Men's Wrestling Competes at Mines Rookie Open
Golden, CO – Fort Hays Tech Northwest kicked off their season at the Colorado School of Mines Rookie Open on Sunday. The Tigers had six placers in a tournament with multiple NCAA Division I and Division II schools competing.
"What a great first weekend of wrestling," commented Head Coach Chris Guillot. "I'm super proud of these young men and their effort. Everyone wrestled hard and left it all on the mat. Our freshmen got to see and feel college wrestling and what it takes to grow. What a fantastic learning experience. Most of all, they had fun, and that's why we wrestle! Analyze, adjust, and execute. Keep growing."
Notable Performances:
John Kenney (133lbs) went 2-2 on the day with two wins by Fall and two losses by Fall, with one of those losses coming to a Division I wrestler from Northern Colorado. Xavier Castillo (141lbs) placed 4th, going 3-2 on the day with wins over NCAA Division I and Division II opponents, one win by Tech Fall and one win by Major Decision. Castillo's two losses came to a top-ranked NJCAA wrestler from Western Wyoming and to a Division I wrestler from Air Force.
Job Lee (157lbs) placed 3rd, with his only loss coming to a Division II wrestler. Lee had notable wins over a Division II wrestler from Air Force, a win over a top-ranked NJCAA wrestler from Western Wyoming, as well as one Fall over a Division 2 opponent and a Tech Fall against a Freestyle Silver World Medalist, Francisco Ayala, from Western Wyoming. Dayton Bell (165lbs) placed 8th, going 2-2, with a win by Fall over a Division II opponent. Bell's losses came to a Division II wrestler and a top-ranked wrestler from Western Wyoming. Otgonbayar Batsuuri (174lbs) to no one's surprise placed 1st in the tournament, with a Tech Fall over a Division II Western Colorado wrestler, a Fall against a Division II Adams State wrestler, a Major Decision over a Western Wyoming wrestler, and a win by Decision over a Division I Air Force wrestler.
Victor Samuel Lamar Montoya (197lbs) placed 8th, going 2-2 with two wins by Fall. Jeisser Samson-Sanchez (285lbs) placed 5th, going 4-1, with his only loss coming to Winston McBride, a Division I wrestler from Wyoming, in Tie-Breakers 3-2. Two of Sanchez's wins were by Fall.
Men's Wrestling will return to competition this Sunday at Fort Hays Tech Northwest's first home dual meet of the year against Trinidad State Community College.