Johnnies end season at the Upper Midwest Regional meet

Last weekend, the St. John’s wrestling team attended the NCAA Upper Midwest Regional meet, where the Johnnies competed against some of the best wrestlers the upper midwest has to offer. Although their season came to a close at this meet, junior Ben Gilbertson and sophomores Logan Thorsten and D.J. Myles all picked up wins throughout the meet. The regional meet not only allows for the wrestlers to show what they have learned throughout the year, but it also helps highlight what they can continue to work on.

“There was a lot of great wrestling from SJU,” Thorsten said. “Although many of us did not achieve our goals while we were there, we get to see once again where we need to improve.”

Thorsten went 1-2 in the 157-pound weight class on the weekend. He suffered an opening round defeat 10-5, but came back to win 8-0 in his second match of the weekend. Thorsten was one of two Johnnie wrestlers to win at least 10 matches this season. The other Johnnie wrestler to win at least 10 matches was Gilbertson, who posted a team-best 16-11 record. He went 9-8 in Division III matches and 7-3 in non-Division III matches. Gilbertson started his weekend with a 3-1 win. In the next round, he wrestled the top-ranked wrestler in the region and was pinned, before narrowly losing 7-5 in the consolation match.

His sophomore year, he also had the best record on the team at 21-14. As the Johnnies close this season out and prepare for next season, tournaments like this are crucial for them to be able to hone their skills and learn from past matches. Julian Mares, a senior at St. John’s, did not compete this year due to medical concerns, yet he was always there to support his teammates and help coach. Mares saw vast improvement from the team this year and credited the team’s hard work and dedication.

“Be grateful for your opportunity to wrestle and compete, because you can blink and then it’s your senior year wrestling your last match. So just have fun and be thankful to walk into that room everyday,” Mares said.

The Johnnies worked hard and diligently this year to be able to improve their abilities. As this season comes to a close, the Johnnie wrestlers will look to make strides in the upcoming years with the young team.