ATHERTON, Calif. – Despite working with a limited roster, (9) Argo wrestling managed to go 2-1 at the Menlo Duals, with the one loss being a 30-15 score to (4) Menlo College in a dual that was closer than the score. UGF's two wins were against teams the Argos already beat this season, taking Eastern Oregon 36-15 and beating Warner Pacific 25-18.
 
The Argos were at a disadvantage from the start in all three duals with a few of the team's usual dual participants missing weight in the morning. With those players absent, UGF forfeit the first two weight classes of each dual, putting the team in a 12-0 hole before an Argo wrestler stepped onto the mat.
 
Spotting Eastern Oregon those 12 points didn't make much of a difference. The Mountaineers had forfeits of their own, giving UGF the final three weight classes, but even discounting those, the Argos only lost one match after the first two weight classes.
 
In his first action as an eligible member of the Argo roster, freshman (5) Shonn Roberts earned a pin a 141 to cut the 12-0 deficit in half, winning by Fall (4:26). Redshirt-freshman Alex Quick got his first pin of his career in a dual, winning by Fall (18-15) at 174. His win made the score 18-15 in favor of UGF, giving the Argos the lead before EOU's three forfeits.
 
The second dual of the day was the big one of the day for UGF. Even with a full roster for UGF, the Oaks would still have probably been the toughest test of the season for the Argos. Following the two UGF forfeits, the first real match of the dual was a premier battle featuring Roberts against (4) Steele Escobedo of Menlo.
 
UGF's talented youngster stuck right with Menlo's experienced senior, but a takedown for Escobedo in the closing seconds made the difference with Roberts losing a 10-7 decision.
 
It wasn't until 165 that the Argos won a match, but just like the battle at 141, the matches at 149 and 157 could have gone either way. Eventually it was the veteran (4) Khaldoon Rashid that got things back on track for UGF at 165.
 
Rashid continued to showcase why he's one of the top wrestlers in the country, winning by Major Decision 16-6. His win was followed by a 19-4 Technical Fall victory from (12) Randy Keesler at 174 and then UGF's third pin of the day, this time from (4) John Hensley at 197.
 
"The score against Menlo makes it look like they killed us, but anyone who was in that gym, and anyone who knew what we went through today, knows it could've been very different on a different day," Argo Head Coach Caleb Schaeffer said. "It was a frustrating day for a lot of reasons, but the guys who were out there wrestling did a great job."
 
The third and final dual of the day was also the closest. The score was also a fair one with both UGF and Warner Pacific forfeiting two matches. Of the remaining six matches, four were won by the Argos, including the only win by more than a minor decision.
 
That one win came from Justin Whitman at 141. The senior recovered from a close loss against Menlo to beat his WPC opponent 24-10 in a Major Decision win. UGF also got wins from Keesler, who wrestled up a weight class at 184 but still managed a 6-3 decision win, and senior Same Voigtlaender with a 4-3 decision at 197.
 
UGF's four win was the most dramatic, and more impressive of the night. Due to the Argo's roster issues, redshirt-freshman John Hensley moved up from 197 into the heavyweight class where he faced (10) Steven Wilbert, a 2016-17 All-American.
 
Heading into the match, the Argos were up by four points, but Hensley would have to win or keep the score close to get UGF the win. He guaranteed that much but wrestling Wilbert to a 1-1 draw in regulation, but that wasn't enough for Hensley. In overtime the Great Falls native earned the matches' only takedown to win 3-1.
 
At the end of the day, UGF's dual record stands at 9-2. The loss to Menlo was the Argo's first dual loss to an NAIA opponent this season.
 
Next for the Argos will be the Menlo Open on Saturday, January 7.