FHSU Sports Information
Five wrestlers from No. 15 Fort Hays State earned a berth to the NCAA National Championships, as the team finished fourth at the NCAA Central Super Regional on Saturday, March 1. The tournament, held in Edmond, Okla., was a two-day event that sent the top five place-winners of each weight class to nationals.
FHSU’s C.J. Napier (141) and Jon Inman (184) claimed the regional championships in their respective weight classes, while Josh Rodriguez took second at 174 pounds. On the consolation side of the bracket, Tanner Kriss (197) grabbed fourth place and Mitchell Means (157) was fifth. Just missing a trip to Nationals was Adam Ludwin (125) and Trey Page (285). Both wrestlers finished sixth in their respective classes.
In team scoring, FHSU held tough to the second position for much of the tournament, but eventually finished fourth with 89.0 points. Ahead of the Tigers was champion Nebraska-Kearney (106.5 points), Lindenwood (99.5 points) and St. Cloud State (99.0 points). Ouachita Baptist (85.0 points) was fifth.
Napier, ranked fourth nationally at 141 pounds, finished 2-0 on the second day of action, picking up the first of two regional titles for the Tigers. Napier defeated Matt Nelson of St. Cloud State, 5-2 to reach the finals, and then knocked off Kyle Webb (Lindenwood) by decision, 5-2, to grab the championship. Napier is a two-time national qualifier in a Tiger uniform.
Inman, a freshman, earned his first trip to nationals after going 2-0 on Day 2 of competition. Inman won by decision, 7-2, over Sean Derry (Augustana) in the semifinals to reach the title bout. Inman claimed the Tigers second regional championship of the day with a 7-3 decision over Mark Fiala of Nebraska-Kearney.
Rodriguez clinched a berth to the NCAA Championships with a second-place finish at 174 pounds, going 1-1 in the final day of the tournament. In the semifinals, Rodriguez took a 7-1 decision over Connor Monk (Minnesota State-Moorhead) before falling to UNK’s Patrick Martinez, 4-2.
Kriss, ranked seventh nationally at 197 pounds, finished fourth to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Kriss started his day with a narrow 4-3 loss to eventual champion Romero Cotton of Nebraska-Kearney before knocking off Kenny Breaux (Lindenwood) in the consolation semifinals by a 5-0 decision. In the third-place match, Kriss dropped a 3-2 decision to Jayd Docken of Augustana
The Tigers’ final qualifier, Means, finished the tournament at 4-2 overall in fifth place. In the third round of consolation matches, Means defeated Chase White of UNK, 4-0, before falling Bobby Williams (Ouachita Baptist) by pin in 1:37. With a trip to nationals on the line, Means defeated Bradyn Neises of Augustana by major decision, 10-2.
The NCAA Championships will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 13-14.