By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
HASTINGS, Neb. – The Fort Hays State men’s wrestling team picked up 41 wins and had five student-athletes reach the podium at the Hastings Open on Saturday (Jan. 11).
Two Tigers reached the championship bout, with Connor Padgett (174 pounds) and Ryan Patterson (197 pounds) both finishing second, while Matthew Rodriguez finished third at 184 pounds and A.B. Stokes(125 pounds) and Drew Bell (149 pounds) both placed fourth.
Padgett made quick work of his first two opponents, recording a pin in 42 seconds in the opening round before racking up a 19-4 technical fall in the quarterfinals. The redshirt-freshman then picked up a 4-2 decision against a Division I opponent from the University of Nebraska before falling in the championship bout to a competitor from Nebraska-Kearney. This is the second time Padgett has placed at the Hastings open after finishing fourth last season while this is his first podium finish this season.
Patterson also beat a DI wrestler on his road to the championship bout, beating another Nebraska competitor with a 10-0 major decision. The Peyton, Colo. native then slipped by with a 5-4 decision in the quarterfinals before securing a trip to the finals with a 7-4 win in sudden victory over a Loper from UNK. He fell in the title match via technical fall. This is Patterson’s second podium finish at the Hastings Open after he placed fourth as a true freshman in 2023. It is his second-straight podium finish after winning the Cougar Open.
Rodriguez advanced to the quarterfinals with a medical forfeit before picking up a first-period pin in his first action of the day. His lone defeat of the day came against a Cornhusker from Nebraska before the sophomore picked up a pair of wins in the consolation bracket, including another first-period pin in the third-place match to earn his first placement of the season.
Bell turned in a record of 4-2 on the day to finish fourth and reach the podium for the first time this season. He suffered an early loss to a DI wrestler from Nebraska before rattling off four-straight wins in the consolation bracket to reach the third-place bout. The Hoxie, Kan. native picked up one pin, one technical fall and two decisions before falling in the consolation final.
Stokes also picked up his first placement of the season with a 3-2 record. The redshirt-freshman lost a narrow 4-3 decision in his first bout of the day before picking up three-straight wins in the consolation bracket. He picked up a 16-1 technical fall before beating a UNK wrestler with a 10-1 major decision. Stokes reached the consolation finals with a medical forfeit before falling to the same wrestler he lost to in the opening round.
Jacob Judd finished the day with a 3-2 record in the 165-pound bracket, reaching the consolation semifinals. His tournament opened with an 11-0 major decision before falling in the quarterfinals 4-1. The freshman then picked up a 1-0 decision and a win via medical forfeit before falling just before the 3rd-place bout.
Marcell Dely tied for the team lead with four wins on the day, finishing 4-2 in the 157-pound bracket. The Budapest, Hungary native won via fall in the opening round before suffering a defeat in his second bout of the day. He then recorded three more bonus-point wins, including two technical falls and another pin. Dely’s four wins via pin or technical fall were tied for the most out of any of the 165 wrestlers in the event.
Cody Castelline went 3-2 in the 133-pound bracket, including two wins via decision and one win in sudden victory. Jett Schwartz (133 pounds), D’Andre Brown (133 pounds), Houston Frank (174 pounds) and Ernesto Duenez (184 pounds) all picked up a pair of wins on the day, including two bonus-point wins from Schwartz and Duenez and one from Frank.
Kevin Honas picked up one win via fall at 141 pounds, pinning his opponent in 21 seconds for the second-quickest pin of the tournament and the fastest by a Tiger this season. Justus Hulse (149 pounds), Charlie Huston (157 pounds), Griffin Mitchell (165 pounds), Jaxson Thomas (285 pounds) and Riah Ostrander (285) all finished the day 1-2.
Looking ahead, the Tigers will next travel to Marshall, Minn. for the SMSU Duals next Saturday (Jan. 18). FHSU will match up with DIII program Wisconsin-Eau Claire before battling host Southwest Minnesota State and Minot State.
Full FHSU Results
125 – A.B. Stokes – 3-2 – 4th place
Champ. Round 1 – A.B. Stokes received a bye
Quarterfinal – Bishop Murray (Nebraska-Kearney) won by decision over A.B. Stokes (Dec 4-3)
Cons. Round 2 – A.B. Stokes won by tech fall over Creel Weber (Hastings (Neb.)) (TF 16-1)
Cons. Round 3 – A.B. Stokes won by major decision over Cadyn Coyle (Nebraska-Kearney) (Maj 10-1)
Cons. Semi – A.B. Stokes won by medical forfeit over Barrett Stickelman (York (Neb.)) (MFF)
3rd Place Match – Bishop Murray (Nebraska-Kearney) won by fall over A.B. Stokes (Fall 1:03)
133 – Jett Schwartz – 2-2
Champ. Round 1 – Cyler Ruhoff (Sioux Falls) won by major decision over Jett Schwartz (Maj 17-5)
Cons. Round 1 – Jett Schwartz received a bye
Cons. Round 2 – Jett Schwartz won by major decision over Jacob Fox (Nebraska-Kearney) (Maj 22-8)
Cons. Round 3 – Jett Schwartz won by fall over Travis Reidy (Unattached) (Fall 2:22)
Cons. Round 4 – Cody Castelline won by decision over Jett Schwartz (Dec 4-1)
133 – Tacoma Augustine – 0-2
Champ. Round 1 – Jacob Fox (Nebraska-Kearney) won by major decision over Tacoma Augustine (Maj 17-7)
Cons. Round 1 – Tacoma Augustine received a bye
Cons. Round 2 – Logan Hackman (Hastings (Neb.)) won by decision over Tacoma Augustine (Dec 11-5)
133 – Andrew Honas – 0-2
Champ. Round 1 – Quade Smith (Chadron State) won by tech fall over Andrew Honas (TF 17-2)
Cons. Round 1 – Andrew Honas received a bye
Cons. Round 2 – Justin Rodriguez (Hastings (Neb.)) won by decision over Andrew Honas (Dec 6-5)
133 – D’Andre Brown – 2-2
Champ. Round 1 – D’Andre Brown received a bye
Champ. Round 2 – D’Andre Brown won by decision over Justin Rodriguez (Hastings (Neb.)) (Dec 4-3)
Quarterfinal – Omar Ayoub (Nebraska) won by tech fall over D’Andre Brown (TF 19-3)
Cons. Round 4 – D’Andre Brown won in sudden victory – 1 over Tyler Flynn (Concordia (Neb.)) (SV-1 6-3)
Cons. Round 5 – Connor Ritonya (Nebraska-Kearney) won by decision over D’Andre Brown (Dec 9-3)
133 – Cody Castelline – 3-2
Champ. Round 1 – Cody Castelline won by decision over Drew Lugafet (York (Neb.)) (Dec 10-4)
Champ. Round 2 – Cody Castelline won in sudden victory – 1 over Jordan O?Connor (Unattached) (SV-1 9-6)
Quarterfinal – Quade Smith (Chadron State) won by fall over Cody Castelline (Fall 2:26)
Cons. Round 4 – Cody Castelline won by decision over Jett Schwartz (Dec 4-1)
Cons. Round 5 – Grant Wells (Concordia (Neb.)) won by major decision over Cody Castelline (Maj 13-3)
141 – Kevin Honas – 1-2
Champ. Round 1 – Kevin Honas received a bye
Champ. Round 2 – Riley Fitzsimmons (Sioux Falls) won by major decision over Kevin Honas (Maj 10-2)
Cons. Round 2 – Kevin Honas won by fall over Ayden Presson (Fall 0:21)
Cons. Round 3 – Luke Koenen (Augustana (SD)) won by fall over Kevin Honas (Fall 1:20)
141 – Ayden Presson – 0-2
Champ. Round 1 – Zeb Fitzgerald (Grand View (Iowa)) won by tech fall over Ayden Presson (TF 19-3)
Cons. Round 1 – Ayden Presson received a bye
Cons. Round 2 – Kevin Honas won by fall over Ayden Presson (Fall 0:21)
141 – Kaiden Hoffman – 0-2
Champ. Round 1 – Kaiden Hoffman received a bye
Champ. Round 2 – Kyle Lewis (Chadron State) won by tech fall over Kaiden Hoffman (TF 19-3)
Cons. Round 2 – Kaiden Hoffman received a bye
Cons. Round 3 – Elijah Kaawa (York (Neb.)) won by decision over Kaiden Hoffman (Dec 6-5)
149 – Drew Bell – 4-2 – 4th place
Champ. Round 1 – Drew Bell received a bye
Champ. Round 2 – Scott Robertson (Nebraska) won by tech fall over Drew Bell (TF 18-2)
Cons. Round 2 – Drew Bell received a bye
Cons. Round 3 – Drew Bell won by fall over Justus Hulse(Fall 1:17)
Cons. Round 4 – Drew Bell won by tech fall over Braysen Salinas (Concordia (Neb.)) (TF 15-0)
Cons. Round 5 – Drew Bell won by decision over Kade Sammons (Augustana (SD)) (Dec 9-2)
Cons. Semi – Drew Bell won by decision over Nolan Ambrose (Augustana (SD)) (Dec 7-3)
3rd Place Match – Hagen Heistand (Concordia (Neb.)) won by tech fall over Drew Bell (TF 21-6)
149 – Justus Hulse – 1-2
Champ. Round 1 – Steven Barnes (Concordia (Neb.)) won by fall over Justus Hulse (Fall 4:23)
Cons. Round 1 – Justus Hulse received a bye
Cons. Round 2 – Justus Hulse won by decision over Dominick Flynn (Concordia (Neb.)) (Dec 13-10)
Cons. Round 3 – Drew Bell won by fall over Justus Hulse(Fall 1:17)
157 – Charlie Hutson – 1-2
Champ. Round 1 – Cash Raymond (Augustana (SD)) won by fall over Charlie Hutson (Fall 0:32)
Cons. Round 1 – Charlie Hutson received a bye
Cons. Round 2 – Charlie Hutson won by decision over Jacob Stinnett (Unattached) (Dec 10-4)
Cons. Round 3 – Devin Weber (Grand View (Iowa)) won by fall over Charlie Hutson (Fall 1:51)
157 – Marcell Dely – 4-2
Champ. Round 1 – Marcell Dely won by fall over Owen Younger (Unattached) (Fall 4:47)
Champ. Round 2 – Brody Arrants (Nebraska-Kearney) won by tech fall over Marcell Dely (TF 16-1)
Cons. Round 2 – Marcell Dely won by tech fall over Joel Thompson (Sioux Falls) (TF 17-2)
Cons. Round 3 – Marcell Dely won by tech fall over Francisco Duran (Midland (Neb.)) (TF 18-1)
Cons. Round 4 – Marcell Dely won by fall over Chase Groff (Concordia (Neb.)) (Fall 1:20)
Cons. Round 5 – Weston Dalton (Nebraska) won by major decision over Marcell Dely (Maj 14-1)
165 – Griffin Mitchell – 1-2
Champ. Round 1 – Cameron Graham (Nebraska-Kearney) won by major decision over Griffin Mitchell(Maj 10-0)
Cons. Round 1 – Griffin Mitchell won by fall over Logan Millikan (Midland (Neb.)) (Fall 1:31)
Cons. Round 2 – Jacob Judd won by decision over Griffin Mitchell (Dec 1-0)
165 – Jacob Judd – 3-2
Champ. Round 1 – Jacob Judd won by major decision over Ian Grubbs (Grand View (Iowa)) (Maj 11-0)
Quarterfinal – Maddox Nelson (Nebraska-Kearney) won by decision over Jacob Judd (Dec 4-1)
Cons. Round 2 – Jacob Judd won by decision over Griffin Mitchell (Dec 1-0)
Cons. Round 3 – Jacob Judd won by medical forfeit over Tommy Wentz (Concordia (Neb.)) (MFF)
Cons. Semi – Charlie Petit (Augustana (SD)) won by major decision over Jacob Judd (Maj 13-1)
174 – Houston Frank – 2-2
Champ. Round 1 – Gavyn Brauer (Nebraska-Kearney) won in sudden victory – 1 over Houston Frank (SV-1 15-4)
Cons. Round 1 – Houston Frank won by decision over Simon Arredondo (Concordia (Neb.)) (Dec 7-6)
Cons. Round 2 – Houston Frank won by major decision over Dayton Fraser (York (Neb.)) (Maj 13-4)
Cons. Round 3 – Barret Brandt (Concordia (Neb.)) won by tech fall over Houston Frank (TF 16-1)
174 – Connor Padgett – 3-1 – 2nd place
Champ. Round 1 – Connor Padgett won by fall over Esteban Sedano (Hastings (Neb.)) (Fall 0:42)
Quarterfinal – Connor Padgett won by tech fall over Dayton Fraser (York (Neb.)) (TF 19-4)
Semifinal – Connor Padgett won by decision over Colin McAlister (Nebraska) (Dec 4-2)
1st Place Match – Gavyn Brauer (Nebraska-Kearney) won by fall over Connor Padgett (Fall 3:00)
184 – Ernesto Duenez – 2-2
Champ. Round 1 – Hunter Weimer (Concordia (Neb.)) won by tech fall over Ernesto Duenez (TF 19-4)
Cons. Round 1 – Ernesto Duenez won by fall over Kaden Garcia (York (Neb.)) (Fall 5:29)
Cons. Round 2 – Ernesto Duenez won by major decision over Treyton Tweton (Midland (Neb.)) (Maj 15-2)
Cons. Round 3 – Calvin Gross (Concordia (Neb.)) won by tech fall over Ernesto Duenez (TF 17-1)
184 – Matthew Rodriguez – 4-1 – 3rd place
Champ. Round 1 – Matthew Rodriguez won by medical forfeit over Jonah Gruenes (Augustana (SD)) (MFF)
Quarterfinal – Matthew Rodriguez won by fall over Calvin Gross (Concordia (Neb.)) (Fall 1:15)
Semifinal – Marco Christiansen (Nebraska) won by decision over Matthew Rodriguez (Dec 5-2)
Cons. Semi – Matthew Rodriguez won by decision over Ramon Arredondo (Concordia (Neb.)) (Dec 7-0)
3rd Place Match – Matthew Rodriguez won by fall over Calvin Gross (Concordia (Neb.)) (Fall 1:33)
197 – Ryan Patterson – 3-1 – 2nd place
Champ. Round 1 – Ryan Patterson won by major decision over Cooper Colson (Nebraska) (Maj 10-0)
Quarterfinal – Ryan Patterson won by decision over Reese Jacobs (Chadron State) (Dec 5-4)
Semifinal – Ryan Patterson won in sudden victory – 1 over Tre Daro (Nebraska-Kearney) (SV-1 7-4)
1st Place Match – Torrance Keehn (Concordia (Neb.)) won by tech fall over Ryan Patterson (TF 16-0)
285 – Jaxson Thomas – 1-2
Champ. Round 1 – Jaret Peterson (Augustana (SD)) won by decision over Jaxson Thomas (Dec 5-3)
Cons. Round 1 – Jaxson Thomas won by fall over Nash Crane (Unattached) (Fall 0:58)
Cons. Round 2 – Mason Villwok (Chadron State) won by decision over Jaxson Thomas (Dec 8-2)
285 – Riah Ostrander – 1-2
Champ. Round 1 – Zeph Sivels (Midland (Neb.)) won by fall over Riah Ostrander (Fall 5:33)
Cons. Round 1 – Riah Ostrander received a bye
Cons. Round 2 – Riah Ostrander won by tech fall over Malaki Morales-Perez (York (Neb.)) (TF 16-0)
Cons. Round 3 – Koen Mattern (Hastings (Neb.)) won by major decision over Riah Ostrander (Maj 12-1)