Eagles Showcase Depth and Grit, Earn Runner-Up Finish at 40th Annual Eagle Invitational
December 12, 2025
The Colby Eagle wrestling team delivered a memorable weekend at the Colby Event Center while hosting the 40th Annual Eagle Invitational Dual Tournament, showcasing depth, resilience, and a strong sense of togetherness on the home mats. The Eagles advanced through Pool A undefeated before earning a runner-up finish overall, falling to Pine Creek in the championship dual after a dramatic and hard-fought final round
The tournament format featured two large pools that wrestled round-robin duals. Placement was then determined by crossover matches, with the top teams from each pool facing off for first and second, followed by similar matchups to decide third through fourth and beyond. Colby navigated a demanding slate in Pool A, securing wins over Wray, Hays, Lexington, Santa Fe Trail, Brush, Derby, and Prairie View to claim the top seed from its pool
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Junior Julian Salcido anchored the Eagles throughout the event and finished as Colby’s leading scorer with 44 team points. Wrestling at 113 pounds, Salcido went a perfect 8-0 with a mix of falls and technical falls, consistently setting the tone in the lower weights and providing momentum early in duals
His championship run reflected both control and composure, particularly as the weekend progressed. Salcido said his favorite part of the tournament was “seeing some of our less experienced kids step up when needed and getting crucial wins or even just trying their hardest to not get pinned.”
Ryder Dempewolf was equally dominant and earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors for Pool A’s lower weights after an undefeated 8-0 performance across multiple weight classes. Dempewolf wrestled wherever the team needed him, including bumping up against tough competition late in the tournament, and continued to pile up bonus points with technical falls and a pin
Following the event, Dempewolf said he “I thought the team wrestled really well,” a sentiment echoed throughout the Colby lineup.
Head coach Cole Garcia emphasized that the success went far beyond individual accolades. “There were so many matches that were huge wins for the team, it’s hard to pick just one,” Garcia said. “Our underclassmen really came through and everyone fought for every point.” Garcia pointed to efforts like Pierce Bartlett fighting off late danger to avoid giving up extra points, Laken Lindberg refusing to give up turns against heavier opponents, and wrestlers actively pushing for pins and technical falls instead of settling for narrow decisions.
Several Eagles finished the weekend undefeated, including Salcido, Dempewolf, and Talon Wark, while Dalton Jacob, Nathan Schroeder, Eric Schroeder, and others delivered key bonus-point victories that helped Colby pull away in multiple duals. Garcia also praised the selfless decisions within the lineup, noting that Ethan Reinert stepped aside in one dual to allow Dempewolf to wrestle a critical matchup before returning later to score a pivotal pin.
The most electric stretch of the weekend came in the championship dual against Pine Creek. Within a span of roughly 15 minutes, sophomores Dalton Jacob at 165 and Laken Lindberg at 190 stunned the crowd with dramatic wins over higher-ranked opponents, sending the Colby Event Center into a frenzy. Despite those momentum-shifting victories, Pine Creek ultimately secured enough points to claim the team title, leaving Colby as tournament runner-up
Garcia said the defining takeaway was the unity displayed by his squad. “Everyone had each other’s backs and that made everyone want to wrestle their best,” he said, adding that while the team could be happy with the result, they could not be satisfied. With momentum built at home, the Eagles now turn their focus to carrying that effort forward into their upcoming competition in Goodland.