NE Oklahoma A&M captures 2nd NJCAA title in 3 years
Dawaylon Barnes, Jacobe Smith and Blake Andrews led the Golden Norse to victory
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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – With seven wrestlers placing in the top five in their respective weight classes, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M was crowned national champions of NJCAA wrestling for 2016 Saturday evening at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The Golden Norsemen racked up 152.5 team points to outpace defending national champion Iowa Central's 128. Ellsworth (Iowa) came in third with 98 points.
Three Golden Norsemen took home individual national titles. Sophomore Dawaylon Barnes grinded his way to the finals in the 157-pound weight class via several close matches and ended his run with a 5-2 decision over sophomore Christopher Schmidt of Ridgewater (Minn.). In the 174-pound title tilt, sophomore Jacobe Smith won his second straight individual title with a 14-5 major decision victory over freshman Jordan Gundrum of Ellsworth.
With the national championship already in hand for NEO, Blake Andrews closed out the evening in dramatic fashion in the 285-pound title match. At the 2:05 mark, the sophomore over-powered sophomore Guy Henson of Iowa Lakes for a convincing pin – commencing a Golden Norsemen celebration mat-side and in the stands.
In consolation action, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M freshman Curtis Burnett (133 pounds) and sophomores Kristian Holquin-Mendez (149-pounds) and Jacob Hill (184 pounds) each turned in fourth-place finishes in their respective weight classes while sophomore Mitchell Sellers ended his tournament with a pin of sophomore Matt Schmidt of Northwest (Wyo.) to take home fifth place in the 141-pound class.
Other notable finishes for the Golden Norse were freshman Logan Terrill with a seventh-place victory in the 125-pound division while sophomore Josh Latham came in eighth in 197 pounds.
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M head coach Joe Renfro was named NJCAA Coach of the Year after winning his fifth national title and fourth in five seasons. Prior to taking over the Golden Norse in 2014, Renfro led Labette (Kan.) to NJCAA championships in 2005, 2012 and 2013.
Iowa Central's runner-up finish marks the 10th time in the past 11 seasons where the Tritons have finished in the top five. Sophomores Jason Alfau and Tyler Hoffman highlighted the Tritons 2016 campaign by repeating as national champions in the 141 and 184-pound weight classes, respectively.
Photos courtesy of Roy Tucker and John Johnson.