Wrestling

Cougars Prepare for Roger Denker Open
         The Roger Denker Open, which is hosted by Central Missouri State, is the next tournament on the slate for the SIUE wrestling team.
         It is the last tournament formatted meet before the Cougars open a string of seven dual meets.
         “The Roger Denker Open is always a tough tournament,” Coach Booker Benford said. “Many top NCAA Division I teams and NAIA powers will be there.”
         Historically, SIUE has found success at the Open, and Benford does not think this year will be any different.
         “We usually do pretty well,” he said. “We’ve had a few guys in recent years make it to the finals. We are always in the mix.”
         SIUE is coming off the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis where they placed 14th out of 16 teams. Sean Tyus (Springfield) went 3-3 in the tournament at 197 pounds to earn a sixth-place finish.
         “We didn’t do well as a team in Indianapolis, but the guys never did give up,” Benford said. “We just didn’t have it, but I think we’ll bounce back.”
         Joe Rujawitz (Belleville), who wrestles in the 149-pound weight class, has posted a team-high 24 wins this season. Tyus has a 15-10 record on the season.
                  -siue cougars-