LA GRANDE, Ore. - Mountaineer Men's Wrestling put on a show in their 2021-22 home finale as they thrashed conference foe Simpson University by a final score of 51-4 inside Quinn Coliseum on Friday night. The dual win is the first of the season for Eastern Oregon who is now 1-2 on the year and 1-1 in conference action.

The 51 points by EOU is the second most in program history since the program's reinstatement. The Mountaineers also had 58 points against Pacific University back on January 25, 2020 of the 2019-20 season. The point total is the highest at home inside Quinn Coliseum.

Highlighting the Mountaineers win was an array of impressive performances, which included six wins by way of fall. Also helping EOU pick up the win was a pair of forfeits by the Red Hawks (3-4) at 149 pounds and 174 pounds, respectively.

Scoring the first pin for the Mountaineers was Adrian Guevara at 125 pounds. He scored the win over Eduardo Esquivel in a time of 2:05 to get EOU out to a 6-0 start. Luciano Fasulo made it a 12-0 lead in a heartbeat as he pinned Justus Haskin in just 53 seconds at 133 pounds.

Carrying the momentum of the solid start for the Mountaineers was Monte Zufelt who made it three straight pins with his victory at 141 pounds. He needed the second period to do so but still downed Gustavo Ventura in 4:30 to make it a 18-0 edge for EOU.

Chad Muenzer picked up the forfeit win at 149 pounds and through the first four bouts, Eastern was in solid control with a 24-0 lead. Ending the scoring drought for the Red Hawks was Tyler Diaz who picked up a 10-2 major decision over Chael Williams to bring the score to 18-4.

The Red Hawks were unable to build off the win from Diaz and dropped the next four bouts that fielded athletes. John Bittinger was the fourth Mountie to get a pin as he took down Jaden Madding at 165 pounds. He needed all three periods to get the six points as he picked up the fall in 6:28 to push the team score to 30-4.

Keegan Mulhill was the second and final EOU grappler that got a forfeit victory, with an easy six points at 174 points. Kyle Knudtson joined the fun of pinning their opponent with a fall in 3:26 against Trinidad Diaz. His six points, along with Mulhill's, gave EOU an impressive 42-4 lead.

At 197 pounds, Jay Smith continued to impress like his teammates with a 9-4 decision over Jacob Gonsalves. His win was the only one that did not result in six team points for EOU, but still pushed the team's lead to 45-4.

The 285-pound bout saw Noel Orozco end the dual on a high note. He needed just 90 seconds to pin Jose Flores and finish undefeated at home for the season. His pin brought the score to its final of 51-4 and gave EOU its first dual victory of the year.

The Mountaineers are back on the mats this Sunday, Nov. 21 when they head to Spokane, Wash. for the Spokane Collegiate Open. Tournament action is set to begin at 9:15 a.m. PT

Eastern Oregon vs. Simpson
125: Adrian Guevara (EOU) over Eduardo Esquivel (SU) | Fall 2:05 | EOU- 6, SU- 0
133: Luciano Fasulo (EOU) over Justus Haskin (SU) | Fall 0:53 | EOU- 12, SU- 0
141: Monte Zufelt (EOU) over Gustavo Ventura (SU) | Fall 4:30 | EOU- 18, SU- 0
149: Chad Muenzer (EOU) win via forfeit | Open | EOU- 24, SU- 0
157: Tyler Diaz (SU) over Chael Williams (EOU) | MD 10-2 | EOU- 24, SU- 4
165: John Bittinger (EOU) over Jaden Madding (SU) | Fall 6:28 | EOU- 30, SU- 4
174: Keegan Mulhill (EOU) win via forfeit | Open | EOU- 36, SU- 4
184: Kyle Knudtson (EOU) over Trinidad Diaz (SU) | Fall 3:26 | EOU- 42, SU- 4
197: Jay Smith (EOU) over Jacob Gonsalves (SU) | Dec. 9-4 | EOU- 45, SU- 4
285: Noel Orozco (EOU ) over Jose Flores (SU) | Fall 1:30 | EOU- 51, SU- 4

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