One Albert Lea wrestler makes the final four

Published 9:39 pm Friday, March 1, 2013

ST. PAUL — Of the three Albert Lea wrestlers who won a first round match, one Tiger advanced to the next level.

After Trevor Westerlund and Lucas Hansen fell earlier in the quarterfinals, the final Albert Lea wrestler remaining was Triston Westerlund at 182 pounds. Triston took control of the match early and pinned St. Michael-Albertville’s Ricky Briggs in 4:34 to advance. Triston (40-5) will wrestle Sam Moeller of Rosemont in the semifinal match on Saturday.

Trevor dominated his 113-pound match and led 2-0 going into the third period. A takedown gave him a 4-1 lead, but Maolu Woiwor slipped away and pinned him late in the final period.

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“I just gave it all I got, and he did some weird stuff and got away,” Westerlund said. “I know I can still get third.”

In the 138-pound weight class, Lucas Hansen was up next for the Tigers. He kept the match close with a takedown in the second period to make the score 4-2, but Mitch Bengtson of St. Cloud-Apollo extended his advantage to eight points for the win (13-5).

Trevor Westerlund and Hanson have fallen into the wrestleback brackets, where third is the best possible place attainable.