SALEM, Ore. – The No. 23-ranked Eastern Oregon Mountaineers men's wrestling team turned in a strong opening-day performance at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank. Eastern sits in sixth place with 38 team points, and eight of the 12 Mountaineers advanced to compete on Day 2.
Eastern Oregon entered the tournament with four nationally ranked wrestlers and six seeded in the top five of their respective brackets. At 133 pounds,
Braden Carson earned the No. 1 seed, while
Kai Carson secured the No. 2 seed after coming in ranked No. 10 and No. 11 nationally, respectively.
At 125 pounds,
Jackson Eylar went 2-1 on the day. He opened with an 18-3 technical fall over Simpson's Phoenix Cruz before dropping a bout to No. 6 Landon Smith (ERAU), moving him into the consolation bracket. Eylar responded with an 8-7 decision over Corban's Brayden Boyd to secure his spot in Saturday's action.
At 133 pounds,
Braden Carson recorded his first pin of the tournament, defeating Simpson's Jay Everhart in 4:33.
Kai Carson received a first-round bye and will begin competition on Day 2.
Cole Cross, the No. 7 seed at 149 pounds, posted a 2-0 record Friday. Cross earned a 7-3 decision over Rico Robles (ACU) before upsetting No. 14-ranked Cade White (UP).
Also at 149 pounds, No. 19
Eric Larwin, seeded fifth, went 2-1. He opened with a 4-2 decision over Westcliff's Brian Geiger, fell in a tight 5-4 match to Corban's Bo Davis, and rebounded with a 4-1 decision against Simpson's Colton Silva to advance.
At 157 pounds,
Carlos Valdez, seeded fifth, finished 2-1. He began the day with a 4:40 pin over Jayms Vilona (TESC), dropped a match to No. 20 Ryan Graves (MSUN), and bounced back with a sudden victory decision over Nicholas Pina (ACU).
John Rudebaugh, the No. 9 seed at 165 pounds, went 1-1. He opened with a 2:02 pin against Westcliff's Jacob Arellano before falling to No. 12 Jayden Luttrell (ERAU).
At heavyweight (285 pounds), No. 12
Nico Rodriguez, seeded third, received a first-round bye and followed with a 7-4 decision over Kaiden Cisneros (ACU).
In addition to crowning the 2026 CCC Men's Wrestling Team Champion, Saturday's competition will determine individual champions in each weight class. The top three finishers will earn All-Conference honors, and national qualifiers will be finalized. The tournament will also recognize an Outstanding Wrestler, Conference Coach of the Year, and the Athletic Solutions Sportsmanship Award recipient.
The Mountaineers return to the mat for Day 2 on Saturday, Feb. 20, with matches set to begin at 10 a.m.
To view results:
Individuals |
Team Scores
