Corbin, Ky. – UPIKE wrestling completed it's inaugural competition as a program Saturday afternoon, fielding three athletes at the Pepsi Patriot Open.

UPIKE's Aiden Vega battled his way to a pair of wins in the Freshman/Sophomore 174 weight bracket. Vega opened the meet with a matchup against Indiana Tech's Matheos Veiga who won 10-2 by major decision. Vega then moved on to the consolation bracket where the freshman won back to back by pin-fall. In the first round, Vega took just 1:13 to pin Brewton Parker's Booker Colson. In the second round the challenger was Josh Mojica Smith of Montreat College, and Vega once again won by fall in just over a minute. The third round ended Vega's run, where he was pinned after 1:40 by Dominico Migliori of Lourdes.

Also in the freshman/sophomore 174 bracket was Nate Greene who fell in the opening matchup to Mojica-Smith. Greene went 4:25 with Mojica Smith in the battle but was ultimately defeated by fall. Greene won his first as a Bear in the first round of consolation, falling Brewton-Parker's Darrell Shields in 6:18. Greene's final match ended in a tie-break loss to Vega of Indiana Tech.

Gavin Hunt was the lone wrestler to compete in the open portion of the competition, competing in the 285 class. Hunt fell by fall in the first round to River Henry of Cumberlands in 4:50. In the consolation opener, Hunt was defeated by major decision (15-7) by Lindsey Wilson's Tony Ornelas.

The Bears return to the mats on November 12^th as they head to Des Moines, Iowa for the Grandview Open.