Five placers highlight 10th ranked Barton Wresting's season opener at OCU Open #GoBarton

The Barton Community College wrestling program opened its 2018-19 season this past Sunday in the Oklahoma City University Open, compiling a 35-36 record with five of its twenty wrestlers earning top four placings in the freshman-sophomore division.

Leading the Cougars were a pair of runner-up finishes with Joey Ewalt in the 184 division and Shane Delong in the 197 division.

Ewalt opened his Cougar debut with a 7-2 victory over Justin Villegas of Ouachita Baptist University before advancing with a narrow 4-3 decision over Schreiner University's Damian Rivera. The Woodward, Oklahoma, freshman then defeated Luke Carlin of Wayland Baptist 9-6 in the semifinal round but came up short against the University of Central Oklahoma's Heath Gray for the title in an 18-3 technical fall.

Receiving a bye in the first round, Delong advanced to the semifinal round with a 0:33 injury default by Northeast Oklahoma A&M's Jonathan Waters. Taking care of Region foe Zach Bowen of Cloud County Community College's Zach Bowen 9-6 in the semis, Delong would also lose the title to an UCO wrestler as Dalton Abney recorded a 4:25 fall on the Lacygne, Kansas, sophomore.

Gage McBride began his sophomore season with a third place 174 division finish chalking up a first round tiebreaker win over unattached wrestler JaQuan Jackson of Oklahoma State University before making short work of Cloud County's Jayden Creach in a 1:26 fall. Earning a 5-0 blanking of UCO's Nick Jouret in the quarterfinal round, the Yukon, Oklahoma, native was bounced to the consolation side by host Oklahoma City University's Chase Vincent by a 10-4 score. McBride then piled up a 15-0 tech fall over unattached JD Johnson before winning the third place match on a forfeit to Oklahoma University's Jaryn Curry.

Barton's other two placers came in the 133 and 165 divisions with sophomore Gage Gomez and freshman Andrew DeArmond.

Gomez, who earned the program's second highest national placing last year next to Kade Sander's national title, began his sophomore campaign with an 8-4 victory over UCO's Von Gray. The Altus, Oklahoma, native then fought off Ouachita's Logan Sloss 8-7 before ending his championship bracket run with a 12-5 loss to NEO's Mikey Mascarenas. Gomez rebounded with a 3:57 pin of Cloud County's Blake Leiszler before dropping the third place match 11-5 to Cloud County's Dakota Miller.

DeArmond received a bye before the Catoosa, Oklahoma, freshman could take the mat in getting sent to the consolation side with a 16-0 tech fall to Oklahoma State unattached wrestler Colton Denney. DeArmond then recorded his first collegiate pin with a 6:59 fall over Labette Community College's Chirstian Brinkley. Earning a 7-6 sudden victory over Labette's Cameron Sharp, DeArmond continued his climb through the bracket with a 12-6 win over OSU's unattached Wes Ahrberg before a 6:32 fall to unattached Noah Perkins ended the day with the fourth place finish.

Barton's next action comes this Saturday as the Cougars compete in Saturday's Bethany Swede Open at 9:00 a.m. in Lindsborg, Kansas.

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