MASON CITY – The NIACC wrestling team is 12th in the final NJCAA rankings heading into Saturday’s district competition.
NIACC, which was 17th in the Jan. 9 set of rankings, competes in the NJCAA Central district meet with the four other Iowa schools on Sunday on the Ellsworth campus.
Iowa Central enters the district meet ranked No. 1. Ellsworth is ranked fourth, Iowa Lakes is fifth and Iowa Western is ninth.
NIACC’s Mario Pena (13-8) is ranked fourth at 285 pounds.
Also for the Trojans, Brennen Doebel (8-1) is ranked seventh at 125 pounds and Austin Anderly (10-4) is ranked sixth at 141 pounds.
NIACC to compete in NJCAA Central district tournament on Sunday
IOWA FALLS – The No. 12 NIACC wrestling team competes in the NJCAA Central district tournament on Sunday on the Ellsworth campus.
The tournament, which includes the five Iowa schools that wrestle, starts at 10 a.m.
This is the first season that the Iowa schools will make up their own district tournament. The Minnesota schools that have wrestling will compete in the NJCAA North district tournament in Thief River Falls, Minn.
Methods for qualification for the national tournament are determined by each district. Each district shall qualify no more than 70 percent of the total participants.
Each district is granted a maximum of nine wild cards.
Other teams competing in Sunday’s Central district tournament are No. 1 Iowa Central, No. 4 Ellsworth, No. 5 Iowa Lakes and No. 9 Iowa Western. A total of 26 ranked wrestlers will compete in the district tournament.
NIACC enters the district tournament with three ranked wrestlers – Brennen Doebel (7th at 125), Austin Anderly (6th at 141) and Mario Pena (4th at 285).
Doebel is 8-1 with four pins and one technical fall.
Ellsworth’s Justin Folley is ranked fifth at 125 pounds. Doebel and Folley did not wrestle each other this season.
At 141 pounds, Anderly is 10-4 with two pins, one technical fall and four major decisions.
Other ranked wrestlers at 141 pounds are Iowa Central’s De’Andre Reed (4th) and Ellsworth’s Tra Jones (7th). Anderly dropped a 3-1 decision to Reed earlier this season.
At 285 pounds, Pena is 13-8 with two falls and three major decisions.
Other ranked wrestlers in Pena’s bracket are Iowa Central’s top-ranked Thomas Petersen, Iowa Western’s Stephen Boone (3rd) and Ellsworth’s Gary Whitaker (7th).
Pena dropped a 12-5 decision to Petersen and a 3-1 decision to Boone. Pena topped Whitaker 3-2 in overtime.
RANKED WRESTLERS IN NJCAA CENTRAL DISTRICT
125 – 5. Justin Folley (Ellsworth); 7. Brennen Doebel (NIACC).
133 – 1. Zak Hensley (Iowa Central); 3. George Farmah (Iowa Lakes); 6. DeAndre Brumfield (Iowa Western); 7. Blake Walker (Ellsworth).
141 – 4. De’Andre Reed (Iowa Central); 6. Austin Anderly (NIACC); 7. Tra Jones (Ellsworth).
149 – 2. Brandon Murray (Iowa Central); 4. Anthony Maia (Iowa Lakes).
157 – 1. Dayton Racer (Iowa Central); 8. Steven Lawrence (Ellsworth).
165 – no ranked wrestlers.
174 – 3. Jordan Gundrum (Ellsworth); 4. Preston Lauterbach (Iowa Western); 5. Antrez Clagan (Iowa Central).
184 – 1. Danny Bush (Iowa Central); 4. Anthony Collins (Ellsworth); 5. Isaiah Cox (Iowa Lakes).
197 – 2. Christian Dulaney (Iowa Lakes); 4. Tim Young (Ellsworth); 8. Kendrick Jones (Iowa Central).
285 – 1. Thomas Petersen (Iowa Central); 3. Stephen Boone (Iowa Western); 4. Mario Pena (NIACC); 7. Gary Whitaker (Ellsworth).
