At a glance
Alfred State College wrestling coach George Porter and five Pioneer wrestlers will head to Spokane, WA to compete at the 2011 NJCAA National Championships this weekend. Wrestling begins on Friday and runs until Saturday evening when the champions are crowned.
Alfred State College wrestling coach George Porter and five Pioneer wrestlers will head to Spokane, WA to compete at the 2011 NJCAA National Championships this weekend. Wrestling begins on Friday and runs until Saturday evening when the champions are crowned.
Joining Porter on the trip is 125 lb. Kyle Conrad (Bath), 133 lb. Cody Dill (Unatego), 141 lb. James Barlow (Wayland Cohocton), 149 lb. Tyler Peet (Unadilla Valley), and 197 lb. TJ Nelson (Somers).
Conrad recently returned from an injury and was able to capture 3rd place at the district tournament to qualify for nationals. He is 5-4 on the year and will take on #11 ranked Jesse Barber from Pratt (KS) CC in the first round of the tournament.
Dill returns to the national championships after claiming a spot with a 2nd place finish at the districts. He is currently ranked #9 in his weight class with a 15-7 overall record (six pins). He will take on Wismit Moinius from North Iowa Area CC in his first match.
Barlow put together an impressive showing at the districts to claim a spot in the nationals. Barlow went 2-1 to earn 3rd place and will take on Kirk Sallis from North Iowa Area CC in the first round.
Peet, the #8 ranked wrestler at 149, has had a monster year for the Pioneeers. He is 24-9 on the year with 16 pins. He was 2-1 with two pins at the districts to earn 2nd place. He will take on Mariano Portillo from Ridgewater (MN) CC in the first round.
Nelson returns to the national championships for the second year in a row after claiming 2nd place at the districts. He is 14-12 on the season and ranked #12 in his weight class. He takes on Brett Fredericksen from Clackamus (OR) CC in the first round.
The Pioneers fly out to Washington on Wednesday and hit the practice mats at the Spokane Convention Center on Thursday. On Friday, first round action begins at 12:30 p.m. (EST). Action continues all day Friday and continues Saturday until the All-American round at 9:45 p.m. (EST) that evening.
Follow the action of the Wrestling National Championships at: http://www.nic.edu/athletics/wrestlingnationals/