Coe places fifth at National Duals

Coe College entered the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Duals seeded fifth in the NCAA Division III field. They walked away with that exact finish.

The Kohawks went 4-1 to claim fifth place at the national dual tournament. Coe Coach John Oostendorp saw some good things from his team, which placed here for the fifth straight time.

“There was some positives in there, but there are some things we need to work on,” Oostendorp said. “We want to continue to build this program through January.”

Coe (11-4) rebounded with three straight wins following a 20-19 quarterfinal loss to runner-up Wisconsin-La Crosse after tying 19-19 after all 10 matches. Coe avenged its only other D-III loss of the season with a 23-18 win over third-seed St. John's (Minn.) for fifth.

“They have a really good attitude about having pride in the program,” Oostendorp said. “That's what you need in the middle of January when you have two-a-days and cutting weight. You have to have the right frame of mind and I liked what I saw from that stand point.”

The Kohawks were led by senior defending 125-pound national champion Clayton Rush, who was undefeated over the two days and increased his mark 22-1. Rush earned a key win against St. John's, moving up to 133 pounds to pin eighth-ranked Chad Henle in 5 minutes, 17 seconds.

Oostendorp called Rush the epitome of the wrestler you want in the program. He's a leader that raises his level and thrives on tough competition. He'll be missed after this season

“You don't take it for granted,” Oostendorp said with a laugh. “We've put a lot on his shoulders the last four years and he's always raised his level.

“He's a special one.”