BRISTOL, TN — The Newberry College Wolves men’s wrestling team turned in a dominant showing at the King Open, earning four individual titles and stacking the podium across multiple weight classes in a deep regional field.
Newberry’s championship run was highlighted by Sebastian Melendez (149), who secured the title in an all Wolves final, and John Parker (197), who won out a tight 1-0 decision to claim his bracket. Heavyweight standout Kale Schrader (285) rolled through the field with a 12-1 major decision in the finals, while the 125 group finished with two Newberry redshirt freshmen, Gage Summers and Ricky Springs, sharing second due to a double forfeit final, though Wolves freshman Damon Landreth blasted through to take third with a fall in 2:18.
Newberry overwhelmed the 125 bracket, placing three wrestlers in the top three. Alongside Summers and Springs, Landreth’s third place pin capped one of the Wolves’ most dominant weight class performances of the day.
At 133, Nathan Gates delivered a strong outing, securing fifth place with an 18-4 major decision, continuing Newberry’s early-bracket momentum.
One of the best team highlights came at 149, where Melendez took home the title after an all Newberry final against Bashir Rostami, giving the Wolves a clean 1–2 sweep. Unattached wrestler Antonio Amos added an eighth place finish.
In the middleweights, Newberry picked up depth points with Joshua Echeverria taking third at 174, and the Wolves showing competitiveness across every bracket of the event.
At 184, Newberry picked up two placements, Hayven Jenkins (7th) and Elijah Copeland (8th), with Jenkins earning his win via a fall in only 45 seconds.
At 197, Parker secured Newberry’s third official bracket title, grinding out a defensive 1-0 championship win. Teammate Malaikyi McKenna added a fourth place finish.
Newberry’s big man crew closed the tournament emphatically in the 285 bracket. Schrader cruised to the heavyweight title with a 12-1 major decision, while teammate Rylan Madison placed fourth and Chance Jackson capped the bracket with a fall at 4:01 to take seventh.
The Wolves will continue to build on this performance as they prepare to hit the mats again on December 1st at the Carolina Clash in Greenwood, S.C.