BY FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
FAYETTE, Iowa – Three Fort Hays State wrestlers were listed in the final regular season NWCA Division II Individual Rankings, released late Friday (Feb. 21), helping the Tigers climb to No. 14 in the country. Brandon Ball, Aryus Jones and Anthony Scantlin all head into the postseason ranked in the top 12 in the country in their respective weight classes.
After wrapping up the regular season with 13 wins and zero losses, Brandon Ball maintained his spot as the second-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds. Nearly half of his wins have earned bonus points for the Tigers, with the senior tallying one pin, two tech falls and three major decisions so far this season.
Aryus Jones enters the 184-pound rankings for the first time ranked at No. 7. The Junction City, Kan. native is 24-8 on the year, including five wins via tech fall, tied for sixth-most in Division II. Jones has won 12 of his last 14 matches, with the only two losses coming as narrow decisions against the top two wrestlers at 184 pounds (7-5 vs No. 1 Heath Gray UCO, 4-3 vs No. 2 Anthony Mancini UNK)
Anthony Scantlin made his debut in the 149-pound rankings, sitting in 12th. The sophomore is 25-11 this season, including six falls, three tech falls and three major decisions. Scantlin opened the year at 157 pounds before moving down a class at the start of the spring semester, accumulating a 9-4 record at 149 pounds to date.
The Tigers head into the postseason next weekend when Fort Hays State hosts the 2020 NCAA Division II Super Region 4 Championships on Sunday, March 1. Wrestling gets underway at 10 a.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.