BTSC Wrestlers Find Success At Two Major Preseason Tournaments

Coach Mike Boyd (left), Sean Larkin (center), Josh Contreras (right)

This preseason saw many of our wrestlers find success at the Grappler Fall Classic & Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals, both of which are widely regarded as two of the toughest competitions ahead of the high school season. 

The men & women left with a total of nine placers from the Grappler Fall Classic held in kalamazoo, MI early October. Stand-out performances include Mia Vazquez, who went undefeated pinning all of her opponents en route to a Grappler Fall Classic title. 

Similarly, Sean Larkin displayed an incredible amount of grit in his run to a 3rd place finish. After losing early in the day, Larkin rattled off 11 straight wins to take home a bronze medal after 12 hard-fought matches. 

Larkin would find continued success at the Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals located in Cedar Rapids, IA. After wrestling eight matches in two days, Larkin earned himself a spot on the podium and an eighth place finish that secured All-America honors. 

Along with Larkin, Roy Phelps found himself on the podium and earned All-America honors with a fourth place finish in the Preseason Nationals heavyweight field. After losing early, Phelps earned two big pins to land in the 3rd place match. 

Gabino Perez and Fernando Lopez also had notable results with Lopez finishing two matches shy of the podium and Perez one match away from All-American status. 

October proved to a great month for several high school BTSC wresters & we cannot wait to see the hard work in the off season pay off in Champaign come February.