Lance Benick leads Totino-Grace wrestlers to 4th in Iowa meet

The Totino-Grace wrestling team had an impressive showing last weekend, finishing fourth in the Council Bluffs (Iowa) Wrestling Classic. The Eagles had 439 team points, the highest finish for a Minnesota team in the tournament. Kearney (Neb.) won the meet.

Junior Lance Benick proved worthy of his No. 1 national ranking at 195 pounds, winning his weight with a 5-0 record — four pins and a technical fall — and earning the tournament's outstanding wrestler award. Benick, a two-time state champion, improved his season record to 10-0 with eight falls.

Teammate Walker Thiele finished second at 152 pounds, as did junior Isaac Florell at 220, while senior Jared Florell was fourth at 160. Freshman 126-pounder Christian Bahl earned his 75th career victory in the meet.

Other north metro wrestling milestones:

• Osseo junior 145-pounder Carson Brolsma picked up his 125th career victory Saturday and improved to 12-0 by winning his weight class at the Eau Claire (Wis.) North Invite.

• Andover senior Corey Parsons, at 182 pounds, picked up his 75th career pin Friday. He added two more in a meet Saturday, giving him 77 for his career.

The Champlin Park boys' basketball team has not only survived but has rolled through what might be the toughest part of this season's schedule in its first seven games.

They also defeated Eden Prairie 81-65 on Saturday in the Breakdown Classic at Minnetonka.

The Rebels are led by senior forward Brennan Witt, who is averaging a team-high 21.4 points per game. The Rebels are ranked seventh in Class 4A.

The Irondale boys' swimming and diving team faced a tough test Saturday as it took on the top two teams in the state at the Minnetonka Invitational.

Minnetonka won the triangular with 900 points, followed by Wayzata with 734 points and the Knights with 448 points.

Irondale junior Jacob Wielinski won the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 4:45.93 and the 200 yard IM in 2:00.23.

Donovan ranks fifth in the state with 20 goals and third with 41 points.