Tatum Leads Strong Trojan Effort at Grand View Open

The Colby Community College men’s wrestling team stepped onto one of the toughest stages of the early season on November 15, competing at the Grand View Open in Grimes, Iowa — a tournament annually packed with nationally ranked NAIA and NJCAA talent. For a roster heavy on freshmen, the weekend became both a proving ground and a measuring stick, and the Trojans responded by racking up 15 total wins, including six pins, one tech fall, and a fifth-place finish from heavyweight standout Robert Tatum.

Head Coach Joseph Cornejo said he left Iowa encouraged by what he saw, but clear-eyed about the work that remains.

“We did well as a team. A lot of learning still yet as a young team,” Cornejo said. “We just have to transition faster and get the guys to continue wrestling a full seven minutes on that pace.”

No Trojan embodied that fight more than Tatum, the freshman from Tullahoma, Tennessee, who turned in one of the best individual performances of the day. After a first-round bye, he defeated Iowa State Club’s Paul Ballard by 13-6 decision, then pinned Jaylin Bien-Aime of Lindsey Wilson in 4:24. He followed that with a 7-4 quarterfinal win over Montana State-Northern’s AJ Harris before advancing to the semifinal round. Tatum finished the day 4-2, earning a medical-forfeit victory in the fifth-place match and scoring 16 team points — the highest total of any Colby wrestler.

“Tatum wrestles hard, and he’s starting to see what works for him at this level,” Cornejo said. “He’s learning how to stay in matches and break people with pressure, and that’s what we want.”

Beyond Tatum’s podium finish, several Trojans delivered strong outings.

At 133 pounds, freshman Talon Suttles collected three wins, including a 16-0 tech fall over Pratt’s Roman Romero, an 8-4 decision over Life University’s Emilio Santana, and a first-period pin in just 1:13 against Fort Hays Tech’s Trace Brisendine. Freshman Elijah Sierra added two more victories at the same weight, winning by fall in 1:20 over North Idaho’s Benjamin Whitright and later edging St. Ambrose’s Eli Gonzalez 6-5. Together, Suttles and Sierra contributed eight points.

At 149 pounds, Scotty Engle provided a burst of momentum early in the day, sticking Carl Albert’s Dylan Abbott late in the first round and then pinning Mo Baptist’s Caleb Ducote in just 1:01 to give Colby six points.

The 174-pound bracket saw wins from both Bryant Jones and Gunner Owens. Jones collected an injury-default victory and a pin over Mo Baptist’s Dean McMahen, scoring 5.5 team points, while Owens secured a high-scoring 15-10 decision over Iowa Central’s Nathaniel Franklin.

In total, the Trojans finished the weekend with a team record of 15-26, including six falls, one tech fall, and Tatum’s fifth-place finish against a field of more than 40 collegiate programs. Cornejo said the biggest challenge now is keeping his young roster focused without overloading them physically as the bulk of the season begins.

“The challenges this week is probably just keeping them focused on the small details of getting better and fixing little mental mistakes without wearing them out as the season grind is taking a toll with all the wrestling we do,” he said. “Break them on the mat before they break us.”

With a roster full of first-year athletes gaining experience in real time, the trip to Iowa served as another step toward building a deep, competitive squad capable of grinding through the long season ahead.