Men's Wrestling 3/8/2020 11:03:00 AM CU Athletics

Mutuwa caps career with third-place finish; Tigers have five All-Americans and finish in Top 11 for ninth straight year

WICHITA, Kansas — For the 16^th year in a row, Campbellsville University men's wrestling places at the NAIA Championship as the Tigers finished seventh and brought home five All-Americans individually.

The Tigers earned 68 points overall and in addition to placing in every year as a varsity program, Campbellsville has also finished in the Top 11 for nine straight seasons.

Senior Ashton Mutuwa ended his Tiger career with a third-place finish at 285 pounds, while he was one three seniors to go out with a win on the mat.

Mutuwa, the No. 9-seed, lost to No. 1-seed and eventual national champion Brandon Reed in the quarterfinal. He then went on to win four straight matches, including three-straight over Top 6 opponents. He earned a 6-2 decision over Matt Kent from Grand View, then pinned No. 6 Justin Harbison from Providence, before beating No. 3 Shawn Beeson from Graceland, 7-5. Mutuwa ended his senior year with a 37-7 record overall.

Michael Diemer was another Tiger to go out with a win to end his career. Diemer, the No. 9-seed at 149 pounds, went 5-2 overall at the national championship. His first loss was also to an eventual national champion in Tres Leon from Cumberlands in the quarterfinal bout. Diemer went on to win his final match over No. 4-seed Richard Pocock from Missouri Valley with a 4-2 sudden victory in overtime. Diemer finished his senior year with a 35-9 record.

Mahlic Sallah, wrestling at 174, also finished in fifth place and scored 14 team points. Like Diemer, Sallah went 5-2 overall and 24-11 during his sophomore campaign. Sallah lost in the quarterfinal to No. 2-seed Chase Vincent, who went on to earn runner-up honors, but then won three of the next four matches – all against ranked opponents.

Sallah finished his sophomore year with a forfeit victory over No. 3 Michael Carew from Reinhardt.

Zach Linton and Jordan Martinez also finished with All-American honors. Linton, ranked seventh at 197, lost to eventual runner-up Isaac Bartel of Montana State Northern, but won two matches sin the consolation round. He faced three ranked opponents in the final three matches and earned a pin over No. 6 John Hensley of Providence to cap his career. Linton was impressive all season with a 27-5 record and finished sixth overall.

Martinez finished eighth after winning three consolation bracket matches, including a 3-2 win over rival and No. 8 Cagen Wallace from Lindsey Wilson. Martinez went 17-9 overall to end his year.

Grand View University won their ninth tournament overall to set a new NAIA Men's Wrestling record. The Vikings outscored Menlo College, 157-84.5.

The Mid-South Conference had five teams in the Top 10 – Cumberlands (4^th), Lindsey Wilson (5), Campbellsville (7), Southeastern (9) and Life (10).

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Players Mentioned

Michael Diemer: Senior; Maryville, Tenn.

Jordan Martinez: Junior; Maple Valley, Wash.

Ashton Mutuwa: Senior; Cedar Lake, Ind.

Mahlic Sallah: Sophomore; Roanoke, Va.

Zach Linton: Senior; Winters, Calif.

Players Mentioned

Michael Diemer
: Senior; Maryville, Tenn.

Jordan Martinez
: Junior; Maple Valley, Wash.

Ashton Mutuwa
: Senior; Cedar Lake, Ind.

Mahlic Sallah
: Sophomore; Roanoke, Va.

Zach Linton
: Senior; Winters, Calif.