KYLIE RULE, a former Mineral Point High School athlete, collected all-American honors last weekend for the Wartburg College women’s wrestling team. Rule, a junior at 138 pounds, placed fifth at the inaugural NCAA National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships held in Coralville, lA.
She won four of six matches to claim her second all-American honor in three years.
Rule downed Jacinda Espinosa from Lindenwood University (Mo), 7-2 to earn a spot on the podium.
Entering the competition seeded seventh, Rule opened with a pin of Ragan Retell East Stroudsburg University {PA}, 1:55; it was Rule’s 11th pin of the season. An 11-1 technical fall loss to Claire Di- Cugno from North Central College (Ill) sent Rule into the consolation bracket.
Victories over Carina Giangeruso Presbyterian College {SC} 14-4 MD and Ruby Julien-Newsom King University {TN}, 10- 2 advanced Rule into the consolation semifinals where she was defeated by Lilly Luft from the University of lowa, 12- 2 TF.
The win over Giangeruso secured all- American status for Rule With Rule providing 32 percent (12.5) of the team’s 39.5 points, the Knights finished 11th in the 46-team field.
The Knights were also one of three Division IIl programs to place inside the top 15 of the team standings, joining North Central College (III), 3rd, and Aurora University (Ill), 13th. Rule finishes the season winning 80 percent of her matches, 28-7.
KADE RULE, a former Mineral Point High School champion had a perfect weekend on the mat for the UT Chattanooga (UTC) wrestling team last weekend.
Kade Rule, a freshman at 197 lbs, won all three bouts in convincing fashion to become champion at the Southern Conference Championships in Asheville, NC.
He scored a pair of technical falls and a major decision to add 17 points to the team total.
Rule and Cooper Flynn at 125 lbs were the only Mocs to win individual titles.
“They came out and looked to wrestle. They didn’t look to just hold on and win, they got takedowns early and scored,” said head coach Kyle Ruschell. “That’s what you have to do to win a conference championship. You can’t just sit back and let it come to you.”
Rule wasted little time showing why he was seeded No. 1 in the class as he destroyed Haydn Daniels from Gardner-Webb University (NC) with a 19-2 technical fall.
Moving on to the semifinals, the result was almost identical – a 19-4 technical fall over Adam Ortega from The Citadel (SC). To win the championship, Rule notched a 10-point win over Logan Ellar from Appalachian State (NC), 14-4.
The Mocs finished runner-up in the team race with 93 points, only a mere 1.5 points behind champion App State.
UTC (10-5, 7- 1) now focuses on the NCAA Championships in Cleveland beginning March 19.
LIAM STUMPF, a former Mineral Point High School athlete, picked up his first victory for the Central Michigan University baseball team last week.
Stumpf, a 6-0 redshirt senior pitcher, closed the eighth inning against Ball State University to get the win.
He needed just 11 pitches to record the final two outs of the inning; a fly out and a strikeout.
The Chippewas had just taken an 8-7 lead in the top of the eighth, and Stumpf entered the game with the potential game-tying run on second base.
“Stumpy came in and got two big outs and I just thought that was awesome for him,” said head coach Jake Sabol.
CMU (6-7, 1-2) plays its next three series on the road: at Youngstown State (OH) on Wednesday, at Kent State (OH) this weekend, and at Notre Dame next Tuesday.
A former area athlete who participated for her respective team last week, but did not record any statistics or statistics were not available, included Mallory Lindsey (MPHS), UW-O women’s basketball.