Before the semi’s
Trackwrestling article below.
NJCAA
Top-seeded Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and second-seeded Western Wyoming were perfect on the day, going 20-0 and advancing to the semifinals with a pair of shutouts. Three-time National Duals runner-up NEO opened up with a 57-0 over outmanned Itasca of Minnesota. The Golden Norseman would follow with a 46-0 win over Labette. Key match there saw All-American Boo Dryden, ranked third at 133, beat top-ranked 125-pounder Dillon Prutch of Labette. Prutch bumped up from his normal starting weight class. NEO heavyweight Antonio Andrade was 2-0 with a fall and a technical fall. Coach Joe Renfro’s squad will face fourth-seeded Nassau in the semifinals.
The Lions opened with a 42-15 win over Joliet Junior College before rallying to win the final three bouts to beat fifth-seeded Barton 20-17. Wins down the stretch by Adolfo Batista at 184, Greg Hodulick at 197 pounds and heavyweight Edwin Rubio completed the comeback. Rubio was 2-0 on the day with a fall and the match-winning decision.
Third-seeded Northwest Kansas Tech had a trio of Mongolians go 2-0 at three straight weights to push the Mustangs into the semifinals and assured the program of its highest finish in school history. After a 41-12 win over Jamestown (N.Y.), Northwest Tech won the first four matches by bonus points and never looked back, taking a 37-15 win over Harper College to earn the opportunity to face second-seeded Western Wyoming in Saturday’s semifinals in a matchup of Mustangs.
Of Western Wyoming’s 20 wins, these Mustangs tallied six falls, two technical falls and three major decisions. After opening with a 47-0 win over Cowley, Western Wyoming knocked off Southwestern Oregon 44-0 in the quarterfinals. Southwestern Oregon upset seventh-seeded Rochester (Minn.) 27-21 in the opening round. Western Wyoming 125-pounder Dalton Stutzman was the standout on the day, pinning both opponents.
NJCAA semifinals get underway at 9 a.m. and the championship finals set for noon.
