FORT DODGE, Iowa -- Minnesota West couldn't pick a much tougher opponent for its first dual.
The Bluejay wrestlers lost 51-0 to four-time defending national champion Iowa Central on Wednesday.
"Our first dual of the year, and we take on the top wrestling team in the nation," Bluejays' head coach Robert Purcell said. "After that, all you can go is up."
MW's top performances came from 165-pounder Ryan Teal, who lost to Samuel Bonsu 11-5, and Julio Casillas (197), who dropped a 13-6 decision to IC's Donte Nickson.
Bluejays Jamal McAllister (125), Daniel Cordido (133), Dervin Thompson (141) and Bryan Louis (174) were each pinned.
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Thompson was only trailing 4-2 when he was downed at the 4:54 mark by Vinny Pisani, who placed fifth at last year's national tournament.
"These guys are good," Purcell said of Iowa Central's grapplers. "We wrestled with them, our guys really wrestled well, but technically we've got to work on some things."
In the 149-pound class, the Tritons' Breden Parker-Rick defeated Ryan Davis 13-1, while Phil Mandzik outwrestled MW's Jarek Bannister 19-7 in the heavyweight division.
The Bluejays will compete next on Saturday, when they'll travel to Mitchell, S.D. for the Dakota Wesleyan Open.
125 Colon (IC) fall 2:17 McAllister, 6-0
133 Schneider (IC) fall 4:29 Cordido, 12-0
141 Pisani (IC) fall 4:54 Thompson, 18-0
149 Parker-Rick (IC) dec. 13-1 Davis, 21-0
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157 Kampen (IC) forfeit, 27-0
165 Bonsu (IC) dec. 11-5 Teal, 30-0
174 Kersten (IC) fall 4:37 Louis, 36-0
184 Barnar (IC) forfeit, 42-0
197 Nickson (IC) dec. 13-6 Casillas, 45-0
Hwt. Mandzik (IC) dec 19-7 Bannister, 51-0.
