LAS VEGAS, Nev. – No. 5 Saint John’s upset No. 1 Wartburg (Iowa) and No. 3 Coe (Iowa) to go 3-1 at the Vegas Duals held Monday, Dec. 20, at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. The Johnnies posted a 44-3 win over the University of Chicago, and sandwiched an 18-13 loss to No. 27 Olivet (Mich.) with tough wins over Wartburg (21-15) and Coe (18-17).

The Johnnies (8-1 dual record) started the day with a 44-3 win over Chicago. SJU posted three pins, one technical fall and inherited two forfeits in the victory.

In the second dual of the day, Wartburg jumped out to a 6-0 lead with a pair of decisions from nationally-ranked wrestlers. Senior Chris Sandy (Spirit Lake, Iowa) posted an 8-6 win in overtime at 141 pounds and fellow senior Minga Batsukh (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.) pinned his opponent in 3:38 to give SJU a 9-6 lead.

The Knights’ Carrington Banks, ranked No. 1 at 157, tallied a 7-2 decision over senior Drew Larson (Willmar, Minn.) to tie the dual at 9-9 before SJU rattled off two one-point victories to take a 15-9 lead. Senior Matt Baarson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park) held on for a 10-9 decision at 165 and junior Matt Pfarr (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) followed with a 4-3 win at 174. Baarson, ranked fifth nationally, posted leads of 7-2 and 9-4 and held on for a one-point win due to riding time. Pfarr, meanwhile, was down 3-1 before he was awarded a stalling point and recorded a takedown with 10 seconds remaining for the win. He is currently ranked ninth at 184 pounds.

Senior Dustin Baxter (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley) lost a tough 3-1 decision in overtime to All-American Dylan Azinger, who is ranked fifth nationally at 184. Byron Tate, the defending national champion at 197, tied the dual at 15-15 with a 12-6 decision over senior Tony Willaert (North Mankato, Minn./Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial).

Top-ranked John Helgerson, last year’s national runner-up, was ahead 2-0 on junior John Linn (Foley, Minn.) but was disqualified when he slammed Linn to the mat. The loss snapped Wartburg’s 29-match win streak at the Desert Duals. The Knights have won seven of the last 16 NCAA Division III national championships.

The Johnnies dropped an 18-13 decision to Olivet in their third consecutive dual without a break. SJU and Olivet alternated wins from 125 thru 165 before the Comets took control with a pair of close wins. Pfarr lost a close 11-9 decision at 174 and sophomore Mitch Hagen (Sunburg, Minn./Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg) suffered a one-point loss, 7-6, to No. 10 Jim Neal. Baxter bumped up to 197 pounds and earned a 6-4 win to cut the deficit to two, 15-13. Willaert jumped up to heavyweight but lost, 8-4. Freshman Ryan Arne (Orono, Minn.) gave Batsukh a rest at 149 and lost by two, 6-4. Senior John Vaith (Hastings, Minn.) wrestled his first match since cutting down from 165 and lost a close match of his own, 10-6. Batsukh went 3-0 on the day, including two pins and one major decision, with two wins against Nos. 6 and 7 in the nation.

SJU wrapped up the Vegas Duals with a big 18-17 win over Coe. The Johnnies erased an early 5-0 deficit with three straight wins to take a 10-5 lead. Junior Chad Henle (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer) posted a 4-2 win at 133 to go 3-1 on the day. Sandy tallied an upset win, 8-5, over No. 6 Chris LeClere to give SJU a 6-5 lead. Batsukh padded the lead to 10-5 with a major decision over No. 6 James Locke. The Kohawks clawed back to take a one-point lead with wins from nationally-ranked wrestlers at 157 and 165.

The resilient Johnnies answered with major decisions from Pfarr and Baxter to take an 18-11 lead. Pfarr posted a 15-3 win, while Baxter recorded a 12-4 win over No. 6 Seth Rehn. Both Pfarr and Baxter went 3-1 on the day. Coe net a pair of decisions in the final two weights, including a high-scoring 19-14 win at heavyweight, but SJU held on for the one-point victory.

Comparative scores out the window, Coe defeated Olivet 28-9 earlier in the day.

SJU returns to action Jan. 8-9 at the prestigious NWCA/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals on the campus of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. With today’s performance, the Johnnies are in line for a high seed in the tournament and a climb in the national rankings, which are scheduled to be released Dec. 22.