Glendale, Ariz.- The Arizona Christian University Firestorm lit up the mats at their home venue Saturday, hosting eight schools from across the Southwest region at the 2nd Annual Firestorm Open. The tournament showcased impressive performances from the host team, with two Firestorm wrestlers claiming gold and nine others securing podium finishes.

In a dominant display at 141 pounds, ACU's Ian Gutierrez blazed through the competition, scoring two falls and capping off his championship run with a decisive 10-6 victory over teammate Braden Whitmore in an all-Firestorm final. Gutierrez's path to gold included falls over Colorado State's Elijah Padilla (3:36) and Caleb Lowell (3:58).

The Firestorm's Kaden Martin electrified the crowd at 184 pounds, earning his championship with a combination of power and technique. Martin opened with a quick fall in 1:25 over Grand Canyon's John Duggan, followed by a commanding 19-5 major decision in the semifinals. In the championship match, Martin sealed his title with a 9-3 decision over Embry-Riddle's Thomas Stadel.

Other notable performances for ACU included Brandon Townsell's third-place finish at 197 pounds, despite having to forfeit in the finals series. The heavyweight division saw an intense battle between Firestorm teammates, with Connor Coleman securing third place over Samuel Moore.

"This tournament serves as a great opportunity for our guys to get on the mat one last time before the season ends and an opportunity for some of our starters to get a tune up before the conference tournament," said ACU Head Coach Michael Butterfield. "We are extremely proud of our guys and their efforts this weekend. We have seen a massive amount of improvement from all of our guys throughout this season."

The tournament, held at the Firestorm Recreation Center, featured several compelling matches and demonstrated the growing strength of wrestling programs across the Southwest.  As the regular season draws to a close, the Firestorm's performance at their home tournament suggests they're hitting their stride at just the right time heading into the Cascade Conference Championships, which start February 21 in Redding, California.