Fort Hays State wrestlers Sam Thoman, Benny Armstrong and Adam Ludwin finished first, second and third, respectively, at the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open on Saturday (Jan. 14).
Thoman, a junior from Andale, Kan., went 3-0 to take the 165-pound individual championship. Thoman started his run with an 18-3 tech fall over Chad Stich of Colorado Mines then defeated John Combs in a 10-8 decision to advantage to the championship. In the finals, Thoman pinned Jace Jensen at 2:28 to take the championship.
Armstrong, a redshirt freshman from Andale, Kan., placed second in the 174-pound class, going 3-1 in the tournament. Armstrong pinned Mitch Wyatt at 5:20 to win his first match then defeated Michael Poulos of the University of Wyoming in a 12-6 decision to advantage to the semifinals. In his second pin of the tournament, Armstrong defeated Willie Bake of Air Force Prep at 6:15 to make it to the championship bout. There, Armstrong dropped a 8-4 decision to Shane Woods of the University of Wyoming to finish second.
Ludwin, a freshman from Yuma, Ariz., also went 3-1 in the tournament, placing third in the 125-pound class. Ludwin won an 8-1 decision over Christophe Chavez to start his day, however, Ludwin dropped a 9-3 decision in his second match to put him in the loser bracket. Ludwin won his next two matches to place third. First, Ludwin defeated Cory Carter of Colorado Mines by tech fall (15-0), then won a 6-5 decision over Alex Baca in the third place match.
The Tigers are 3-1 on the season and 2-1 in the RMAC with their next dual action at Adams State on Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. in Alamosa, Colo.
