The Barton Community College wrestling team qualified five individuals for the NJCAA Wrestling Championships Saturday at the NJCAA South Central District Championships held inside the Dennis Lesh Sports Arena in Pratt, Kansas. The Cougars produced six top-eight finishers on the day while finishing ninth in the 12-team field with 61.5 points.
Four Barton wrestlers secured automatic bids led by S'Ron Hill (184 pounds), who finished runner-up to headline Barton's four automatic qualifiers. Brennen Pfannenstiel (149) added a sixth-place finish, while Shane Todd (133) and Derek Truman (174) each secured seventh-place finishes to earn automatic bids. Joining the group at nationals will be Julian Orrantia (125), who received one of the district's nine wildcard selections.
With the performances, Barton will send the five representatives to the NJCAA Wrestling Championships scheduled for March 6-7 at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
S'Ron Hill (184) led the Cougars with a runner-up finish, posting a 3-1 record on the day. Hill opened the tournament with a 13-2 major decision over Braxton Robertson (Carl Albert), marking his seventh major decision of the season and setting a new program record for most in a single season after previously sitting in a four-way tie. He followed with a 1:11 fall against Tyler Medelros (Murray State) and a 7-4 decision over Drew Withington (Pratt0 to advance to the title bout. In the finals, Hill dropped a tightly contested 1-0 decision to David Sample of Cowley.
Brennen Pfannenstiel (149) secured his automatic bid with a sixth-place finish, concluding 2-3 in a loaded bracket. Pfannenstiel started with an 18-2 tech fall over Darrioius Perkins (Fort Hays Tech Northwest) and added a 6:19 fall against Noah Bailey (Cloud County). After falling to No. 4-ranked Zach Dawson (NEO) and Kaiden Cue (Carl Albert), Pfannenstiel wrapped up his day dropping the fifth place match by a 18-11 decision to Kade Carter (Murray State).
Shane Todd (133) battled to a seventh-place finish, compiling a 3-2 mark. Todd recorded three falls on the day, defeating Roberto Burkettsantos (Neosho County), Gavin Wehr (Murray State), and Trace Brisendine (Fort Hays Tech Northwest), the latter securing his automatic berth in the seventh-place bout. His only setbacks came against No. 5-ranked Logan Crawford (NEO) and Luke Potter (Cloud County).
Derek Truman (174) also punched his ticket with a seventh-place finish, going 2-2. After an opening-round loss, Truman responded with a 1:21 fall over Ian Mitchell (NOC) before ultimately securing his nationals bid with a 1:18 flattening against Robert Cazares (Colby) in the seventh-place match.
Julian Orrantia (125) will join the group at nationals after receiving on e of the district's wildcard selections. Orrantia finished 0-2 at the district championships, competing against Jackson martin (Labette) and Dakota Fenwick (Carl Albert).
Also earning placings in their respective brackets were Gabe Swoyer (157) and Joshua "AJ" Almanza (165), each finishing eighth. Swoyer posted a 2-3 record on the day, while Almanza, competing four weight classes above his natural spot, concluded his tournament 0-3.