NEWBERRY — The Newberry Wolves will take the No. 10 national ranking with them to Sioux Falls, S.D., this weekend as the Division II Wrestling Coaches’ Poll was released Monday. Three Wolves are ranked in the top eight in their weight class.
Newberry qualified seven wrestlers for the Division II National Tournament and finished third in the team race at the Super Region II Tournament.
Ranked in their weight class are Jordan Simpson (133 lbs., 7th), Huston Evans (184 lbs., 7th) and Mike Kennedy (285 lbs., 8th). The top eight finishers in each weight class are deemed All-Americans.
Jordan Simpson finished as 133 lbs. runner-up at the Super Region tournament in Indianapolis and takes a 21-6 record with him to Sioux Falls for his first national tournament. He has seven wins by fall, four wins by technical fall and five wins by major decision this season. The sophomore from Oxford, Ala., wrestles Naquan Hardy of McKendree in the first round of the national tournament.
Huston Evans finished as the runner-up at 184 lbs. at the Super Region tournament and takes a 34-6 record to nationals. Ranked in the top eight all season, the defending national runner-up at 197 lbs. from Springfield, Ohio, faces a loaded bracket in Sioux Falls. He wrestles the defending national runner-up at 184 lbs. – Nick Burghardt of Maryville – in the opening round. Evans and Burghardt have already faced off this year, with Evans winning by fall in the second period of the Midwest Classic consolation semifinals. Evans has 14 wins by fall and three major decisions this season.
Mike Kennedy debuts in the national rankings after earning runner-up at the Super Region tournament. The redshirt freshman from Murfreesboro, Tenn., takes a 17-12 record to Sioux Falls with seven wins by fall and three by major decision. He wrestles San Francisco State’s Sam Alnassiri in the opening round of the national tournament.
The young Wolves are taking seven wrestlers to Sioux Falls – six of whom are making their national tournament debut.
Trung Duong at 125 lbs. wrestles Ronald Wardleigh of Western State Colorado in the opening round. Duong, a junior from Lynchburg, Va., is 29-8 on the season with six wins by fall and nine by major decision.
Nick Lankford at 141 lbs. wrestles Cobey Fehr of Notre Dame in the opening round. Lankford, a senior from Braselton, Ga., is 20-13 on the year with four wins by fall, three by technical fall and two by major decision.
Zack Dobbins at 149 lbs. wrestles Nebraska-Kearney’s Destin McCauley in the first round. Dobbins, a sophomore from Coweta, Okla., is 18-7 this season with one win by fall and two technical falls.
Cody Brundage at 197 lbs. rounds out the Wolves’ contingent. The junior from Chapin wrestles Shippensburg’s Evan Ramos in the opening round. Brundage is 30-11 on the season with six wins by fall, four major decisions and a technical fall.