Logan Moore and Dakota Drenth were the Mustangs’ victory leaders during the 2016-17 wrestling season.

Logan Moore and Dakota Drenth were the top winners for the Morningside College wrestling team during the 2016-17 season.

Moore, a junior from Onawa, Iowa, posted a 23-9 record with four falls as the regular 184 pounder in the Mustangs’ lineup. Moore, one of six Morningside qualifiers for the 2017 NAIA National Championships, was also the team’s co-leader with two victories by technical fall.

Moore has a 44-31 record with 10 falls over the past three seasons to rank 36th on Morningside’s all-time victory list.

Drenth, a sophomore from Hartley, Iowa, posted a 23-16 record with a team-high 11 falls and was a NAIA national qualifier in the 149 lb. division. Drenth had the Mustangs’ fastest fall of the season when he disposed of Dakota Wesleyan University’s Sjon Snitily in 23 seconds at the NAIA North National Qualifier tournament. Nine of his 11 pins came in the first period, including four in less than one minute. Drenth, who led the Mustangs in pins for the second year in a row, also paced the team with 10 reversals.

Drenth has a 42-30 record with 22 falls during his Morningside career for 40th place on the college’s all-time victory list.

Keegan Hessler, a sophomore from Scottsbluff, Neb., was the Mustangs’ most consistent winner with a 17-6 record for a team-high .739 winning percentage. Hessler, who ranked second on the team with seven falls, became a NAIA All-American when he placed sixth in the 125 lb. division at this year’s NAIA National Championships.

Hessler has a 36-14 record with 16 falls and a .720 winning percentage in his two seasons with the Mustangs.

Steven Garcia, a junior from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, earned NAIA All-America honors for the second time in his career with a sixth place finish in the 149 lb. division at this year’s NAIA National Championships. Garcia finished the season with a record of 15-8 with one fall.

Garcia climbed into 16th place on Morningside’s all-time victory list with a career record of 69-28 with 12 falls for a .711 career winning percentage.

Alexander Schmitz, a sophomore from Carroll, Iowa, finished third on the Mustangs’ victory list with an 18-12 record with three falls. Schmitz led the Mustangs in two statistical categories with 45 takedowns and 35 escapes.

Keagan Putnam, a sophomore from Sergeant Bluff, led the Mustangs with six victories by major decision en route to an overall record of 12-16.

Keegan Williams, a senior from Lincoln, Neb., won two matches by technical fall to share the team lead with Logan Moore. Williams posted a 5-8 record with two falls.

Derik Bailey, a junior from Smithland, Iowa, and Tyler Lashbrook, a senior from Wellsburg, Iowa, were both NAIA national qualifiers. Bailey finished with a record of 11-17 with three falls, while Lashbrook went 9-6 with one fall. Lashbrook finished his career with a record of 35-15 and three falls for a .700 winning percentage.

Caleb Deemer, a sophomore from Palmer, Alaska, was one of the Mustangs’ top winners with a 17-14 record with three falls.

Alias Starkovich, a freshman from Gallup, N.M., posted a 13-16 record with five falls to lead the Mustangs’ newcomers in victories and pins.

Jacob Wiley, a freshman from Sioux City, finished right behind Starkovich for top honors among the Mustangs’ first-year competitors with a 12-10 record and four falls.

Morningside rebounded from a 1-4 start with victories in five of its last six duals to finish the 2016-17 season with a 6-5 record. The Mustangs, who suffered three of their defeats against NCAA Division II institutions, finished second in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) standings with a 6-1 league mark.