WARRIORS PLACE SIXTH AT NATIONAL DUALS
Miami, OK – No. 5 Indian Hills Men’s Wrestling put together an impressive showing at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Duals on Friday, placing sixth overall out of 24 teams. The Warriors went 3-2 on the day in front of the nation’s elite programs.
In the premiere regular season event in junior college wrestling, Friday’s duals featured the top eight teams in the national rankings and 16 of the top 20 programs. The Warriors squared off with four nationally ranked opponents to place sixth overall in its first-ever appearance at the national duals.
“Overall, a great experience for our team,” stated head coach Cole Spree. “The guys competed hard and I believe they realize we are very close to doing some really special things here at Indian Hills. We’re excited to get home, get healthy, and keep getting better.”
After opening up the day with a bye as the No. 5 seed in the first round of the Team Advancement Tournament, the Warriors dominated Neosho Community College (KS) 44-12. Indian Hills suffered a narrow 26-15 loss to No. 6 nationally ranked North Idaho College, but the Warriors bounced back in the consolation rounds to defeat No. 20 Iowa Lakes Community College 34-15 and No. 14 Southeastern Oregon Community College 37-12.
In the fifth-place match, the Warriors fell to tournament host and No. 3 ranked Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. Indian Hills opened up the match with a 16-0 lead, but dropped the final four matches to fall to the Norsemen.
The Warriors, who entered Friday with six nationally ranked individuals in tow, received a number of standout performances throughout the day. Sophomore Caleb Meekins (Livonia, MI/John Glenn), the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation in the 133lb weight class posted a 5-0 record on the day with three pins. Meekins’ most impressive showing came against Jovan Garcia of Southwestern Oregon, the No. 3 ranked wrestler in the nation. Meekins pinned Garcia in just 46 seconds to score for the Warriors.
Meekins, the Indian Hills December Male Student-Athlete of the Month, now sits at 8-0 in dual matches on the year. Meekins has recorded six pins on the year, with the additional two victories via forfeit.
Sophomore Victor Guzman (Rock Island, IL/Rock Island) and freshman Matthew Lewis (Centerville, IA/Centerville) dominated the 141lb weight class as Lewis went 3-0 on the day while Guzman picked up two wins. Lewis scored a pin in the fifth-place match against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M’s Dalton Burdick, the No. 10 ranked individual in the nation.
Sophomore Destin Jones (Miami, FL / Miami Palmetto) went 3-1 on the day in the 157lb weight class. In the three wins, Jones outscored his opponents 38-0 to earn two tech falls and a major decision.
Cameron Nesbitt (Champaign, IL/Centennial), ranked No. 7 in the 165lb weight class earned four victories on the day, including a 2-1 decision against Richard Mack of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, the No. 10 ranked wrestler in the nation.
Jacob Anderson (Anchorage, AK/South Anchorage) impressed the crowd in the 174lb weight class, winning each of his first four matches before dropping a narrow 12-7 decision to Dayton Fields, the top-ranked wrestler in the nation form Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Anderson earned a fall and a tech fall among his four victories on the day.
No. 1 nationally ranked Deron Pulliam (Columbus, OH/Dublin Scioto) of the 184lb weight class won both of his dual matches on the day and Noah Broderson (Davenport, IA/Assumption) of the heavyweight division won a pair of matches.
The Warriors return to Iowa Community College Athletic Confernece (ICCAC) dual action against No. 8 Iowa Western Community College. The two conference foes will square off at 7:00 PM Wednesday night at the Indian Hills Centerville Campus Multi-Purpose Building.
