Garcia leads Mavs at Harold Nichols Open

UNO's wrestling team had six wrestlers place at the Harold Nichols Open hosted by Iowa State on Saturday.Senior Cody Garcia went 5-0, including four pins, to win the open at 133 pounds. The Hutchinson, Kan., native defeated Iowa's Nate Moore in the championship match 3-2. Garcia has seven pins in nine matches so far and is 9-0 in the early season.

The Harold Nichols Open, named in honor of Iowa State's legendary coach, was a 16-team event that featured many of the most prestigious wrestling schools in the country. The tournament field included all returning national championship teams from each division, including the University of Iowa (Division I), Wartburg (Division III), Lindenwood University (NAIA) and Iowa Central (JUCO).

Junior Ryan Pankoke had a strong showing on the day. The native of Beaver Crossing, Neb., went 3-1 on the day and took second place at 165 pounds. Pankoke lost in the championship match to Iowa State's Jon Reader, who is the fifth-ranked wrestler in Division I.

Sophomore Esai Dominguez placed third at 149 pounds, going 4-1. Dominguez handily defeated Wartburg's T.J. Moen 14-5 in the third-place match.

Senior Jacob Marrs took fourth place at 197 pounds with a 3-2 record. The native of Oak Hill, Kan., had a tough schedule of matches. Marrs fell to last year's 197-pound national champion Jake Varner of Iowa State in the semifinals, and later lost to Iowa's Luke Lofthouse in the third-place match.

Redshirt freshman Elijah Madison went 4-1 at 285 pounds, but an injury defaulted him to sixth place.

Sophomore Taylor Escamilla placed fifth after going 5-2 at 285 pounds.

Junior Mario Morgan placed second at 141 pounds. He wrestled unattached, meaning he was not considered part of the UNO team.

The Mavs will return on Nov. 21 when they host the 2009 Kaufman-Brand Open, one of the largest collegiate tournaments in the nation. Action begins at 9 a.m.