Harrogate, TN – In their return home, the Lincoln Memorial University Men's Wrestling team dropped a hard-fought battle against Emmanuel University in a Conference Carolinas clash 42-11. 

The loss moves the Railsplitters to 0-9, 0-7 in conference while Emmanuel improves to 6-4, 6-3 in Conference Carolinas.  

The Railsplitters saw early points thanks to a Porter Finstad forfeit win, but their mat success would truly begin in the 149-pound weight class, where James Thaxton would make light work of his foe. Thaxton netted early takedowns of his opponent in both of the first two periods, and was able to ride out the rest of the match with 4:00 minutes of riding time to secure a 15-0 tech fall win, giving LMU an early 11-9 lead. 

Jose Gutierrez would put up a tough fight in the 165-pound division, trading takedowns with his opponent before the crucial third period, where his opponent was able to secure a late escape into a takedown to end a hard fought loss for the freshman.  

The Railsplitters return home for senior night on Wednesday, where they will host Lander University and Bluefield State while honoring Finstad.