By BRANDON SMITH
Barton Sports Info
Jarret Mader's (149-pounds) third place finish highlighted four placers and five national qualifying berths on Saturday as the Barton Community College wrestling team placed eighth overall at the NJCAA South Central District Championships held inside the Dennis Lesh Sports Arena in Pratt, Kansas
As a squad, the Cougars accumulated 40.5 points, 8.5 more than last season's ninth place finish in the stout field that featured six of the 11 teams ranked inside the nation's top 25.
Barton earned four of the automatic qualifiers for finishing inside the top seven of each weight classes respective bracket while benefitting by one of the wild card berths handed out.
The Cougars advanced five of their 10 wrestlers into the quarterfinal round with Mader and Skyler McMullen (141-pounds) the lone pair advancing into the semifinals and locking a national tournament berth before being bounced to the backside.
Mader's third place finish and McMullin's fifth placing was joined by seventh place finishes from Jamal Garrett (125-pounds) and Kayden Blake (157-pounds) while Nathan Agudzi-Addo (285-pounds) received a wild card berth after falling in the consolation second round.
The five pack will begin preparation for the NJCAA National Championships held March 6 and 7 at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Hit with tough draws Landon Koelling (133-pounds), Derek Truman (174-pounds), Edgar Duarte Quiroz (184-pounds) and Keyven Schroeder (197-pounds) fell to eventual runners-up in their respective weight classes while Alonso Frances-Aguilar (165-pounds) and Derek Truman (174-pounds) also finished 0-2 to conclude their seasons.
Team Results
1 – #4 Fort Hays Tech Northwest (165.0)
2 – #6 Pratt Community College (157.5)
3 – #14 Northeast Oklahoma (152.5)
4 – #9 Labette Community College (130.5)
5 – #21 Carl Albert State (118.5)
6 – #10 Cowley College (116.0)
7 – Colby Community College (73.0)
8 – Barton Community College (40.5)
9 – Neosho County Community College (39.0)
10 – Cloud County Community College (36.5)
11 – Northern Oklahoma College – Tonkakwa (35.0)