In Tommy Reamer’s third match at the Missouri Open on Nov. 19, the freshman injured himself while wrestling.

Head coach Ralph McCausland said he thinks the 141-pound wrestler hyper-extended his elbow.

“He was 2-1 on the day and the match he got hurt in, he had a little bit of use of the arm.” McCausland said. “He finished the match, but this early in the season there’s no risk in trying to take him and wrestle anymore. You just kind of praise it and see how he’s doing.”

Reamer said his body is doing well right now.

“Hopefully, I’ll do pretty well (this weekend),” Reamer said. “We’ll just have to see.”

He practiced with the team Sunday night and has been practicing the rest of the week, McCausland said.

With Eastern competing at the Northern Iowa Open this Sunday, McCausland hopes to have Reamer in the lineup.

“He’s a little bit tender but we’re hoping he’ll be able to go this weekend,” he said.

Multiple Panthers place at Missouri Open

While most students were starting to enjoy their break and relax, the wrestling team was busy placing in its last tournament before Thanksgiving.

Junior Greg Perz placed third in the 184-weight class, losing only one match. Perz led the Panthers with the highest place of the day.

“Third place in that tournament was good,” McCausland said. “Raymond, the kid from Missouri, won it. We would’ve liked to wrestle him. He’s four or five in the country.”

Freshman Kyle O’Toole took fourth in the 157-freshman/sophomore division, going 3-2.

One of the wrestlers he faced, though, was an experienced wrestler from last year’s national tournament, McCausland said.

“Some of the finals he lost, and then he lost in third and fourth to the returning runner up of the JUCO national tournament,” he said. “So he got some pretty good touches.”

Another freshman, Joe Trinka, placed fifth in the heavyweight freshman/sophomore division, also going 3-2.

“He lost a kind of controversial semifinal, but his knee was kind of banged up a bit,” McCausland said.

Panthers not to have home match until middle of January

Eastern’s first six matches are away from Lantz Arena. The Panthers will not wrestle at Lantz Arena until a dual meet against Indiana on Jan. 14.

The Panthers started off the season traveling to Warrensburg, Mo., to compete in the Central Missouri Open followed by the Missouri Open the week after.

This Sunday, after a two-week break, Eastern travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa for another open tournament. They follow this next Saturday traveling to Evanston to face Northwestern.

They then have three weeks off before their next competition, the Midlands Tournament, also at Evanston.

Their first match of the New Year, on Jan. 6, has them traveling to West Lafayette, Ind., to wrestle in the Purdue Duals.