Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, December 3
Las Vegas, NV
Northwestern
vs
CKLV Invitational
'Cats Take Fourth in CKLV, Deakin Claims Third-Straight Title
12/6/2021 9:53:00 AM | Wrestling
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – In its first action of the season, Northwestern wrestling posted a strong team showing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, sending five different Wildcats to the podium with top-five finishes en route to a fourth place team finish at one of the nation's most competitive non-conference tournaments.
Headlining the Wildcat standouts was Ryan Deakin, who cruised to his third-straight CKLV title at 157 lbs in his usual dominant fashion. Deakin went 5-0 over the weekend, recording three wins over Top-15 opponents in his weight class.
Deakin posted two pins in the first period during his run to the crown, including one over No. 12-ranked Kendall Coleman of Purdue in the semifinals. In the finals, Deakin handed No. 6 ranked Quincy Monday of Princeton his first loss of the season in a convincing 8-3 decision.
Finishing second in the 133 lb division was Chris Cannon, who went 4-1 in his CKLV debut. Entering as the top-ranked seed, Cannon outscored his opponents 28-4 in his first four bouts while posting over 11 minutes of riding time. Cannon dropped a high-octane decision to Dylan Ragusin of Michigan in the finals, but the reigning All-American solidified his spot as a Top-10 wrestler in his class and a clear contender heading into the Big Ten season.
Also making a run to the second day of action at 149 lbs was Yahya Thomas, who earned a fourth-place podium finish in what was far and away the most competitive weight classs of the tournament. The reigning All0-American Thomas went 4-1 in the matches that he wrestled (a medical forfeit kept Thomas out of the third-place bout on Saturday night), with his only setback on the mat coming in a narrow 6-4 decision to No. 2-ranked Sammy Sasso of Ohio State.
Lucas Davison (285 lbs) and Troy Fisher (174 lbs) each also earned CKLV podium finishes for the first time in their career, with each finishing in fifth place. Both Davison and Fisher were coming off victories in the Michigan State Open last month and continued their strong tournament runs in Vegas. Davison went 5-2 while earning bonus points in two of his matches, with his only two setbacks coming in narrow two-point decisions to Top-15 opponents. Fisher continued his breakout redshirt sophomore campaign at 174 lbs, cruising to the quarterfinals and posting an overall 5-2 showing in the tournament.
Northwestern returns to the mat at the end of December for the 58th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill (Dec. 29-30).
This season's Ken Kraft Midlands Championships will mark a historic occasion, as the most prestigious wrestling non-conference wrestling tournament in the nation will be adding a women's division for the first time ever. 150 women's wrestlers among 11 different schools comprising 10 weight classes will wrestle on Dec. 30.
Headlining the Wildcat standouts was Ryan Deakin, who cruised to his third-straight CKLV title at 157 lbs in his usual dominant fashion. Deakin went 5-0 over the weekend, recording three wins over Top-15 opponents in his weight class.
Ryan Deakin caps off an impressive weekend in Vegas with an 8-3 victory over Quincy Monday for CKLV gold. pic.twitter.com/vmc0bPW2oR
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) December 4, 2021
Deakin posted two pins in the first period during his run to the crown, including one over No. 12-ranked Kendall Coleman of Purdue in the semifinals. In the finals, Deakin handed No. 6 ranked Quincy Monday of Princeton his first loss of the season in a convincing 8-3 decision.
Headed to the 157 lb finals with authority.
— Northwestern Wrestling (@NUWrestle) December 4, 2021
Just @RyanDeakinn things ?????? https://t.co/DbvWTbhvyn pic.twitter.com/GISHo90CjD
Finishing second in the 133 lb division was Chris Cannon, who went 4-1 in his CKLV debut. Entering as the top-ranked seed, Cannon outscored his opponents 28-4 in his first four bouts while posting over 11 minutes of riding time. Cannon dropped a high-octane decision to Dylan Ragusin of Michigan in the finals, but the reigning All-American solidified his spot as a Top-10 wrestler in his class and a clear contender heading into the Big Ten season.
BREAKING: @Chris_Cannon18 is a beast ??
— Northwestern Wrestling (@NUWrestle) December 4, 2021
Clutch takedown at the end of the second + a ride out for the entire third.
Catch him in the 133 lb finals tonight!#GoCats x #CKLV pic.twitter.com/zXXGDKlIHT
Also making a run to the second day of action at 149 lbs was Yahya Thomas, who earned a fourth-place podium finish in what was far and away the most competitive weight classs of the tournament. The reigning All0-American Thomas went 4-1 in the matches that he wrestled (a medical forfeit kept Thomas out of the third-place bout on Saturday night), with his only setback on the mat coming in a narrow 6-4 decision to No. 2-ranked Sammy Sasso of Ohio State.
.@yahyat_prime is LOCKED IN ??
— Northwestern Wrestling (@NUWrestle) December 3, 2021
First period fall in just over 90 seconds sends him to tonight's quarterfinals!#GoCats x #CKLV pic.twitter.com/IxekWWwbiU
Lucas Davison (285 lbs) and Troy Fisher (174 lbs) each also earned CKLV podium finishes for the first time in their career, with each finishing in fifth place. Both Davison and Fisher were coming off victories in the Michigan State Open last month and continued their strong tournament runs in Vegas. Davison went 5-2 while earning bonus points in two of his matches, with his only two setbacks coming in narrow two-point decisions to Top-15 opponents. Fisher continued his breakout redshirt sophomore campaign at 174 lbs, cruising to the quarterfinals and posting an overall 5-2 showing in the tournament.
Northwestern returns to the mat at the end of December for the 58th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill (Dec. 29-30).
This season's Ken Kraft Midlands Championships will mark a historic occasion, as the most prestigious wrestling non-conference wrestling tournament in the nation will be adding a women's division for the first time ever. 150 women's wrestlers among 11 different schools comprising 10 weight classes will wrestle on Dec. 30.
BUY MIDLANDS TICKETS
*All rankings from FloWrestling
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