WARRENSBURG, Mo. - Blake Fisher and Mitch Arnold became Newman's first ever NCAA National Championship qualifiers in any sport, and will represent the Jets at the NCAA Div. II Wrestling Championships March 12 in Omaha, Neb. Each finished in the top four at the NCAA Super Regional II Championship, which concluded Sunday at the Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg, Mo.
Fisher qualified for the national championship by earning a 58-second pin of Findlay's Jan Ulinski to take third-place in the 133 lb. weight class. The junior posted a 3-1 record in Sunday's tournament, losing his first match before breezing through the consolation bracket.
Arnold, meanwhile, claimed fourth in the 149 lb. bracket to punch his ticket to Omaha. Seeded fourth in his bracket, Arnold opened his tournament with a 3-1 decision over Findlay's Jeremy Espinoza, but fell to top-seeded Craig Becker from Wisconsin-Parkside, before earning a spot in the third-place match with a 3-2 decision over Central Oklahoma's Austin Standage, who was seeded third in the tournament.
Fisher and Arnold will have 12 days to prepare for their first ever visit to the NCAA Div. II National Wrestling Championship, which begins March 12 at Sapp Fieldhouse in Omaha, Neb.
