Eagles Post Strong Showing at Life Open

WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (11/24/25) – The Williams Baptist University wrestling team put on a strong showing at the Life Lucha Open in Douglasville, Ga., on Saturday, with three wrestlers placing in the top eight of their brackets.

Caiden Saavedra led the way with a fifth-place finish in the silver 149 bracket.  He began the day with three straight wins.  His run came to an end after reaching the maximum number of matches in the bracket for the day, with six wins.

James Opitz followed up with a sixth-place finish in the silver 174.  After dropping his first match of the day, Opitz rattled off four in a row to secure a top-eight finish.

Matthew Russell also finished sixth in the silver 184 bracket.  He took four wins on the day, including a win over teammate Tripp Price, and a 20-5 tech fall victory over Montreat's Donovan Cavendar.

Ezekiel Gasca tallied five wins in the event in the silver 133 bracket.  Gasca finished his day with a comeback win by fall over WVU Tech's Blayson Jordan.

Clay Smith and Landon Holmes both added two wins in the event, while Clay Crane, Tevin Minney, and Tripp Price each won one match.

The Eagles will be back in action on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Conway, Ark., for the Mustang Invitational hosted by Central Baptist College.