Men's Wrestling Captures District Championship
Pratt, Kan. — The no. 4 ranked Fort Hays Tech Northwest men's wrestling team competed at the South Central District Championships on Saturday, with the team placing first overall, marking the first District Championship win for the program. The Tigers also qualified nine of the ten weights, with six finalists and four individual champions. Additionally, Jeisser Sampson Sánchez was voted the District Tournament MVP, Otgonbayar Batsuuri was voted KJCCC Wrestler of the Year, and Head Coach Chris Guillot was voted District Coach of the Year.
The top team scores were as follows: Fort Hays Tech NW in first with 165 points, Pratt Community College in second with 157.5 points, Northeast Oklahoma in third with 130.5 points, and Labette Community College in fourth with 130.5.
Individual Results:
Kaiden Ballinger (125 lbs) placed 6th with one match won by tech fall over Cloud County in the quarterfinals before getting pinned by #3 Zane Donley (Pratt CC) (4:10). Having already qualified, Ballinger opted for medical forfeits in his remaining two matches.
John Kenney (133 lbs) placed 4th, winning his first two matches by tech fall. In the semifinal, Kenney lost a hard-fought match to #8 Karim Allal (NEO) by decision (7-5). In the third-place match, Kenney would face #12 Rashaud Morgan (Pratt CC), losing by major decision (15-4).
#6 Xavier Castillo (141 lbs) placed 6th, facing #12 Toryion Stallings (NEO) losing a tough match in tiebreakers (5-1). Castillo would proceed to tech fall his opponent in the next match before majoring #11 ranked Kaiden Cue (Carl Albert State) (10-2). With a ticket to Nationals locked up, Castillo would also opt for medical forfeits in his remaining two matches.
Tucker Wark (149 lbs) placed 8th in the tournament. Having suffered a season-ending injury earlier in the week, Wark suited up and took an injury default in the first round to receive three team points before medically forfeiting out of the tournament.
#1 Job Lee (157 lbs) placed 1st in his weight class, with a pin and a tech fall in his first two matches. In the Semifinals, Lee's pace would slow as he faced off against #9 Jacen Jackson, winning in sudden victory (7-4). In the Championship Match, Lee won by decision over Johnny Thomas (Pratt CC) (4-2).
Dayton Bell (165 lbs) placed 2nd, facing his first real match against #8 Jackson Wilkins (NEO), winning by decision (7-6). In the championship, Bell faced #1 ranked Melton Powe, losing by tech fall (19-4, 6:03). It should also be noted that Powe is the #3 ranked pound-for-pound wrestler in the NJCAA.
#1 Otgonbayar Batsuuri (174 lbs) placed 1st, winning his first match by major decision before facing #7 ranked Deontre Buttram (Carl Albert State) in the semifinals, winning by decision (4-3). In the finals, Batsuuri won over #6 Trey Bennett (NEO) (9-2).
#1 Lazaro Crespo placed 1st, winning all his matches by tech fall, with Carl Albert State's wrestler taking a medical forfeit in the finals.
Victor Samuel Lamar Montoya (197 lbs) placed 2nd, opting to take a medical default in the finals. Montoya's first two matches were won by tech fall and major decision, with his semifinal win coming over #10 Kenden Young (NOC) by fall (3:34).
Jeisser Sampson Sánchez (285 lbs) placed 1st, with his first three matches with bonus points (two majors and a pin), with one of his major decisions coming over #9 ranked Gabe Kant (Labette) (11-3). In the finals, Sánchez faced off against #3 ranked James Bankston (Pratt CC) ultimately winning in sudden victory (4-1) with a bear hug throw. Sánchez's win would also seal the FHNW's District Title over Pratt Community College, earning him the title of Tournament MVP.
FHNW Wrestling will now turn its focus to the National Tournament, scheduled for March 7th and 8th in Council Bluffs, Iowa.