Council Bluffs, IA – For the second time in program history, the Indian Hills Men's Wrestling squad captured the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) North Central District Championship on Sunday. The Warriors scored 154.5 team points to outlast the field.
Ranked No. 2 in the nation heading into postseason competition, the Warriors took home six of the 10 individual District champions to secure the program's first District championship since its remarkable run during the program's inaugural season in 2021. Indian Hills outlasted second-place Iowa Central Community College, ranked No. 5 in the nation, who tallied 149.0 team points. Iowa Western Community College, North Iowa Area Community College, and Iowa Lakes Community College rounded out the top-five.
"Fun day with a lot of hard wrestling by the guys," stated head coach Cole Spree. "Not everything went to plan but the guys responded well when things did not go their way. Really proud of how this team takes care of each other and works together as a family."
For the first time in program history, the Warriors received 10 automatic qualifiers to the upcoming NJCAA National Championship after the Warriors placed an individual in the top-four of each of the 10 weight classes on Sunday. Along with the six individual District champions, the Warriors secured a pair of runner-up finishes and two third-place showings to round out the team scoring.
Indian Hills' six District champions are tied for third-most in the history of the NJCAA North Central District Championship.
Indian Hills entered the weekend with seven all-time District champions through the program's first four years of competition. The Warriors nearly surpassed that mark in just one year as the program established itself as one of the premiere junior college men's wrestling teams throughout the 2024-25 season. Indian Hills took home titles at 125lbs (Riley Bettich), 141lbs (Gavyn Whitehead), 149lbs (Shehabeldin Mohamed), 157lbs (Brice Coleman), 184lbs (Jaquan East), and 285lbs (Naasir Edmonds).
Following the tournament, head coach Cole Spree was tapped as the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Coach of the Year after leading the Warriors to new heights in the 2024-25 campaign. Along with the District title, Spree led the Warriors to their first undefeated dual season in program history.
Spree was joined by sophomore Riley Bettich (Stevensville, IN/Crown Point) with individual accolades as the 125lber was selected as the ICCAC Wrestler of the Year. Bettich, ranked No. 1 in the nation throughout the duration of the year at 133lbs, captured the 2025 NJCAA North Central District Championship at 125lbs on Sunday to earn an automatic bid to the upcoming national championship.
The Warriors will now send all 10 of its District place-winners to the NJCAA National Championship at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, IA on March 7-8. The Warriors will head to Council Bluffs with their sights set on the program's first-ever national championship.
125lbs | Riley Bettich (Stevensville, IN/Crown Point) | 1st Place
Bettich entered the tournament wrestling down to the 125lb bracket and earned the top overall seed. The 2023 NJCAA All-American cruised to the program's third all-time 125lb District title after going 2-0 on the day. The sophomore knocked off Dominic Chimeno of Iowa Lakes with a fall in 2:51 to advance to the finals. In the championship bout, Bettich upended No. 5 nationally ranked Jaydale Whitlock of Iowa Central with a pin in 2:59 to secure his first-ever District title.
133lbs | Deontae Forest (Godfrey, IL/Alton) | 2nd Place
Forest put together an impressive showing at 133lbs to earn an automatic bid to the national championship with a runner-up finish in the wrestle-back round. Forest went 2-1 on the day, including a 3-1 decision in the opening round.
141lbs | Gavyn Whitehead (New Castle, IN/New Castle) | 1st Place
Freshman Gavyn Whitehead's stellar rookie campaign continued with Indian Hills' first-ever 141lb District championship. Whitehead captured both matches on the day, securing a semifinal win with a fall in 2:46 before earning a 12-2 major decision over No. 10 nationally ranked Matthew Roche of Iowa Central.
149lbs | Shehabeldin Mohamed (Alexandria, Egypt/Smouha Military) | 1st Place
Mohamed made the most of his first-ever appearance at the District championship with the program's first-ever title at 149lbs. Mohamed earned an opening round sudden victory to advance to the semifinals where he captured a narrow 4-3 decision. In the title bout, Mohamed earned a 10-6 decision to punch his ticket to the national championship.
157lbs | Brice Coleman (Indianapolis, IN/Indiana Tech) | 1st Place
Coleman, who has soared in the national rankings throughout the year, earned the program's first-ever 157lb District championship by going undefeated on the day. Coleman earned a quarterfinal pin in 4:12 before taking a 4-1 decision in the semifinals. In the championship round, Coleman pinned No. 6 nationally ranked Chance Davis of Iowa Central in 2:59 to take the spot on the podium.
165lbs | Cinsere Clark (Des Moines, IA/Valley) | 3rd Place
Freshman Cinsere Clark went 2-2 on the day to place third overall for the Warriors. Clark's 31 victories are second-most in a single season in school history.
174lbs | Mohamed Tarek Abdelhady (Alexandria, Egypt/Sports Military School) | 3rd Place
Abdelhady earned a pair of wins on Sunday to place third overall for the Warriors in the 174lb bracket. Abdelhady's two wins came by way of back-to-back tech falls in the consolation bracket. The freshman outscored his opponents 53-23 on the day.
184lbs | Jaquan East (Kokomo, IN/Kokomo) | 1st Place
An All-American a year ago at 174lbs, East brought home the program's third all-time District title at 184lbs, joining former national runner-up Deron Pulliam who won titles in 2022 and 2023. East went 2-0 on the day for the Warriors with a 14-2 major decision in the semis before taking down No. 8 nationally ranked Sam Libby of Iowa Central in the championship contest. East moves to 24-2 overall on the year.
197lbs | Andrew Marquez (Rock Island, IL/Rock Island) | 2nd Place
Marquez secured a runner-up finish at 197lbs after going 2-1 on the day. Marquez secured a 21-5 tech fall in the semifinals before falling in the championship match. In the true second-place bout, Marquez earned a 2-0 decision over Macray Klohs of NIACC to earn an automatic bid to the national championship.
285lbs | Naasir Edmonds (Virginia Beach, VA/Landstown) | 1st Place
Edmonds took home Indian Hills' second 285lb District championship in the last three years after going 3-0 on Sunday. The freshman earned back-to-back falls through the first two rounds to advance to the finals. In the championship bout, Edmonds earned a narrow 2-1 decision over Umair Ahmad of Iowa Central to secure the Warriors' team championship.
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