The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State Athletics Communications.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn – Gannon Gremmel rang in the new year with a championship performance at the Southern Scuffle. Gremmel captured the title at 285 pounds, becoming ISU’s first champion at the Scuffle since 2014.
Over the two day tournament, Gremmel posted a 5-0 record and outscored his opponents by a margin of 36-13. As a team, Iowa State (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) finished 15th at the Scuffle with 39.5 team points
Finals
In the championship bout, Gremmel took on Northern Colorado’s Dalton Robertson. Gremmel was on the attack from the jump, scoring two takedowns in just over a minute of action. On the two’s first exchange, Robertson appeared to injure his ankle. After trying to gut it out, it was determined that Robertson would not be able to continue in the match. It was Gremmel over Robertson by injury default.
Semifinals
In his semifinal match against Miller, Gremmel needed all seven minutes to come away with the victory. After trading escapes to begin the second and third periods, Gremmel and Miller were locked at 1-1. Gremmel was warned for his second stall warning, giving Miller a 2-1 advantage. As time expired in the match, Gremmel finished on a low-single attack and notched the takedown to win by 3-2 decision, advancing to the finals.
Day One
In his quarterfinal match, Gremmel squared off with Lewis Fernandes of Finger Lakes. Gremmel scored on two takedowns and was in complete control of the match, garnering over four minutes of riding time. He opened the tournament with an 8-4 victory over NC State’s Owen Trephan and then followed that up with a 16-6 major decision over Alex Esposito of Rutgers.
Next Up
Iowa State will remain on the road, traveling to Utah Valley on Thursday, Jan. 9. The Cyclones will battle the Wolverines at 8 p.m. CT on Thursday night.