Lander University

Farrah Sheeren

Wrestling 1/22/2025 7:13:00 PM Turner Kirby - Director of Athletic Communications

#2 Life Pulls Away from #12 Lander in Battle of Southeast Cross-Division Heavyweights

MARIETTA, Ga. - David Hunsberger (Duncan, S.C.) earned an exciting 27-4 tech fall at 165 to give the 12th-ranked Lander Wrestling team a 12-10 lead after six matches but the Life Screaming Eagles, the second-ranked team in NAIA, stormed back with four straight wins to close the dual to take a 23-12 win on Wednesday evening in a matchup of two of the best wrestling programs in the nation.

Lander dropped to 10-4 with the loss while Life improved to 9-2.

Kaden Kuenzi (Silverton, Ore.) got the match started in a big way as he used three takedowns to secure an 11-2 major decision to give Lander the 4-0 lead after one.

The hosts responded immediately with a major of their own at 133, but Isham Peace (Okatie, S.C.) gave Lander the lead right back with a late takedown, securing a 4-2 decision and making it 7-4, Bearcats, after three matches.

Life took their first lead of the contest with back-to-back decisions at 149 and 147 to make it 10-7 in favor of the Screaming Eagles.

The Eagle lead was short-lived as Hunsberger jumped all over Steven Villalobos with a ten-point first period. He then added a five-point move in the second and another seven-point move, his second of the match, to earn a 24-7 tech fall over the three-time All-American.

However, Life closed the match with four straight wins from four ranked wrestlers, flipping the scoreline in their favor and securing the win.

Lander returns home for the final time in the regular season on Friday night as they host Lincoln Memorial and Bluefield State. That match is the team's Code Blue game and will also be Senior Night for the Bearcats. First whistle for the match is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Results:

125: Kaden Kuenzi (LAND) over Adrian Morales (LIUN) (MD 11-2)
133: Thaddeus Long (LIUN) over Christian Davis (LAND) (MD 17-4)
141: Isham Peace (LAND) over Jordan Mitchell (LIUN) (Dec 4-2)
149: Pat Gould (LIUN) over Reid Noble (LAND) (Dec 8-2)
157: Fabian Padilla (LIUN) over Noah Ruolo (LAND) (Dec 4-1)
165: David Hunsberger (LAND) over Steven Villalobos (LIUN) (TF 24-7 6:00)
174: Alexander Couto (LIUN) over Nathan Buckovich (LAND) (Dec 11-4)
184: Jesse Perez (LIUN) over Anthony Giampeitro (LAND) (MD 14-3)
197: Khalil Abdushshakur (LIUN) over Marvelous Rutledge (LAND) (Dec 11-7)
285: Demarco Lee (LIUN) over Issac Sheeren (LAND) (Dec 13-10)

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Players Mentioned

Nathan Buckovich: Redshirt Junior; 184

David Hunsberger: Junior; 157

Kaden Kuenzi: Senior; 133

Reid Noble: Sophomore; 149

Isham Peace: Redshirt Junior; 141

Christian Davis: Freshman; 133

Anthony Giampeitro: Senior; 184

Noah Ruolo: Freshman

Marvelous Rutledge: Junior; 197

Issac Sheeren: Freshman; 285

Players Mentioned

Nathan Buckovich
: Redshirt Junior; 184

David Hunsberger
: Junior; 157

Kaden Kuenzi
: Senior; 133

Reid Noble
: Sophomore; 149

Isham Peace
: Redshirt Junior; 141

Christian Davis
: Freshman; 133

Anthony Giampeitro
: Senior; 184

Noah Ruolo
: Freshman

Marvelous Rutledge
: Junior; 197

Issac Sheeren
: Freshman; 285