HAMPTON, Va. (Jan. 10, 2025) - The Buena Vista University men's wrestling team hit the mat for the first time this calendar year on Friday as it wrestled its first two duals to begin the trip to the Virginia Duals being held inside of the Hampton Colesium.

BVU began the afternoon against Averett College where it was handed a tough 48-4 loss. Trevor Kruse (184) picked up the lone victory for the Beavers with an 11-3 major decision for his second dual win of the season.

The Beavers then went up against Liberty University to conclude its day and hung tough throughout the match-up despite coming up just short in the end, 32-18. Tyler Japp put BVU on the board first with his fourth technical fall of the year before Liberty came back with a decision and fall to build a 9-5 lead. Senior Hayden Stout notched a major decision at 149 pounds for his fifth win and pull BVU even at 9-9. Aiden Kirk later put the Beavers back in front 15-14 at 165 pounds with the team's first pin of the day, but Liberty would close strong with three wins over the final four matches. Kruse remained perfect on the day with a thrilling 3-2 triumph that cut the defict to 20-18.

Buena Vista is now 1-5 in duals this season and will face St. Vincent on Jan. 11 at 9 a.m. (ET). The winner of that dual will then wrestle for 13th place in the final round while the loser will receive a bye and finish in 15th.