LA GRANDE,Ore. – No. 20 Mountaineer Men's Wrestling has a quick turnaround following a successful weekend as they will be back on the mats for a midweek dual. Squaring off against Eastern Oregon will be an in-state foe.

OPPONENT
Corban Warriors (3-2, 3-2 CCC)

WHERE
Pendleton, Ore. - Pendleton High School

WHEN
Wednesday, Jan. 12 - 4:30 p.m. 

Mat Points
• Eastern Oregon (6-3, 4-2 CCC) will look to continue its winning ways following a 2-0 weekend in Arizona over a pair of conference foes.
• The Mountaineers picked up wins over Arizona Christian and No. 18 Embry-Riddle to improve to 4-2 in conference dual action.
• EOU's midweek tilt originally was supposed to feature two CCC opponents, but Warner Pacific University has put a two-week pause on all athletic activities.
• The Mountaineers match-up against Corban will be just the second all-time dual meeting between the two squads.
• Following the midweek showdown, Eastern will not return to the mats until Jan. 21 when they head to Missouri for another tournament.

How to Watch/Follow
• Live stats coverage for Wednesday's dual will be covered through TrackWrestling.com. Fans can follow live results by clicking the respective link above. 
• Live stats coverage for EOU Men's Wrestling can be found on the team's schedule page as well during the 2021-22 season.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• EOU had a perfect weekend on the road to begin 2022 as the team scored a pair of conference dual victories in Arizona over Arizona Christian and No. 18 Embry-Riddle.
• Against the Firestorm, EOU trailed 12-10 midway through the match before winning the final five bouts to secure the comeback win, 30-12. 
• At Embry-Riddle, the Mountaineers were dominant and never allowed the Eagles to lead once in the match. It was tied just once at 6-6, after two bouts, but EOU then won six of the final eight remaining match-ups to secure the 36-15 victory.

CCC Wrestler of the Week
• Sophomore Jay Smith was tabbed the CCC's WVT Laboratory Men's Wrestler of the Week after going 2-0 at 197 pounds last weekend.
• Smith scored a pair of decisions to improve to 6-3 in dual action, while his overall record moved to 17-8. His 17 wins lead the Mountaineers so far this season. 

Mountaineers in the Rankings
• In the latest edition of the NAIA Men's Wrestling Coaches' Top-20 Poll, EOU checked in at No. 20. The team's ranking is three spots lower than their previous spot on 17th.
• During the 2021-22 season, EOU has been ranked in every NAIA poll and is one of four CCC teams nationally ranked.
• In the fourth edition of the NAIA's conference polls, Eastern is ranked fourth in the CCC.
• The next set of conference and NAIA top-20 rankings will be released Jan. 18 and 20, respectively.

Previously Against Corban
• The Mountaineers and Warriors have squared off just one time in the young history of the two programs.
• The lone meeting between the two squads was back in 2019-20 as Eastern scored a 36-9 win over the Warriors. 

Scouting the Competition
• The Warriors enter the midweek tilt with a 3-2 overall record in dual action with the same mark against CCC opponents.
• Leading the way in the lighter weight classes is Kane Nixon at 149 pounds who is 9-7 on the year. He has had eight of his nine wins come by way of pin this season.
• At 157 pounds, Yasf Sorenson is tied for second in wins with a 7-5 overall record. Also at seven wins is Matthew Bartlett (174 lbs.) and Tyson Stover (184 lbs.)
• As a team, Corban has competed in 10 duals but five have been denoted as exhibitions. The Warriors dual vs. EOU will be their first competition since mid-December.
• The Warriors continue to receive votes in the latest NAIA top-20 poll. They are ranked 11th in the latest CCC poll.

Projected EOU Starting Lineup
125: Adrian Guevara OR Raul Ruiz
133: Zach Mauras
141: Monte Zufelt
149: Vincent Cramer
157: Malakai Moyer
165: Open
174: Open
184: Ryan Redford
197: Open
285: Noel Orozco OR Justin Wilson

Projected Corban Starting Lineup
125: Wesley Vasquez 
133: Ryan Davis 
141: Kane Nixon 
149: Michael Murphy 
157: Yasyf Sorensen 
165: David Rubio 
174: Matthew Bartlett 
184: Tyson Stover 
197: Macoy Christman OR Nick Nelson 
285: Open 

Up Next
• Following the dual against Corban, Eastern will have some time off before returning to mat action. The Mountaineers next contest will be Jan. 21-22 when they head to Marshall, Mo. for the Missouri valley College Invitational.

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