The NEO wrestling team continued their dominance of the NJCAA West-Central District national qualifying tournament with their third consecutive title since the reinstatement of the program in the 2013-14 wrestling season.
 
The Norsemen qualified in all ten weight classes with seven champions, one second, and two third place finishers.  The team garnered 170.5 team points to easily outdistance second place Barton, Kansas CC. The NEO wrestlers took to the mat 31 times on Saturday and were victorious in 29 of those matches, only lossing twice.
 
Winning titles for Northeastern Oklahoma was:
133 lbs. freshman, Curtis Burnett, Independence, Kansas going 3-0 on the day with one pin and increasing his overall record to 29-15, including 9 pins.
 
141 lbs. sophomore, Mitchell Sellers, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, 3-0 and one pin and now overall 26-10 with 10 pins.
 
157 lbs. sophomore, Dawaylon Barnes, Muskogee, Oklahoma, 3-0 and two pins and overall at 33-7 with 16 pins.
 
174 lbs. sophomore, Jacobe Smith, Muskogee, Oklahoma, 3-0 with three pins, all in the first period. Smith is now 36-2 with 23 pins on the year. He was also named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the District Tournament. He is the defending 174 lb. National Champion.
 
184 lbs. redshirt sophomore Jacob Hill, Augusta, Kansas, 3-0 with two pins and is currently 31-14 with 9 pins on the season.
 
197 lbs. sophomore Josh Latham, Chickasha, Oklahoma, 3-0 with one pin and now sits at 23-7 with 14 pins on the year.
 
285 lbs. sophomore Blake Andrews, Grapevine, Texas, 3-0 and two pins with a 42-5 overall record including 21 pins.
 
Kristian Holguin-Mendez, sophomore from Sapulpa, Oklahoma at 149 lbs. also advanced to the finals, but was held out of the championship match by the NEO coaching staff after winning his first two matches in the tournament. Holguin-Mendez is a returning NJCAA All-American, finishing third last year and will now make his second trip to the national tournament.
 
Two freshman wrestlers also had great tournaments with each finishing in third place and both going 3-1 on the day. 125 lbs. Logan Terrill, Ark City, Kansas, recorded one pin and is now 22-16 with seven pins this season. 165 lbs. Saul Ortiz, Wichita Northwest, recorded two pins and currently has a 20-13 record with nine pins.
 
The ten national qualifiers will now train for the next two weeks with the other members of the program in preparation for the NJCAA National Championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa February 26-27, 2016. NEO won the National Championship in 2014 and finished fifth last year.  The goal as always for this very competitive program is to win a National Title. Plan to be in Council Bluffs to support the Norsemen.