Raiders Earn First Dual Win of the Season

The Red Raiders (1-3, 1-2 GPAC) earned their first dual win of the season after beating Hastings College (0-3, 0-1 GPAC) Friday night, 29-19.

Sean Heeney’s pin in the second match at the 133 pound weight class helped the Raiders take control over the long run of the dual. He was able to get the Raiders even in the early going and it allowed the strong later weights to finish off the night.

Reed Seelhammer had a pivotal last match as a loss by pin would have given the dual to Hastings but Seelhammer, who dominated the first period, found himself in a tough spot in the second period. Daniel Gonzalez of Hastings found himself in a great spot with a quick takedown and a 4-point near fall to gain the lead early in the second period. But Seelhammer would reverse Gonzalez and finish off the second period with a last second pin.

“It was a little ugly at times, but we had some guys pull through,” commented head coach Rik Dahl. “Heeney’s pin was huge. We didn’t know how huge at the time, but it put us in a position to control the dual late. It was good to see Seelhammer get the fall. His first mat time on two years. He had to battle back, but he made things happen. We continue to be a team that looks for bonus point and that makes a huge difference. It was good to get the monkey off our backs and earn that first dual win of the year.”

NWC will stay in Hastings overnight and battle in the Hastings Open Saturday.