Men's Wrestling

WARRIORS EARN 4 ALL-AMERICANS, PLACE 9TH

WARRIORS EARN 4 ALL-AMERICANS, PLACE 9TH Play Video
Posted: Mar 06, 2023

Council Bluffs, IA – The Indian Hills Men's Wrestling squad took home four National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American honors on Saturday at the 2023 NJCAA National Championship at the Mid-America Center as the Warriors placed ninth overall as a team.

Kawaun Deboe (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) became just the second national runner-up in program history for the Warriors as the sophomore reached the national title bout in the 285lb bracket. Sophomore Matthew Lewis (Centerville, IA/Centerville) placed third overall in the 141lb bracket while Weston Milnes Bowers (Chandler, AZ/Valiant College Prep) and Riley Bettich (Stevensville, IN/Crown Point) placed seventh overall in the 157lb and 125lb brackets, respectively.

In just its third year of existence, the Warriors secured at least four All-Americans for the third consecutive year. As a team, the Warriors scored 79 team points to finish as the third-highest team from the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC). Iowa Western Community College placed third overall followed by Iowa Central Community College in 7th.

Western Wyoming Community College took home the team title with 134 points followed by Pratt Community College (KS) with 112.5 points.

285lbs

Deboe put together one of the most dominant individual performances in the heavyweight bracket to reach the finals. The sophomore, who placed seventh overall to earn All-American honors last year, entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and scored three consecutive pins on the opening day to advance to day two.

In the semifinal round, Deboe scored a 4-2 decision over No. 2 seed Shane Whitney of Camden County Community College (NJ) to advance to the finals. In the championship round, Deboe matched up with No. 5 seed Kale Schrader of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. Deboe suffered a last-second fall in the first round to earn the runner-up finish.

Deboe becomes just the fourth two-time NJCAA All-American in program history and remains the lone heavyweight All-American for the Warriors.

141lbs

Sophomore Matthew Lewis, in his second national championship appearance after earning a bid as a freshman, scored two opening round upsets before suffering a thrilling 4-2 decision loss to top-seeded and eventual 141lb national champion Brant Porter of North Idaho College.

Lewis battled through the consolation bracket on day two, knocking off three ranked opponents to reach the third-place title bout. In the final match, Lewis defeated No. 3 seed Joseph Mecham of Western Wyoming to become the first-ever 141lb All-American in school history.

125lbs

Riley Bettich picked up a first round win before falling in the round of 16 to fall to the consolation bracket. Bettich secured a fall in 6:15 before earning an 18-3 tech fall and a 5-2 decision over No. 9 Lane Cowell of Iowa Central to reach the final four of the consolation bracket.

Bettich eventually fell to No. 5 Cruz Aguilar of North Iowa Area Community College, the eventual third-place finisher in the tournament.

157lbs

Weston Milnes-Bowers became the Warriors' second-ever 157lb All-American after placing seventh in his first-ever NJCAA National Championship appearance.

Milnes-Bowers nearly knocked off No. 1 seed and eventual national champion Fabian Padilla in the second round, but fell with a 3-1 decision. In the consolation bracket, Milnes-Bowers put together a dominant showing with a 15-3 major, a 15-0 tech fall, and a pin over the No. 6 ranked wrestler to advance to the final four.

Milnes-Bowers bowed out in the final four of the consolation bracket, but secured a spot on the podium to score for the Warriors.