JAMESTOWN, N.D. – Minot State's Gavin Turk made a splash as a true freshman last season, and Sunday he started his sophomore campaign by claiming his first championship.

Winning all four of his matches in the 174-pound weight class, Turk won the title at the Jimmie Open men's wrestling tournament, leading the way for the Beavers who saw eight individuals place on the day.

"This first tournament was a good measuring stick to see where we are and what we need to work on moving forward," Minot State's coach Evan Forde said.

"We had some great wins, and some matches we'd like to have back," Forde added. "We had a champion, and a number of guys got their first college victory; that's always fun.

"I feel pretty good about where we are at this point in the season."

While Turk took home a title, teammates Cole Faircloth (4^th at 125 pounds), John Armstrong (5^th at 165 pounds), Shafer Ehmke (5^th at 197 pounds), Daniels Bendiks (6^th at 174 pounds), Will George (6^th at 165 pounds), Carmine Morton (6^th at 285 pounds), and Andrew Worthington (6^th at 133 pounds) also placed in the top six in their respective weight classes.

Faircloth's run to a 4^th-place finish also included his first collegiate victory on the mats as the true freshman opened his season with a pin of Mary's Austin Berry in 1 minute, 43 seconds.

Joining him in grabbing win No. 1 in their collegiate career were Austin Garcia (125 pounds), Brayden Guerrero (149 pounds), Roman Leifridt (157 pounds), and Robert Salehi (149 pounds).

Garcia picked up a 13-4 major decision win over Antonio Martinez from Sioux Fall, Guerrero earned his first collegiate win with a 23-16 decision win over Ethan Holstein from Jamestown, Leifridt recorded a pin in 5:22 over Ashton Leegard from Minnesota State Moorhead for his first win, and Salehi won with a 19-3 technical fall over Beau Daily from MSU Moorhead for his first win.

As for Turk, his run to the title started with a 5-0 decision win over Mason Butler from Mary. He then scored a 19-3 technical fall win over Sioux Falls' Jarrett Roos in the quarterfinals.

The Beaver sophomore added his third win, a 13-3 major decision victory over Mary's Charles Severance in the semifinals, then he claimed the championship with a comeback win in the third round, scoring an escape for a 4-4 tie with Mary's Wyatt Elam, then earning the win thanks to a riding-time point for the 5-4 decision.

With the new season underway, the Minot State men's wrestling team returns to action next weekend, competing in the Dakota Wesleyan Open tournament on Saturday.