Bechtold's First Place Finish Headlines Michigan State Open

Saturday, November 7

East Lansing, Mi.

All Day

Bucknell University

Michigan State Open

Photo by: Lauren Medeiros

11/7/2026 8:39:00 PM | Wrestling

EAST LANSING, Mich.- Head coach Dan Wirnsberger brought his Bison to his alma mater for the Michigan State Open and Bucknell racked up a number of impressive wins and results on Saturday, headlined by Dillon Bechtold's crown at 197. Two other Bison joined the junior on the podium.

Bechtold (197) received a bye to the quarterfinals. The layoff did not harm the Bison grappler. He downed Ohio State's Xander Myers 21-5 in 4:46 for a technical fall. In the semifinals, he recorded a pin over #19 Kael Wisler. The Spartan wrestler's home-mat advantage stood no chance as Bechtold added a ranked win to his resume. Bechtold faced unranked Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State) in the first place bout. The Buckeye was hungry for a career-defining win and went up 5-1 on a takedown and reversal. Bechtold did not panic and paired two escapes with a last minute takedown to win a narrow 6-5 decision and take home the crown.

Tyler Bienus (184) finished fourth in his weight class and collected four wins. He started the day with a fall and a major decision against overmatched foes. He avoided an upset against unranked Leonard Tukhlynovych (Arizona State), winning 4-1 in extra time. Bienus faced #5 Brock Mantanona (Michigan) in the semifinals and held his own, only losing 7-3. He rebounded with a 10-3 decision over Joseph Jeter (Spartan Combat RTC). He medically forfeited the third place match against #17 Aiden Brenot (Arizona State).

Lucas Lawler (285) was the final Bison on the podium. The Bison heavyweight tore through his first two opponents recording victories via pin and technical fall. In the semifinals, he dropped a narrow 4-2 decision to Niko Sahakian (Michigan). Carter Neves (Central Michigan) pinned him in the consolation semifinals. Lawler medically forfeited the fifth place match.

Noah Mulvaney (165) recorded two wins via technical fall over Nick Abounader (Edinboro) and Cayden Strong (Grand Valley State) before dropping two matches to unranked foes.

RESULTS
125: Jackson Heslin (1-2)
Champ. Round 2: L, fall to Damian Moreno (Arizona State), 4:40
Cons. Round 3: W, dec. over Waylon Rogers (VMI), 15-13
Cons. Round 4: L, major dec. to Christopher Kiser (Michigan), 15-3

125: Chris Nucifora (0-2)
Champ. Round 2: L, dec. to Adan Benavidez (Kent State), 4-2
Cons. Round 3: L, dec. to Elijah Valencia (Cumberlands), 5-1

133: Blue Stiffler (2-2)
Champ. Round 1: L, fall to Caleb Weiand (Michigan State), 5:44
Cons. Round 2: W, dec. over Wyatt Nemitz (Findlay), 7-1
Cons. Round 3: W, dec. over Isaac Thornton (Cumberlands), 4-1
Cons. Round 4: L, dec. to #24 Adrian Meza (Arizona State), 4-1

141: Bryce Manera (1-2)
Champ. Round 1: W, major dec. over Tee Ward (Northern Illinois), 14-5
Champ. Round 2: L, dec. to Jacob Brenneman (Edinboro), 12-5
Cons. Round 2: L, dec. to Eli Peyton (Cumberlands), 8-2

149: Cade Wirnsberger (1-2)
Champ. Round 1: W, dec. over Gaven Suica (Edinboro), 4-1
Champ. Round 2: L, dec. to Ismael Ayoub (Kent State), 11-8
Cons. Round 2: L, dec. to Samuel Cartella (Northwestern), 1-0

157: Kaden Schaefer (1-2)
Champ. Round 1: L, fall to Braden Stauffenberg (MS), 4:03
Cons. Round 1: W, fall over Aidan Rush (Kent State), 2:02
Cons. Round 2: L, fall to Justin Gates (Michigan), 4:43

165: Noah Mulvaney (2-2)
Champ. Round 1: W, tech fall over Nick Abounader (Edinboro), 18-1, 2:48
Champ. Round 2: W, tech fall over Cayden Strong (Grand Valley State), 21-6, 5:38
Quarterfinals: L, dec. to Ethan Birden Jr. (Unattached), 4-2
Cons. Round 4: L, dec. to Gunnar Myers (Northwestern), 4-1 SV

165: Brian Shindel (2-2)
Champ. Round 1: W, dec. over Tommy Reed (Kent State), 6-3
Champ. Round 2: L, fall to Ladarion Lockett (Oklahoma State), 4:05
Cons. Round 2: W, dec. over Nick Abounader (Edinboro), 10-4
Cons. Round 3: L, major dec. to Logan Shaw (Illinois), 11-0

174: Shane McFillin (0-2)
Champ. Round 2: L, major dec. to Eddie Enright (Northwestern), 9-0
Cons. Round 2: L, dec. to Jacob Helgeson (Iowa State), 8-5

184: Tyler Bienus (4-2)
Champ. Round 1: W, fall over Quinn Gorman (Lake Erie College), 1:06
Champ. Round 2: W, major dec. over Marcell Booth (Northwestern), 8-0
Quarterfinals: W, dec. over Leonard Tukhlynovych (Arizona State), 4-1 SV-1
Semifinals: L, dec. to #5 Brock Mantanona (Michigan), 7-3
Cons. Semi.: W, dec. over Joseph Jeter (Spartan Combat RTC), 10-3
3^rd Place: L, forfeit to #17 Aiden Brenot (Arizona State)

197: Dillon Bechtold (3-0)
Quarterfinals: W, tech fall over Xander Myers (Ohio State), 20-5, 4:46
Semifinals: W, fall over #19 Kael Wisler (Michigan State), 4:34
1^st Place Match: W, dec. over Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State), 6-5

285: Will Greenberg (0-2)
Champ. Round 2: L, tech fall to #32 Josh Terrill (Michigan State), 17-0, 6:36
Cons. Round 3: L, fall to James Campbell (Michigan State), 4:36

285: Lucas Lawler (2-3)
Champ. Round 2: W, fall over Trey White (Cumberlands), 2:02
Quarterfinals: W, tech fall over Marko Ivanisevic (Unattached), 20-3, 5:40
Semifinals: L, dec. to Niko Sahakian (Michigan), 4-2
Cons. Semifinals: L, fall to Carter Neves (Central Michigan), 5:55
5^th Place Match: L, medical forfeit to Braxton Lewis (VMI)