Wrestling

Rujawitz Picks Up Win No. 30
         Joe Rujawitz (Belleville) picked up his 30th victory of the season Saturday in a 2-1 overtime win over Central Missouri’s Jesse Zeugin.
         “A 30-win season means you are doing good things for yourself and the team,” Coach Booker Benford said. “He really showed a lot of heart out there in that match.”
         Over the past few seasons, only SIUE’s elite has surpassed the 30-win plateau, including NCAA national qualifiers Zach Stephens and Titus Taylor.
         However, things were not as glorious from a team standpoint. The Cougars dropped the Central Missouri match 24-19 before falling to Northern Illinois 49-0 Sunday evening.
         SIUE, which now posts a 6-8 dual record on the season, will travel to Central Missouri for the CMSU Dual Jamboree. Other teams expected to enter the tournament are Southwest State, Indianapolis, Northern State and Fort Hays State.
         “Hopefully we can pick up two or three wins, but we will have to wrestle tough to do so,” Benford said. “I told the team I was proud of their performance this past weekend. There were just a few small things that cost us points. This is all part of gearing up for nationals.”
                  -siue cougars-