LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- On Friday, the Heidelberg University wrestling team competed among some of the nation's best talent at the NWCA National Duals at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Unfortunately, the Student Princes fell out of the team competition with two early losses.

First, the Student Princes (3-8) were knocked out of the championship bracket with a 37-11 loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater. Then, HU was eliminated with a 22-21 tiebreaker loss to Rochester Institute of Technology in the afternoon dual. 

A further consolation dual vs. Wisconsin-La Crosse that was slated for 7 p.m. Friday night was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts at the Expo Center concluding HU's weekend at 0-2. 

On the day, Dylan Roth and Mason Brainard were the lone 'Berg wrestlers to win both of their matches, while Harrison Hadley, Hayden Bates and Slade Todd all picked up wins in the second dual. 

WHITEWATER - 37    HEIDELBERG - 11
The Student Princes faltered early and could not overcome the heart of the Whitewater lineup as they succumbed to a 37-11 defeat in the first dual of the day. 

Brainard and Roth were the lone HU grapplers to win their bouts against the Warhawks, and both wins came in bonus fashion. 

First, Brainard defeated Josiah Lynden via tech fall at 133 by a margin of 19-3. Starting the third period ahead 14-3, Brainard chose bottom and escaped. Back to neutral, Brainard used a takedown and a two-point nearfall to finish off the match in a total time of 5:38.

Six bouts later, Roth quickly pinned his 184 counterpart in Josh Nowak after just 1:08 had elapsed in the first period. A takedown nine seconds in, allowed Roth an opportunity to work Nowak to his shoulders and finish off the bout, just 59 seconds later. 

RIT - 22    HEIDELBERG - 21     
After Hadley won via forfeit at 125, Brainard grabbed his second win of the day via an 8-4 decision over Chris Horton. Bates then followed up Brainard with a 15-7 major decision that pushed the team's lead out to 13-0 after three bouts. 

Todd added three more team points for Heidelberg at 149 with a 10-3 win over James Ost. Three first-period takedowns were the catalyst for Todd's win. 

RIT then broke the shutout at 157, picking up three points in a narrow 5-3 decision. The Tigers then put themselves right back into dual contention with a pin at 165 and a decision at 174, closing the gap to 16-12 in team scoring. 

However,  Dylan Roth stepped up to re-establish control in favor of The Berg with a tech fall win at 184. Seven takedowns and a four-point near fall helped put Roth ahead 19-5 as the third period expired. The riding time point put Roth over the hump for the five-point bonus point victory.

The control was short-lived, however, as RIT won 197 to bring the score within six heading into the final bout of the dual. There, a Tigers' pin at 285 leveled the score for RIT, forcing a tiebreaker decision for the team winner. 

The dual score was then decided by most falls, which was in favor of RIT, giving the Tigers the 22-21 win. 

UP NEXT:
Heidelberg will wrestle again on Thursday night against Ohio Northern University. The Student Princes will travel to Ada for the OAC dual which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.