Centerville, IA – Three pins on Wednesday night carried the No. 5 Indian Hills Men's Wrestling team to a 28-17 Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) dual victory against Ellsworth Community College. The Warriors improve to 2-0 overall and in conference action on the year with the win.
The Warriors used falls from three of its returning wrestlers in Caleb Meekins (Livonia, MI/John Glenn), Deron Pulliam (Columbus, OH/Dublin Scioto), and Caleb Collins (East Peoria, IL/East Peoria). Indian Hills also received team points from Destin Jones (Miami, FL/Miami Palmetto), Cameron Nesbitt (Champaign, IL/Centennial), and Khris Walton (Merrillville, IN/Merrillville).
After a forfeit to open the night in the 125lb weight class, Meekins, the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation in the 133lb weight class took the mat. One week removed from a 42-second pin, Meekins dropped his opponent for the fall 1:43 into the opening round to tie the match at 6-6.
The Warriors then suffered back-to-back losses by way of decision to fall behind 12-6, but a strong showing from Jones at 157 helped keep Indian Hills within striking distance. After a tough loss last week, Jones forced overtime tied at 7-7 and tallied a pair of points in the extra frame to secure his first dual victory of the season.
Nesbitt put together an impressive performance at 165 to score a major decision. Nesbitt built a 2-0 lead through the first period, but jumped out to a 9-2 lead after two. A take down in the third secured a 12-3 victory, Nesbitt's second dual win of the year.
Ellsworth recorded a technical fall at 174 to regain a 17-13 lead before Pulliam took the floor. The top-ranked wrestler in the 184lb weight class, Pulliam maneuvered his way around the mat before scoring his first fall of the year 2:27 into the match to give Indian Hills a 19-17 edge.
Walton, ranked No. 6 in the national rankings, jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead at 197 and slowly built a comfortable lead. Walton led 5-1 after two rounds and finished off his opponent 8-3 for his second decision of the season.
With a 22-17 lead entering the heavyweight battle, the Warriors still needed a solid showing from Collins. The COVID-freshman stepped up for the Warriors and secured a pin at the 1:23 mark, his first dual fall of the year. The pin gave the Warriors its third consecutive victory over the Panthers.
Next up for Indian Hills is the Lindenwood Open on Saturday, Nov. 20 in St. Charles, MO.
WARRIORS PIN PANTHERS - No. 5-rated @IHCCWrestling took a 28-17 ICCAC dual victory over No. 20-ranked @Ecc_Wrestle_IA tonight at Centerville's Multi-purpose Building to improve to 2-0 on the season. Next up: The Lindenwood Open Saturday at St. Charles, MO. #WarriorNation pic.twitter.com/32zZL220yB
— IHCC Athletics (@IHCCAthletics) November 18, 2021
