The Missouri Valley Invitational proved to be one of the toughest tournaments in the nation, and the Red Hawk wrestlers battled through an extremely competitive field.

Five Ref Hawk wrestlers went deep into the tournament, with three advancing beyond the first four rounds.

Tomas Jacobo wrestled through six matches with only one loss, which placed him in the consolation blood round. Unfortunately, Tomas suffered an injury in his final match and was unable to continue competing in the tournament and was eliminated with an injury default.

David Rapp Jr. had an excellent first day, defeating three straight opponents before falling to the No. 15 nationally ranked wrestler, D. Giangregorio (DSU). Rapp rebounded with a victory over No. 20-ranked C. Cornman (CMU) to advance to day two, where he later lost in the blood round. Rapp finished the weekend strong with a 6–2 record in a 64-man bracket.

Benjamen Mitchell was the highlight for the Red Hawks this weekend. In his opening match, Mitchell lost to the eventual champion, J. Windauer (MSUN). Refusing to be discouraged, Mitchell went on to record four consecutive pins to advance to day two, including an impressive pin over No. 15 nationally ranked D. Whitt (GV).

On day two, Mitchell began with an injury default win from his opponent. He then battled in a tough match that remained tied 13–13 at the end of regulation. He scored a quick takedown in overtime to secure a 16–13 victory over No. 20 nationally ranked A. Sederburg (WWU).

Mitchell wasn't finished—he pinned his next two opponents to earn a third-place finish. Overall, Mitchell's record for the weekend was 8-1 with 6 pins. 

Simpson takes a break and looks to be back in action Feb. 6th at Menlo College. 
 

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