Seeking three-peats at NJCAA Championships are Western Wyoming (men), Indian Hills (women)

The NJCAA National Wrestling Championships takes place in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on March 7^th and 8^th, 2025, in the Mid-America Center.  Included are the Men’s National Championships and the Women’s National Invitational.

Men’s National Championships Preview

Western Wyoming, under the direction of coach Art Castillo guided the Mustangs to the school’s first NJCAA title in any sport for the college back in 2023, and then repeated the feat in 2024 for back-to-back titles.  Now the Mustangs are poised to three-peat when the

Last season, the 2023-24 Mustangs won their second straight NJCAA National Championship with 161 points, which is the fifth highest point total in   championship history. They also won their 7th straight Region 9/Plains District Championship.  The Mustangs placed seven All-Americans including three National Finalists, including national champion Cody Phelps at 133 pounds. Phelps was named the NJCAA Most Outstanding wrestler, 

The Mustangs graduated an astounding six two-time All-Americans from last year’s squad. The Mustangs return two starters from last year in Council Bluffs. Dmarian Lopez, who finished third at 285 lbs. and Tristan Stafford, who was a Region 9 Champ and a National Qualifier at 149 pounds. 

The 2024-25 recruiting class has many new faces and has wealth of talent.  A new stables of Mustangs include 25 state titles and five Fargo placings and they are a highly decorated class.  A few of the newcomers for the Mustangs are 4x Colorado State Champ and Colorado wrestler of the year, D’Mitri Alarcon. Green River Wyoming’s first ever 4x State Champ, Kale Knezovich. 2X Wyoming Champ Jake Hammer. 2X Colorado Champ Jake Glade. 2X UT State Champ Luke Schroeder. 2X Iowa State Champion, Blake Allen, 2x Idaho Champ Ryker Gibson, CO Champ Banks Norby, UT Champ and Fargo AA Banks Love, and two transfers, Kort Wilkinson from UVU and Kolton Malone from Iowa Western. 

When asked about the Mustangs strong season and the possibility of Western Wyoming going for a three-peat, Coach Castillo stated, “We don’t talk about it. We talk about getting  better every day. I am pleased with where the guys are at right now. We have a set of very clear and high expectations for them and they are working hard to meet and exceed them daily.”  To prove Castillo’s point, the 32-man team finished the Fall 2024 semester with a 3.16 grade point average.

Western Wyoming’s 9 ranked wrestlers are lead my top ranked and returning AA Dmarian Lopez at 285.  A trio of Mustangs are ranked second in 141-pounder Dmitri Alarcon, Banks Norby(165), and Banks Love at 184.   Zach Marrero is the next highest ranked wrestler coming in at 3^rd (133), and a pair of WWCC wrestlers are ranked 4^th in 125-pound Sefton Douglass and Tommy Dalton (149).  Rounding out the ranked Mustangs are 157-pound Hixon Canto(6^th) and eighth ranked Sam May (174).  The Mustangs dominated their 2025 regional tournament, finishing with a commanding 124.0 team points, well ahead of second-place Southeast Community College’s 83.0 points. Western Wyoming had nine finalists with seven champions, two runners-up and one wrestler placing third, giving the Mustangs ten national qualifiers.

The latest NJCAA Coaches poll has the Mustangs ranked at No. 1, a spot that they have held since the pre-season.   Off the strength of nine ranked Mustangs and fresh off a NJCAA Coaches National Dual Title, Western Wyoming is looking to go wire-to-wire as the top team in the NJCAA wrestling realm in a quest claim their third straight title. 

In the February 14 poll, Western Wyoming is the top ranked team with 90 points, followed by Indian Hills with 74 points and Clackamas in third with 63 points. Rounding out the top 10 are No. 4 Fort Hays Tech Northwest, No. 5 Iowa Central, No. 6 Pratt, No. 7 North Idaho, No. 8 Southeast CC, No. 9 Labette and No. 10 Cowley.

A newer team that keeps building each year and looking for their first national title are the No. 2 ranked Warriors of Indian Hills (IA), led by coach Coel Spree.  IHCC’s high ranking comes from eight ranked Warriors and are led by a pair of top ranked wrestlers in Riley Bettich (133) and  Andrew Marquez (197).  Ranked fourth for IHCC is Gavyn Whitehead (141) and Mohamed Tarek Abdelhady (174), and the firth ranked wrestlers are Brice Coleman (157) and Jaquan East (184).  Another pair of Warriors are ranked seventh in Isaac Gibbs (125) and 149-pounder Yaveion Freeman, while 285-pounder Yaveion Freeman is ranked sixth.  

Clackamas (OR) coached by Brett Sanchez are ranked third and are led by top ranked and returning NJCAA champion Ane'e Vigil at 125 pounds. Clackamas has a pair of No. 3 ranked wrestlers in Cesar Avelar (141) and Josh Hannan (149), Cade McClister is fifth at 133, 157-pound Henry Dillingham is eighth, Nakoa Fouret is fourth at 165, and 174-pounder Kyle Robbins is seventh. 

Coach Chris Guillot has his Tigers of Fort Hays Tech Northwest (KS) moving up into the top four in the NJCAA’s off the strength of three top ranked wrestlers that includes a defending national champ and OW in Otgonbayar Batsuuri at 174.  The other top seded Tigers is 184-pounder Lazaro Crespo. Fort Hays Tech Northwest competed at the South Central District Championships, with the team placing first overall, marking the first District Championship win for the program. The Tigers qualified nine of the 10 weights, with six finalists and four individual champions. Additionally, Jeisser Sampson Sánchez was voted the District Tournament MVP, Otgonbayar Batsuuri was voted KJCCC Wrestler of the Year, and Head Coach Chris Guillot was voted District Coach of the Year.

Last years national runner-up, Iowa Central, led by veteran coach Luke Moffitt, are ranked fifth. The Tritons are led by top ranked 157-pound Chance Davis.  Additional ranked ICCC grapplers include 2^nd ranked Iowa Central Jaydale Whitlock (125), 4^th ranked 133-pounder Drew Cooper, Zavian Geronimo is 8^th at 141, Kaden King (165) is 6^th, 184 pound Sam Libby is 8^th, and Coen Grimm is 3^rd at 197. Melton Powe  top ranked at 165 has Pratt (KS) in sixth.

Coach Derrick Booth has the Cardinals of North Idaho in the seventh spot with seven ranked wrestlers led by No. 3 ranked Elijah Cater at 125.  Other NIC ranked wrestlers include Hoyt Hvass (6^th at 133), Sam Silveria (5^th at 149), Gabe Lake (9^th at 165), Conan Northwind (5^th at 174),  Noah Poe-Hatten is (7^th at 184) and Chandler Loveless (4^th at 197). 

Triton (Ill) comes in at No. 7 with three ranked wrestlers in 2^nd ranked Ghee Rachal at 197, and a pair of 3^rd ranked Trojans in 174-pound Mustafa Salimi, and Rayn Boersma at 285. 

Women’s National Invitational preview

Indian Hills CC, located in Ottumwa, Iowa, is a two-time NJCAA Women’s Invitational Champion and looks to repeat when the tournament takes place in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on March 6th and 7th.

For the past four years, the IHCC Warrior have been led by coach Cole Spree, who coached both the women’s and men’s programs and has decided to revert back to being just the men’s coach. IHCC hired previous Warrior coach Darren Wynn to lead the Warrior women.  Wynn’s goal is the same as in the past for the Warrior women, to win a national title. 

However, despite IHCC being the top ranked team in the Women’s NJCAA, Iowa Central, led by head coach Zak Hensley, have made a legitimate claim to being the favorite to win the NJCAA Women’s title, a first for the Tritons. 

The Iowa Central women’s wrestling team gave itself some more momentum heading into the NJCAA National Women’s Invitational by winning the North Central District Championships that included top ranked and two-time defending NJCAA Invitational Champion Indian Hills.   At the district, the seventh ranked Triton Women had four individual champions and won the district title, No. 6 Iowa Western was a close second with 157 points, followed by top-ranked Indian Hills, Hawkeye, Iowa Lakes, No. 10 NIACC and Ellsworth. 

Also, despite finishing third in the ICCAC dual standings, Iowa Central captured the national duals title earlier this year in Oklahoma along with the regional title with the top team in the nation. At the Women’s NJCAA National Duals this past January, the Tritons finished off a perfect day with a 32-20 victory over rival and No. 7 Iowa Western in the finals, capturing the championship and making a claim as a top contender for the NJCAA Women’s title.

“It was a great day,” ICCC head coach Zak Hensley said. “I couldn’t be more proud of our team. Every single athlete on our roster made this possible. They have been working hard since September and (at the National Duals) they got to show it.  I’m really proud of the way we competed, fighting for every point and looking to score and finishing the match with bonus points. We had great performances from everyone who stepped on the mat.”

Iowa Central enters the national tournament with 11 seeded wrestlers that include Myah Rausch  (5^th at 103),  Aneth Campos (3rd at 110), Annabelle Petsinger  (2^nd at 124) and Aniyah Dinwiddie (3^rd at 124). Avery Mohr (131) is third, and ICCC top ranked  Alexis Ross and 5^th-ranked Kammie Schanz at 138.  145-pound Delise Villa is ranked fourth, Amaya Fairley Vasquez is a No. 7 seed at 160, and a pair of No. 6 seeds round out the Tritons wrestlers in Maia Esera (207) and 235-pounder Breanna Salgdo. 

Indian Hills enter the National Invite having won four consecutive national titles, including back-to-back NJCAA Women’s Invitational Championships. Leading the way for the Warriors is defending national champion Genesis Gilmore, the No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound wrestler in the nation, who wrestles at 145 pounds. Gilmore took home the 155-pound national title a year ago.  The 123-pound national runner-up from a year ago, Angelica Vicente Gonzalez claimed the No. 1  seed in this year's 124lb bracket. Freshman Nevaeh Hayden (Tulsa, OK/Union), claimed the top overall seed in the 180-pound bracket.

Freshman Chasey Karabell earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 103-pound bracket. Sophomores Madison Leverknight and Amaria Ridgner, who both earned All-American honors last season, earned the No. 2 overall seed in the 117pound  and 131-pound brackets, respectively. Ruth Jimenez, an All-American in 2024, earned the No. 3 overall seed in the 138-pound bracket. Freshman Paola Rodriguez, the 2025 NJCAA Region 11 individual champion in the 180-pound class, earned the No. 3 overall seed. In total, 16 individual Warriors earned one of the top-eight seeds in their respective bracket.

Second ranked and host school Iowa Western also has 11 seeded wrestlers led by top ranked Molly Sek at 110. The Reivers could also be another Iowa college who could make a run at the NJCAA title.  For IWCC, Mia Siqueiros  is a two seed at 103, and at 117 the Reivers have a trio seeded 5th-6th-8th in Hailey Medina, Rosalia Rubio, and  Joseline Perez respectively.  At 138 pounds, Iowa Western has a duo seeded in Julia Chambers (No. 2) and Daej Sundquist (No. 4), Sara Daley is a No. 5 seed at 145, 160-pound Ayana Fletcher is a No. 2 seed, Zeriah George is at No. 6 at 180, and 235-pound Yoseline Perez is a No. 7 seed. 

Third ranked Snow CC women’s wrestling team has 14 athletes ranked in the top eight in the nation and are led by two top seeds at the nationals in Ashlea Larson at 130 (a returning national finalist) and 235-pound Arianah Cowgur. Kinley Brandley is a returning All-Americans who is ranked fourth at 103 and teammate Jennifer Thomas is seeded No. 3 at the same weight.  Others with seeds are Rachel Jones (5th at 110), 117-pound Valentina Martinez  (4^th at 117),  Kaylee Young (5th at 124), Isabelle Messerly (7^th at 138), Isabella Morgan (2^nd at 145), and Maeli Howard  (7^th at 180).

Rounding out the top 10 from the February 21 poll are No. 4 Iowa Central, No. 5 Southeast, No. 6 Carl Albert State, No. 7 Umpqua, No. 8, Southwestern Oregon, No. 9 North Iowa Area and No. 10 Hawkeye.

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NJCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Council Bluffs, Iowa, March 7-8

No. 1 Men’s seeds

125 – Sefton Douglas (Western Wyoming)

133 – Tegan Sherk (Ridgewater)

141 – Evan Rodriguez (Cowley)

149 – Sam Silveria (North Idaho)

157 – Brice Coleman (Indian Hills)

165 – Melton Powe (Pratt)

174 – Otgonbayar Batsuuri (Fort Hays Tech)

184 – Lazaro Crespo (Fort Hays Tech)

197 – Ali Adel (Harper)

286 – Dmarian Lopez (Western Wyoming)

No. 1 Women’s seeds

103 – Chasey Karabell (Indian Hills)

110 – Molly Sek (Iowa Western)

117 – Samantha DiMilia (Nassau)

124 – Angelica Vicente (Indian Hills)

131 – Sam Markwardt (Carl Albert State)

138 – Alexis Ross (Iowa Central)

145 – Genesis Gilmore (Indian Hills)

160 – Ashlea Larson (Snow)

180 – Kali Hayden (Indian Hills)

207 – Taylor Knox (Southwestern Oregon)

235 – Arianah Cowgur (Snow)

Schedule

Friday, March 7

9:00 a.m. – Preliminaries, Championship Second Round, Consolation First, Second and Third Rounds

5:45 p.m. – Championship Quarterfinals, Consolation Fourth Round, Consolation Quarterfinals

Saturday, March 8

9:30 a.m. – Championship Semifinals

11:00 a.m. - Consolation Semifinals,

12:15 p.m. – Consolation Finals

5:30 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies

5:50 p.m. – Parade of Champions

6:00 p.m. – Championship Finals

NJCAA Hall of Fame Inductions:

Two active junior college wrestling coaches will be inducted into the NJCAA Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame on March 8^th, 2025, during the finals of the NJCAA Wrestling Championships.  The coaches, who both happen to be coaching in the state of Iowa include Cole Spree and Luke Moffitt.

Spree started the Indian Hills men's and women's wrestling programs and became the first head coach in school history in 2019. Over that span, Indian Hills has won three consecutive women's wrestling national championships and earned three consecutive National Coach of the Year honors. Spree's impact on junior college women's wrestling has helped shape the sport and contributed to its current growth. He has coached 11 individual female national champions, two men's national runners-up, and nine team top-10 men's finished at the national tournament. In addition, Spree has earned over 100 career dual wins. In 2023, he was named the Open Mat NJCAA Coach of the Year and NWCA Coach of the Year.  Cole Spree is currently the head men's wrestling coach at Indian Hills Community College (IA). Before Indian Hills, Spree wrestled at Ellsworth Community College (IA) and was an All-American wrestler. He later returned to Ellsworth as the head wrestling coach of his alma mater.

Moffitt has been the long-time head wrestling coach at Iowa Central Community College for 20 seasons. Over that span, Moffitt has led the Tritons to six national championships and a top-three finish at the national tournament 14 times. He holds a career record of 209-63. Thirty-six student-athletes have won individual national championships under Moffitt, and 118 have been named All-Americans. Moffitt has won National Coach of the Year five times throughout his career.   Before coaching, Moffitt was an Iowa Central wrestler and the 141-pound NJCAA National Champion in 2000. Following his junior college career, he moved on to the University of Iowa and was a two-year starter for the Hawkeyes. In 2002, Moffitt won the Big 10 Championship and was voted the Tournament's outstanding wrestler. In 2022, Moffitt was inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame.