The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wrestling squad traveled to La Crosse Saturday morning to face off against No. 7 Loras (Iowa) and ninth-ranked Coe (Iowa) in the Candlewood Suites Duals.
 
The Warhawks (1-2) fell to the Duhawks (3-0) 20-19 before dropping the second dual to the Kohawks (2-1) 26-20.
 
Junior Mike Tortorice (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) finished 2-0 on the day in the 125 weight class.
 
Tortorice started the Loras duel with a 7-2 decision over Jacob Hiles.  Loras scored the next nine points before sophomore Mac Casella (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) pinned Nathan Pitts in 4:16 to tie the match at 149.  
 
The Duhawks added another nine points before senior Nicholas Bonomo (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) scored an 18-4 major decision in the 174 match to add another four. Loras struck back before 197-pound junior Riley Kauzlaric (Coal City, Ill./Coal City) took down No. 1 ranked Guy Patron in a major 9-1 decision to add another four points, leaving the Warhawks just shy of their rivals in a 20-19 affair.
 
Against the Kohawks, Tortorice took down Diego Ortega in a 16-1 technical fall to score five points.  Rice came back strong at 141 and claimed an 8-2 decision over Amier Khamis.  The Kohawks claimed a pair of matches before junior Ryder Sigler (Fredonia, Wis./Cedarburg) pinned Luke Silva at 3:34 in the 165 match.
 
Freshman Jarrit Shinhoster (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Barrington) added a fall of his own at the 3:51 mark of the 184 bout to take a 20-14 lead, but the Kohawks claimed the match off of an injury and a fall.
 
The Warhawks look to bounce back against conference competition next week.  They travel to UW-Eau Claire Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. showdown and travel to face UW-Oshkosh at 7 p.m. Thursday night.