FHSU SPORTS INFOMATION DEPARTMENT
Fort Hays State wrestling traveled to Greeley, Colo. on Sunday (Nov. 13) to compete in the Northern Colorado Open. Jon Inman (197) and Christian Lance (285) won tournament titles for the second straight week, while Rakim Dean (184) also placed.
Inman the No. 4 ranked wrestler at 197 went 4-0 on the day with four decisions to claim the title. After receiving a bye in the first round he handled New Mexico Highlands’ Christopher Collins in the second round by the score of 11-4. In the quarterfinal round he got the better of Wyoming’s Cody Vigoren with a 5-2 decision to advance to the semifinals. There he had his tightest match of the day against Colorado Mesa’s Austin Gaun with a 9-7 decision. In the finals Inman claimed his second title in as many tournaments with a 5-2 decision over Jacob Seely of Northern Colorado.
Lance went 5-0 on the day to claim his second individual title of the year. He defeated three Division I wrestlers to claim the title. In the first round, Lance won a nail-biter over Wyoming’s Hunter Mullins by a 3-2 decision. In the following round he recorded a first period fall at the 2:30 mark over CSU-Pueblo’s Drew Strong to move into the quarterfinals. There he once again was on the better end of a 3-2 decision, this time over Jack Kuck of Northern Colorado. In the semifinal bout Lance once again defeated a member of the Wyoming team, Sam Eagan with a 7-4 decision to advance to the finals. In the championship bout, Lance once again came out on top of a one-point decision by topping Northwest Kansas Tech’s Odgerek Batkhishig by the score of 6-5.
Dean went 5-1 on his way to a third place finish for the day. He started the day with a pin over Northeastern Junior College’s Dylan Buschow at the 1:50 mark in the first period. His only loss then came in the ensuing round where he fell victim to Northern Colorado’s Dylan Gabel in a 10-3 decision. In the consolation bracket Dean went on to win his next four matches starting with a technical fall over Northwest Kansas Tech’s Kyle Rodriguez by the score of 17-2. From there he would defeat CSU-Pueblo’s John Lewis with another major decision 13-3, and New Mexico Highlands’ Luis Terrazas in a 6-3 decision to advance to the third place match. Dean then was garnished third place honors after Wyoming’s Nate Shaw forfeited due to a medical issue.
The Tigers have one more open tournament next week when they head to the Nebraska-Kearney Open on Saturday (Nov. 19) before kicking off the dual season the following Thursday (Dec. 1) when they take on Lindenwood in Hays.