BRISTOL, Tennessee - After battling with some strong foes in Ohio last time out, the Salem men's wrestling team headed down south today to compete in the King University Open. Wrestlers from all over the country made their way to Bristol alongside the Tigers, and Salem took on some of the best of the best.

The strongest showing for the Tigers was from Seth Thomas. Thomas fell in his first bout, but bounced right back with two straight pins in his next two matches against wrestlers from Midway and Shorter. After that, Thomas grinded out a third win by decision before dropping his fifth and final match of the day to North Carolina-Penbroke's William Lowery. 

Riley Curran also had a solid showing in the event. Curran routed Shorter's Ethan Ross to win by tech fall to open the event. After a tough loss in his second bout, Curran won his third matchup against North Carolina-Pembroke's Theo Yager again by tech fall before coming up just short in his final matchup of the day. 

Outside of Curran and Thomas, David Makupson and Seth Holt earned individual wins at the event with Makupson's win coming via pin, and Holt's win by major decision. Devin Fowler, Dylan Knight, and Clayton Downs also competed in the event for the Tigers. 

Next up for the Tigers is another trip down south. After a holiday break, Salem is set to head down to Lander University's Carolina Clash on December 1st.