By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The No. 10 ranked Fort Hays State wrestling team will be
sending one of their own to the NCAA Division II Championships this weekend
(Mar. 8-9) in Cleveland, Ohio as junior Brandon
Ball earned his way to his third-consecutive appearance at nationals.
Ball will take on fellow Division II competitors for a chance at All-American
stats and a national championship.
No. 1 ranked Brandon
Ball will compete in the 141-pound weight class. He will battle Dylan
Nace of East Stroudsburg in an opening-round match, or pigtail match, before
entering the round of 16. This is the third-consecutive year that Ball will be
competing at the NCAA Division II Championships. He earned a sixth-place finish
and All-American status as a redshirt-freshman before finishing one round shy
of placing last season.
Ball enters the championships with a 24-0 overall record and a 21-0 clip
against Division II competition this year. He is coming off his second super
regional title. In Ball’s weight class, there are seven other wrestlers who
Ball has faced this season, two of which are on the top half of the 18-man
bracket. Including top-ranked Ball, nine of the 18 players are currently ranked
in the nation.
Below is the full schedule of events:
| Date/Time | Event | Location |
| Friday, March 8 | ||
| 11 a.m. | Session I (6 mats, 120 matches) | Wolstein Center |
| 5 p.m. | Session II (6 mats, 120 matches) | Wolstein Center |
| Saturday, March 9 | ||
| 10 a.m. | Session III (4 mats, 90 matches) | Wolstein Center |
| 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. | Session IV (1 mat, 10 matches) | Wolstein Center |