Pratt, Kan. - The No. six ranked Pratt Community College wrestling team has made their way to Council Bluffs, Iowa for the NJCAA Men's Wrestling Championships held at the Mid-America Center on Friday, Mar. 7 and Saturday, Mar. 8.
Last time out for the Beavers was the NJCAA South Central District Championships back on Saturday, Feb. 15 in the Dennis Lesh Sports Arena. The Beavers finished runner-up in the tournament. No. one ranked Melton Power won the South Central District championship at 165 pounds. Nine of the ten Beavers wrestlers qualified for the national championships taking place this coming weekend.
Preliminary matches get underway on Friday, Mar. 7 at 9:00 a.m. with quarterfinals, consolation fourth round, and consolation quarterfinals finishing the first day of competition. On championship Saturday, Mar. 2 starts at 9:30 a.m. with semi-finals and consolation semifinals. The championship matches will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday night. The tournament will be broadcasted live on NJCAA Network.
125-Pounds- #4 Zane Donley Preview
Freshman Zane Donley has received the eighth seed in the 125-pound bracket and will receive an opening round bye and will wrestle Nicholas Garza in the second round from Umpqua Community College. Garza is a sophomore from Beavertown, Oreg. In the quarterfinals Donley could face Jack Gurrero from Muskegon Community College, Edward Lauritsen from Lackawanna Community College, or No. eight ranked Luis Acevedo from North Iowa Area Community College.
133-Pounds- Rashaud Morgan Preview
Rashaud Morgan will get a bye in the opening round and will wrestle No. four ranked Zach Marrero from Western Wyoming Community College. Marrero was a redshirt on last season's national championship team. Morgan will wrestle either No. nine ranked Hoyt Hvass from North Idaho Community College, Luke Guseman from Iowa Lakes Community College, or Dante Gismondi from Camden County Community College in the quarterfinals.
141-Pounds- Jameal Agnew Preview
At 141 pounds Jamael Agnew will face Clint Gilbert from Andrew College in the opening round. Gilbert finished third in the Gulf-Atlantic District Championships. Agnew will wrestle No. four ranked and the third seed Cesar Avelar from Clackamas Community College in the second round. In the quarterfinals, Agnew will face the winner of McKenley Charlus from North Iowa Area Community College or the fourteenth seed Vincent Falsettie from Niagara Community College.
149-Pounds- Kolton Field Preview
Sophomore Kolton Field will start his second straight appearance in the opening round against Thaylor Sibblies of Sussex County Community College. Sibblies won his district championship in his weight class. Field will face Jacob Gillson from Muskegon Community College in the second round. In the quarterfinals, Field will face the winner of Shehabeldin Mohamed of Indian Hills Community College and Karsten Jensen from Southwest Oregon Community College.
157-Pounds- #7 Johnny Cash Thomas Preview
The No. seven ranked Johnny Cash Thomas will enter the championship as the seventh seed and will face Latravion Agu from Iowa Lakes Community College in the opening round. In the second round Thomas will wrestle No. eight ranked Ayson Rice of Southeast Nebraska Community College. Thomas will face the winner of Christian Ramos of Union Community College and Dayveon Rupert of Southwestern Michigan Community College in the quarterfinals.
165-Pounds- #1 Melton Powe Preview
The No. one ranked and the NJCAA South Central District champion Melton Powe will receive a bye in the opening round and will face Jose Alvarenga-Giron of Sussex County Community College and will then face off against the winner of Garry Johnson III of Muskegon Community College and James Morgan from Ridgewater Community College in the quarterfinals.
174-Pounds: Trystian Juarez Preview
Trystian Juarez will start the tournament in the second round against the winner of John Koroma from Lackawanna Community College and Riley Hess from Southwestern Michigan Community College. In the quarterfinals Juarez will face off against either No. four ranked Mohamed Tarek Abdelhady of Indian Hills Community College, or Leo Tukhlynovych from Rochester Community College.
197-Pounds: Raymond Gary-Hernandez Preview
Raymond Gary-Hernandez received an opening round bye and will wrestle the winner of Isaac Pearce from Itasca Community College and the No. eight ranked Macray Klohs from North Iowa Area Community College. In the quarterfinals, Gary-Hernandez will wrestle either Christian Preston from Andrew College or Austin Richens from Northwest Community College.
285-Pounds: #2 James Bankston Preview
Redshirt freshman James Bankston received the third seed for the championships and will wrestle Aj Wedge from Umpqua Community College. In the second round he will face Eli Marshall from Muskegon Community College. Marshall finished fifth at his district tournament this past month. In the quarterfinals, Bankston will wrestle either Phillip Malone from Iowa Lakes Community College, Haaken Jackobsen from Bismark State College, or Peyton Wentzel from Thaddeus Stevens Community College.