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By John Richardon, Xavier senior

CEDAR RAPIDS – The Xavier wrestling team has continued to make a name for itself as the regular season nears the end.

The Saints are fourth in the Mississippi Valley Conference with a 4-7 dual record and an overall mark of 10-15. The team lost to Jefferson and Dubuque Hempstead in a double dual, where the Saints were lead by double wins from junior Nick Drahozal and freshman Clint Lembeck.

Lembeck also was  a key contributor against Waterloo West and Prairie, where the freshman  picked up two wins in the Saints losses. The team bounced back and claimed a third-place finish at the Loyd Shaffer Invitational at Marion. Senior Kory Donithan and juniors Joe Mulangaliro and Nick Drahozal all were champions for their divisions.

“As a team, we have developed and progressed a ton, and I would have to credit my win this weekend to Coach (Ryan) Chambers for pushing me harder and helping me with conditioning,” Donithan said.

Freshman Jeff Vipond and Clint Lembeck were second place finishers.

The Saints beat City High and lost to Dubuque Senior in a double-dual they hosted Thursday. Now it’s time for to prepare for the championship season, which starts with the junior varsity MVC tournament next Saturday.

“As the year starts coming to an end, we have to keep with the grind, stay healthy, and finish strong,” senior captain Jake Konzen said.