BELLEVILLE, Ill. - Williams Baptist sophomore Tanner Irwin took first place in 133 pounds Saturday at the American Midwest Conference Wrestling Championships, which were held at Lindenwood-Belleville.
After receiving a first-round bye, Irwin (Jefferson City High School) won by fall in 2:51 against Central Baptist's William Freeman in the quarterfinals. He followed that with another pin in 4:17 against Lyon College's Robb Rodriguez in the semifinals.
In the championship match, Irwin - ranked No. 8 at 133 - won a 7-5 decision against 14th-ranked Jaitlin Pitts, a fellow teammate.
A 3-0 record at the conference tournament improved Irwin's season to 17-3.
Williams Baptist, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA, won the AMC championships with 209 points and seven individual champions.
Irwin qualifies for the NAIA Wrestling Championships, which take place March 2-3 at Des Moines, Iowa.