ROCK ISLAND — The Carthage College men's wrestling team began the 2026 season by competing in three closely contested duals on Saturday at the Fred Johnson Duals, hosted by Augustana (Ill.). The team narrowly lost to Augustana and Millikin and ended the day in a tie with Triton, which was decided by a tiebreaker.
Augustana 28 – Carthage 24
The Firebirds opened the day with a narrow loss to Augustana despite earning victories in five bouts.
Chris Kish started strong at 125 with a sudden-victory decision, while
Edgar Albino added a fall at 141.
Zaren Anderson delivered another pin at 157, and
CJ Gilbert followed with a dominant technical fall at 174.
London Kiser capped Carthage's scoring with a major decision at 184, but Augustana's six bonus-point wins proved to be the difference.
Millikin 24 – Carthage 22
Carthage again came up just short in its second dual of the day. Kish recorded a first-period fall at 125, and Albino posted a decision at 141. Anderson continued his strong day with a fall at 157, while
CJ Gilbert and Kiser added decision and major-decision wins, respectively. Millikin, however, secured key bonus points at 133, 197, and 285 to defeat the Firebirds by two.
Triton College 27 – Carthage 27
Triton wins tiebreaker, 30.0–27.0
The Firebirds closed the event with a draw against Triton College. Kish earned a major decision at 133, Albino claimed a narrow decision at 141, and
Jared Werner recorded a fall at 184. Forfeit victories at 157 and 197 also bolstered Carthage's total. The dual ended tied on the scoreboard, but Triton prevailed on the non-max-point match points tiebreaker.
Carthage will be back in action on Saturday, January 10 facing Wheaton (Ill.) on the road starting at 2 p.m.
