Iowa Falls, IA – No. 12 Indian Hills Men's Wrestling took home third place at the 2023 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) North Central District Championship on Sunday afternoon. The Warriors earned 112.5 team points to earn its second-highest finish at the district tournament.
Along with the third-place team finish, the Warriors qualified all 10 individual competitors to the upcoming NJCAA National Tournament. Indian Hills earned one district champion in heavyweight Kawaun Deboe (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) and a pair of district runner-up individuals in Nevertesonne Lahens (Immokalee, FL/Immokalee) and Manuel Limon (Rock Island, IL/Rock Island).
READ MORE: DEBOE WINS HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
In addition, Indian Hills earned national tournament bids from Riley Bettich (Stevensville, MI/Crown Point), Matthew Lewis (Centerville, IA/Centerville), Weston Milnes-Bowers (Chandler, AZ/Valiant College Prep), Peyton Asbury (Brownsburg, PA/Brownsburg), Lucas Henderson (Centerville, IA/Centerville), Cade Linn (Elysburg, PA/Southern Columbia Area), and Tobias Bell (Chicago, IL/Curie).
The third-place finish is the second-best finish for the Warriors in the program's three years of existence. Indian Hills won the 2021 district title and placed fourth overall in the 2022 tournament. Iowa Western Community College won the 2023 district title with 138 team points followed by Iowa Central Community College's 123.5 team points.
Limon, ranked No. 10 in the latest 133lb national rankings, entered the district tournament on an impressive stretch of victories to earn the No. 2 overall seed and a first round bye. Limon built a 3-2 lead in his opening match before an injury gave Limon the win. In the championship bout, Limon suffered a 7-2 decision loss. In the true second place wrestleback, Limon scored a 7-4 victory to take home second place and earn an automatic bid to the national tournament.
Lahens' late season push secured the No. 3 overall seed and a first round bye in the 149lb bracket. The sophomore earned a 6-4 sudden victory with an overtime takedown to advance to the title bout. Lahens eventually dropped the championship match to No. 3 nationally ranked Matt Sarbo of Iowa Central before dominating the second place wrestleback with an 18-1 tech fall.
Bettich, who entered the tournament ranked No. 3 in the nation, earned the No. 2 overall seed and a first round bye. Bettich earned a semifinal pin in 1:42 to earn a rematch with No. 1 nationally ranked Jakason Burks of Iowa Western. Bettich secured four escape points along the way, but Burks outlasted Bettich for a 6-4 victory. Bettich dropped his true second place wrestleback with a 9-5 defeat.
Lewis, a returning national qualifier, dropped his opening round match but wrestled through the consolation bracket to place third overall and earn a second consecutive trip to the national tournament.
Milnes-Bowers opened the tournament in dominant fashion, scoring a pin in 1:25 in the opening round. A sudden victory loss sent Milnes-Bowers to the consolation bracket but wrestled through to secure a third-place finish and a spot at the national tournament.
Asbury earned a first round pin in 2:30 to make a statement from the opening bout in the 165lb bracket. Asbury dropped his second round match to the eventual district champion Khayitov Mirzo of Ellsworth. Asbury earned a 4-2 decision in the consolation semis before falling in the third-place match.
In the 174lb bracket, Henderson earned a thrilling 5-3 sudden victory in the opening round. The sophomore dropped a narrow 8-5 decision in the semifinal round, but bounced back with a pin in 2:14 in the consolation bracket to place fourth overall.
Lucas Henderson with the OT win ��@IHCCWrestling rollin' early on with three straight wins to open up the @NJCAAWrestling North Central District!
— GoHillsTV (@GoHillsTv) February 12, 2023
��️https://t.co/sD7DQ9hFPC pic.twitter.com/gKgzvEuwi8
Linn suffered an injury in the opening round to bow out of the tournament, but the sophomore's status as the No. 7 ranked individual in the nation earned a wild card berth to the national tournament.
In the 197lb weight class, Bell dropped back-to-back matches in a competitive bracket that featured two nationally ranked individuals. Bell's strong showing earned a wild card bid for the Warriors.
Along with Deboe's district title, the sixth in program history, the Warriors secured 10 individual national qualifiers for the third consecutive season.
The 2023 NJCAA National Tournament is set for March 3-4 from the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, IA.