 1:56 mark. Dixon bounced back in the consolation bracket, quickly pinning Kiyon Brown of UNC Pembroke in 55 seconds. He advanced by medical forfeit over Devin Dudley, whom he had previously defeated. Dixon also defaulted to sixth with a forfeit.
Erick Willock earned an eighth-place finish in the 285-pound Silver division. Willock started his tournament with a pin over Nysir Witt of Truett-McConnell (Ga.) at the 3:38 mark. In the second round, he faced Richard Alexander of Life University but came up short in a 7-3 decision, sending him to the consolation bracket.
Willock pinned Zyir Gordon (Unattached) in 4:09 and Juan Luis-Tapia of Central Baptist (Ark.) in just 2:12. He then secured a high-scoring 16-9 decision victory over Samuel Euceda-Torres of Montevallo to reach the consolation semifinals. In a rematch against Richard Alexander, Willock fought hard but was edged out again, this time in a 7-2 decision. He defaulted to eighth on the podium with a forfeit in the seventh place match.
Cumberland will have some time off before opening up their dual schedule in Pigeon Forge. Cumberland will have a day filled with duals at the Rocky Top Duals on December 14.
