STEVENS POINT, Wis. — The Augustana Vikings wrestling teams opened their 2025 campaign with several strong performances at the Pointer Open on Saturday, with strong finishes across all brackets.

Men's Gold Division
At 125 pounds, Jack Reina earned an early decision win over Antonio Flores (Unattached) 10–7 before bowing out of the tournament in the quarterfinals. In the 157-pound bracket, Noah DeMarco picked up a pair of wins in the consolation rounds, defeating Kris Castro (Saint John's) 9–6 and Ethan Maldonado (Luther) 13–8 on his way to a fourth-round appearance. At 174, Jack Miller battled through the consolation side, earning a 10–4 decision over Isaiah Schmitz (Concordia-Moorhead) after an early setback in the opening round.

Braiden Young also claimed a couple hard-fought wins at 197 pounds, collecting decisions over Tyler Haydon (Wisconsin–Whitewater) 5–1 and Seth Gomez (Wisconsin–Stevens Point) 4–3 before dropping a tight sudden-victory match in the placement round. Conor Phelan picked up a technical fall victory (21–5) over Griffin Schultz (Luther) in his 197-pound bracket debut.

Men's Silver Division
Gianni Panozzo's performance at 157 pounds was highlighted by a fall in 4:16 over Brayden Rapp (Wisconsin–Stevens Point) and another pin over Daniel O'Connell (Aurora) in the consolations. Antione Gilford led the Vikings' Silver division efforts, finishing 5th at 157 pounds after a strong 3–2 showing that included wins over Dallas Sibbet (Saint John's), Gavin Madson (Wisconsin–Stevens Point), and Connor Schenian (Wisconsin–Stevens Point). Gilford notched a pair of decisions and a fall.

Lamero Ceaser turned in a solid 6th-place finish at 197, picking up wins by fall over Joseph Zamudio-Perez (Marian) on his way to the placement round. Other Vikings who earned wins were Tyson Bruce, William Hittinger, and Anton Larsson.

Women's Gold Division
At 131 pounds, Moni Griffin recorded a first-period pin over Mya Delleree (Wisconsin–Oshkosh) in just 29 seconds. After a competitive match in the semifinals, Griffin advanced to the placement rounds, where she earned a 6th place finish. Aine Moffit turned in a standout performance at 145 pounds, placing 3rd overall. Moffit pinned Clarissa Agostini (Grand Valley State) in just 31 seconds in her opening bout, then after a semifinal loss, she battled back through the consolations with a 5–1 decision over Noelle Gaffney (Grand Valley State) and an 8–7 decision over Agostini in the third-place match.

At 160 pounds, Maryam Ndiaye placed 6th, finishing with three wins on the day. Ndiaye opened with a fall over Randi Nicholson (Wartburg) in 2:20, then dominated Clara Rice (Elmhurst) by technical fall (10–0) and added a 6–1 decision over May Prado (Wartburg) in the consolations. Angie Guy also earned a 6th-place finish at 207 pounds, collecting a 10–4 decision over Alivia Davey (Illinois Wesleyan) in the quarterfinals. Guy lost to a nationally ranked opponent in the semifinals before an injury default ended her day in the 5th place match. At 138 pounds, Lanie Cecala secured a tech fall victory (11–0) over Katerina Conrad (Lakeland).

Women's Purple Division
In the 138-pound bracket, Gia Ritter picked up two victories, including a 10–6 decision over Alexis Pehrson (Wartburg) and a pin in 45 seconds over Samantha Chapon (Northern Michigan). Jaiden Moody also got in the win column, collecting a fall over Kelsey Knief (Luther) in 2:22 at 160 pounds.

Augustana will return to action on Saturday, November 15th when the Vikings head to Decorah, IA to compete at the Luther Open.