Graceland Wrestling Competes at Central Last Chance Invitational

PELLA, Iowa — The Graceland University men's wrestling team competed Friday at the Central Last Chance Invitational inside the Kuyper Athletic Complex, posting multiple advancement victories in the final open event prior to postseason competition. Official results are available via the event summary .

As an open tournament, team scores and dual records were not recorded. Graceland continues to compete independently in preparation for the upcoming conference championship tournament.

At 149 pounds, Hoakea Salter recorded two bonus-point victories en route to a fourth-place finish. Salter opened the championship bracket with a 16-0 technical fall over Trent Harper (Central) at 5:47, securing riding time and near-fall points to end the match early. In the quarterfinals, Salter advanced with a fall over Luis Garza (William Penn) at 4:50, capitalizing on a scramble situation and securing the pin late in the second period.

Salter dropped an 11-2 major decision to Thomas Freking (Iowa State Club) in the semifinals before falling 11-8 in the third-place match to Remington Fry (Central). Salter finished the day with two bonus-point wins and four matches wrestled.

At 285 pounds, Chase Snyder competed in five bouts, facing a competitive heavyweight bracket. Snyder opened with a 21-5 technical fall loss to Michael Esquivel (Central) before falling by pin to Paul Ballard (Iowa State Club). He later dropped decisions to Ian Sharples (Central), Carson Slorah (Simpson), and Owen Willers (Simpson). Despite the results, Snyder gained valuable mat time against experienced upperweights heading into conference competition.

At 174 pounds, Kayden Johnston competed in the championship bracket, falling by pin in the quarterfinal round to Bode Stanley (Central) before dropping a 9-0 major decision in the consolation semifinals to Clayton Isham (Central). Johnston received a bye in the seventh-place match.

Head coach Evan Hansen emphasized the importance of final preparations ahead of the postseason.

"This event gave us critical mat time against quality opponents before conference," Hansen said. "Hoakea competed with urgency and scored bonus points, which is essential in March. For our heavier weights, the focus remains on position control, hand fighting, and finishing cleanly. We'll sharpen details this week and be ready to compete at a high level."

Graceland now turns its attention to the postseason. The Yellowjackets will compete Friday, Feb. 20, at 9 a.m. CST at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Day One at the Penn Activity Center in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

For more information on Graceland men's wrestling and all of Graceland athletics, visit GUjackets.com.