POTEAU, Okla. — Three Ouachita wrestlers advanced to the finals and sophomore Cayden Bird claimed the 197-pound title to headline a strong performance Saturday at the Viking Open hosted by Carl Albert State College.

Byrd went a perfect 4-0 to win his bracket, opening with a 21-5 technical fall over Carmichael Gonzalez and followed up with a 7-1 decision against Jourdan Reeves. He continued his dominant run through the semifinal and championship rounds to outscore his four opponents by a combined score of 51-12 on his way to the title. 

Ouachita spawned two additional finalists in 149-pounder Caleb Andrews and 174-pounder Ethan Day, who fought their way to runner-up finishes across four matches. 

At receiving an opening-round bye at 149 pounds, Andrews earned a 16-2 technical fall over Caleb Juarez to advance to the quarterfinals. Andrews outlasted C. Carter 2-0 to move on to the semifinals, then beat M. Nyugen 10-0 to head to the finals before the junior finished the tournament 3-1 to secure second place.

At 174 pounds, Day started with a 10-0 major decision over Jaren Peterson and followed it up with a 6-3 decision against Alex Wilson to advance to the semifinals. Day dominated his semifinal bout 23-7 over E. Nicholas to head to the finals. The freshman posted a 3-1 record and second-place finish.

In another standout performance, Hunter Baber finished fourth at 165 pounds, going 4-2 overall. The sophomore opened the day with a 9-2 win over Charles Webb before dropping his second round bout. Baber followed up with three consecutive wins in the consolation bracket to advance to the third-place match. 

The Tigers face off against Williams Baptist on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Jonesboro, Ark.