DECATUR — Carthage College men's wrestling showcased strong performances at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships, with several standout finishes. Zaren Anderson led the way for the Firebirds, securing a runner-up finish at 157 pounds, while Cole Nelson (141) and Chris Kish (125) also earned top-four placements. Maxwell Becker was named this year's CCIW RESPECT Award winner for Carthage. The CCIW RESPECT Award honors one student-athlete per varsity team each season who exemplifies Responsibility, Enthusiasm, Service, Pride, Excellence, Collaboration, and Trust.

125 Pounds

• Chris Kish placed fourth, scoring 12.0 team points. Kish opened the tournament with a fall over Jesse Johnson (MSOE) at 5:00 before dropping his semifinal match to Christian Guzman (North Central) by tech fall (18-3). He rebounded with a dominant tech fall win over Jack Reina (Augustana) in 5:00 but fell in the third-place match to Cameron Lee (Millikin) by a 5-4 decision.

133 Pounds

• Zach Miller received a bye in the opening round before falling to Liam Anderson (MSOE) by fall at 2:34. In the consolation bracket, he lost a 14-6 major decision to Joe Fornaro (Elmhurst).

141 Pounds

• Cole Nelson secured a third-place finish with 13.5 team points. He started strong with a 13-2 major decision over Max Sanderfoot (MSOE) before falling in the semifinals to Bradley Rosen (North Central) by tech fall (21-6). Nelson rebounded with a fall over Austin Johnston (Illinois Wesleyan) at 4:38 and edged Sabri Sino (Millikin) in sudden victory, 6-3, to claim third place.

149 Pounds

• Elijah Zepeda received a bye before falling to Chase Mirelez (Millikin) by tech fall (16-1). In the consolation bracket, he was eliminated after a 10-3 decision loss to Diego Garcia (Elmhurst).

157 Pounds

• Zaren Anderson led the Firebirds with a second-place finish, scoring 17.0 team points. He pinned Deonta Giles (Wheaton) in 2:28 and Evan Carel (Illinois Wesleyan) in 1:59 before securing a 2-1 tie-breaker victory over Michael Macias (Augustana) in the semifinals. Anderson fell in the championship bout to Rhenzo Augusto (Elmhurst) by a 6-0 decision.

165 Pounds

• CJ Gilbert received a bye in the opening round before dropping a 4-1 decision to Jack Patting (Augustana). In the consolation bracket, he advanced with another bye but fell to Austin Martin (Aurora) by a 10-3 decision.

174 Pounds

• Collin Ruiz placed fourth, contributing 9.5 team points. He earned a 3-1 decision over Jack Miller (Augustana) in the quarterfinals but fell to Dejon Glaster (Millikin) by tech fall (18-2). Ruiz bounced back with a 3-1 decision over Caleb Smith (Elmhurst) but was unable to compete in the third-place match due to a medical forfeit.

184 Pounds

•  Devin Rogers finished fifth, scoring 12.0 team points. After a first-round bye, Rogers dropped a close 5-3 decision to Bobby Conroy (Illinois Wesleyan). He responded with back-to-back pins over Connor Kelly (Elmhurst) in 2:16 and Dawson Galvan (Concordia) in 1:38. Rogers fell in the consolation semifinals but closed the tournament with an 11-0 major decision over Sean King (Wheaton) for fifth place.

197 Pounds

•  Diego Fuentes fell to Jake Schmitt (MSOE) in a 9-1 major decision before receiving a bye in the consolation bracket. He was eliminated following a pin by Ruben Vasquez (Concordia) at 2:43.

285 Pounds

•  Mason Kochersperger placed sixth, earning 4.5 team points. He lost his opening match to Robby Bates (North Central) by a 6-0 decision before rebounding with a 4-1 decision over Alex Jackson (Illinois Wesleyan). Kochersperger fell in the consolation semifinals to Leno Campbell (Millikin) by a 10-3 decision and dropped the fifth-place match to Peyton Smith (Concordia) in a 2-0 decision.

• The Firebirds will compete in the NCAA Division III Regional which starts on Friday, February 28 in Crawfordsville, Ind.