The Lions earned 141.0 points in the meet behind just Notre Dame who collected 170.0. Lindenwood just edged out McKendree by 2.5 points. McKendree had one more national champion, but Lindenwood had two extra All-Americans.
Day One Recap
Lindenwood finished day one with 27.0 points and was sixth in the team standings. The Lions were 12.5 points behind the leader, Notre Dame.
The Lions were led by Vince Hannon at 157 pounds. Hannon recorded a pair of pins as he advanced to the quarterfinals.
Two Lindenwood wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals at both 165 and 174 pounds. At 165 pounds, Drae Cox had a pair of decision victories and Clayton MacFarlane had two major decision wins. At 174 pounds, Chris Chionuma and Dirk Hurrin both had first-round byes before winning their second round matches. Chionuma won by technical fall and Hurrin won by decision.
Brandon Benvenuti won a pair of one-point decisions at 125 pounds. Deron Winn had a fall in his lone match at 197 pounds, and Steven Butler had a decision and major decision victory at 285 pounds.
Donald Woods won his first match at 157 pounds by decision before falling to the consolation bracket. Justin Forrest at 125 pounds, and Jacob Janes and Derrick Weller at 141 pounds all fell by close decisions in their first matches of the tournament.
Day Two Recap
Lindenwood was one of just two schools to have nine wrestlers still alive after the second day of competition. The Lions finished the day in third place with 107.5 points.
Chris Chionuma won two major decision victories and advanced to the finals at 174 pounds. Three other Lions advanced to the semifinals but lost in that round. They were Vince Hannon at 157 pounds, Clayton Macfarlane at 165 pounds, and Deron Winn at 197 pounds. All three losses were by narrow decisions.
Justin Forrest and Brandon Benvenuti are both in the consolation bracket semifinals at 125 pounds, as is Drae Cox at 165 pounds. Forrest had an impressive day going through the wrestlebacks, winning five matches, including two by technical fall and one by pin.
Dirk Hurrin at 174 pounds and Steve Butler at heavyweight will both wrestle for seventh place on Saturday after going 1-2 on Friday.
Three Lions were eliminated but all three picked up at least one victory. They were Derrick Weller and Jacob Janes at 141 pounds, and Donald Woods at 157 pounds.
Day Three Recap
Chris Chionuma capped an amazing season by winning the 174 pound weight class. His finals match against Grand View's Glenn Rhees was his closest of the national championship but he won by a 3-2 decision. Chionuma finished the 2011 season with a 40-3 overall record, including 12 wins by major decision, six by technical fall, and eight pins.
Eight other wrestlers besides Chionuma placed during Saturday’s early session.
At 125 pounds, Justin Forrest and Brandon Benvenuti met for the third-place title, and Forrest won by an 11-0 major decision. Forrest finished the national championship with a 7-1 record after winning each match following a first-round defeat. Benvenuti had a 6-2 decision win to advance to the third-place match.
Deron Winn finished third at 197 pounds. He earned a pin to advance to the third-place match and then won that contest by a 7-3 decision.
Vince Hannon and Clayton MacFarlane each finished fourth in their respective weight classes. Hannon picked up a fall in his first match on Saturday, but lost by decision in the third-place game at 157 pounds. MacFarlane went 1-1 in decisions on the day at 165 pounds..
Drae Cox finished fifth at 165 pounds. He lost to MacFarlane to start the day but rebounded with a 6-3 decision win.
Dirk Hurrin at 174 pounds and Steven Butler at heavyweight both won their seventh-place matches. Hurrin won by a 4-3 decision and Butler had a late third period pin.
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