LAS VEGAS, NV – Elijah Griffin capped off a historic 4-1 run at the prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational, becoming Rider's first-ever finalist and highest overall placer in program history at the event.

141-pound Semifinals
No. 20/26 Elijah Griffin vs No. 28 Nash Singleton (Oregon State)

Griffin came out firing, pushing the pace early with a series of fakes that forced Singleton into reaction mode. That pressure opened the door for the first score, and Griffin capitalized to take a 3-0 lead. A Singleton escape trimmed it to 3-1 heading into the second.

Starting the period on bottom, Griffin quickly earned his escape to extend the advantage to 4-1. Moments later, he struck again—driving in on a straight-on double, transitioning to a single, and finishing cleanly for a 7-1 lead. He then went to work on top, putting together a tough ride that secured over a minute of riding time and kept Singleton down for the rest of the period.

Singleton managed an escape in the third, but with riding time locked in, Griffin closed out an 8-2 decision. The victory sends him to the finals, making him the first Cliff Keen Invitational finalist in program history.

Griffin entered the finals, outscoring his opponents 41-9. 

141-pound Final
No. 20/26 Elijah Griffin vs No. 6 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State)

After a strong defensive start by both wrestlers, the match went into the second period scoreless. Griffin chose bottom to begin the period and quickly escaped in the first five seconds to take a 1-0 lead. Echemendia responded with a duck to a bear hug for the bout's first takedown, moving ahead 3-1. Griffin added another escape to cut it to 3-2, but Echemendia secured a second takedown in the closing seconds of the period to extend his lead to 6-2.

Echemendia opted to start neutral in the final period, and the score would hold the rest of the way, as Griffin fell by a 6-2 decision and finished as the tournament's runner-up after entering as the six seed.

Quotes and Notes
"Congrats to Eli for becoming our program's ever finalist at the CKLV. He scored points and wrestled with confidence this weekend.  

The rest of the guys gained valuable experience and will be better down the road as a result. It's tournaments like the CKLV that get our guys ready for the rest of the season, especially the MAC and NCAA Championships." – Rider Head Coach John Hangey

Up Next
The Broncs return to action on Dec. 14 when they host No. 20 Oklahoma inside Alumni Gym.
Match is set for 1 p.m.