The heart of the lineup gave the Muhlenberg wrestling team a big win in the heartland.

On the strength of four straight wins from 149 to 174, the Mules defeated 11th-ranked Central, 21-20, in their second match of the day in Iowa. The first match was far less dramatic, with Muhlenberg breezing past Nebraska Wesleyan, 34-9.

Tied 20-20 after 10 bouts, the Central match was decided on criteria. Each team recorded one pin, two major decisions and two decisions, so the match went to the third tiebreaker, highest total match points in all matches that don't end in a fall. The Mules had a 58-52 advantage, giving them the tiebreaking point and the upset win.

The loss was the first at home for Central against a non-conference opponent in nine years.

Junior Joey Lamparelli set the tone for the Central match by pinning his opponent, who is ranked fifth in the Lower Midwest Region, with 35 seconds left in the first period.

Freshman Trey Miletics scored a key win at 149, recording six points in the first period and holding on for a 7-3 decision. Sophomores Brandon Bowles (14-6 at 157), Nico Berlingeri (19-7 at 165) and Anson Dewar (6-0 at 174) followed with decisive wins in the next three bouts to give Muhlenberg a 20-7 lead.

Central won the final three bouts to tie the score. At 285, freshman Ben Krauss needed to win or avoid giving up bonus points, and he did just that, scoring the first takedown and keeping the bout close in an 8-4 loss.

Sophomore Frank DiEsso wrestled admirably at 133, dropping a 5-3 decision on a third-period takedown to an opponent ranked 13th in Division III.

The Nebraska Wesleyan match started with Lamparelli (pictured above) and junior Ricky Caamano both pinning their opponents in less than a minute.

Dewar, who did not allow a point all day in remaining undefeated (11-0) on the season, scored a 10-0 major decision, and freshman Ryan Fairchild needed little more than two minutes to record his first career technical fall.

Juniors Christopher Dalmau and Riley McHale, senior Ronnie Grevera and Krauss also won bouts vs. Nebraska Wesleyan.

Box Scores
Muhlenberg 34, Nebraska Wesleyan 9
125 Joey Lamparelli (M) pinned Julian Long, 0:21
133 Ricky Caamano (M) pinned Michael Barretto, 0:51
141 Christopher Dalmau (M) dec. Christian Keller, 7-3
149 Jared Gallub (NW) dec. Trey Miletics, 3-2
157 Riley McHale (M) maj. dec. Travis Guzman, 15-2
165 Ronnie Grevera (M) dec. Daniel Alonzo, 7-3
174 Anson Dewar (M) maj. dec. Zeth Gerkensmeyer, 10-0
184 Ryan Fairchild (M) tech fall Rylee Iburg, 2:02 (16-0)
197 Casey Kinnell (NW) pinned Greg Grigorian, 5:48
HWT Ben Krauss (M) dec. Tashaud Nelson, 6-0
exhibitions
125 Brian McCaw (M) pinned Keith Germain, 1:39
184 Deon Savage (M) pinned Sam Weaver, 1:23

Muhlenberg 21, Central 20
125 Joey Lamparelli (M) pinned Rheiner Stahlbaum, 2:25
133 Brock Beck (C) dec. Frank DiEsso, 5-3
141 Pierre Baldwin (C) maj. dec. Christopher Dalmau, 10-1
149 Trey Miletics (M) dec. Cael Cox, 7-3
157 Brandon Bowles (M) maj. dec. Luke Condy, 14-6
165 Nico Berlingeri (M) maj. dec. Colby Tool, 19-7
174 Anson Dewar (M) dec. Austin Roos, 6-0
184 Peyton Hammerich (C) maj. dec. Ryan Fairchild, 13-3
197 Gage Linahon (C) pinned Deon Savage, 4:35
HWT Miles Berg (C) dec. Ben Krauss, 8-4