Marshall, MO – Led by a pair of first-place finishes, the No. 2 nationally ranked Indian Hills Men's Wrestling squad secured 11 place-winners at the Missouri Valley Open on Saturday afternoon.
The Warriors were led by dominant performances from freshmen Cinsere Clark (Des Moines, IA/Valley) at 165lbs and Naasir Edmonds (Virginia Beach, VA/Landstown) who took top honors in their respective bracket. Indian Hills saw eight individuals take home top-three finishes on the day.
Clark, ranked No. 10 in the latest The Open Mat national rankings at 165lbs, cruised through the 165lb bracket with four victories. Clark earned a 13-0 major to open the day before back-to-back decisions. Clark closed out the day with an impressive 15-4 major over Kolten Oborny of the University of Missouri to take the top spot on the podium. Clark outscored his opponents 43-9 on the day.
Edmonds, ranked No. 6 in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) rankings, went 5-0 on the day to earn the top spot in the 285lb bracket. Edmonds recorded back-to-back second round falls to open the day before a 15-0 tech fall to advance to the semifinals. Edmonds secured a 7-1 decision to move on to the finals where the freshman earned a 10-2 major decision to finish the day undefeated.
Sophomore Brice Coleman (Indianapolis, IN/Indiana Tech) earned a runner-up finish in the 157lb bracket for the Warriors. Ranked No. 3 in the latest The Open Mat ratings, Coleman went 4-0 to open the day, including a fall, a tech fall, and two major decisions to advance to the championship bout. Coleman battled his way through three rounds with PJ Murphy of Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, but fall in overtime, 9-6.
Freshman Andrew Marquez (Rock Island, IL/Rock Island), the No. 9 ranked pound-for-pound wrestler in the nation, earned a second-place finish in the 197lb bracket for the Warriors. Marquez cruised through the first three rounds with a major and two tech falls, outscoring his opponents 64-19 before falling in the championship bout in overtime to Omari Smith of Oklahoma City University.
Sophomore All-American Jaquan East (Kokomo, IN/Kokomo) placed third overall in the 184lb bracket. East fell in the quarterfinal round before bouncing back to win his final four matches of the day. East used a dominant 16-1 tech fall in the third-place match to earn a spot on the podium
Freshman Gavyn Whitehead (New Castle, IN/New Castle) earned a third-place showing in the 141lb bracket, going 5-1 on the day. After falling in the quarterfinal matchup, Whitehead battled back with three consecutive victories to close out the day. Whitehead earned three pins on Saturday, including a fall in 1:05 in the championship bout against Gavin Moore of Central Missouri University.
Freshman Mohamed Tarek Abdelhady (Alexandria, Egypt/Sports Military School) placed third overall in the 174lb bracket for the Warriors. Ranked No. 4 in the nation, Abdelhady picked up five wins on the day after wrestling back through the consolation bracket. Abdelhady closed out the day with four consecutive wins, including a pair of narrow decisions in the final two matches.
Freshman Deontae Forest (Godfrey, IL/Alton) placed third overall in the 133lb bracket with five wins at the open. Forrest earned a fall, three decisions, and a major on his way to the third-place showing.
Indian Hills also saw place-winners from freshman Shehabeldin Mohamed (Alexandria, Egypt/Smouha Military) with a fourth-place finish at 149lbs, a fifth-place showing at 285lbs from freshman Justin Brown (Borden, IN/Floyd Central), and a sixth-place finish from freshman Nytravious Walker (Lakeland, FL/Lake Gibson) at 133lbs.
Saturday's tournament proved to be the final regular season tuneup for the Warriors before postseason action opens up February 15 with the NJCAA North Central District Championship in Council Bluffs, IA.
HOW TO WATCH
As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of Indian Hills Men's & Women's Wrestling home and postseason matches. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:
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