Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College wrestlers finished second at the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Dual Meet Championships in the NJCAA Division on Thursday and Friday January 5-6, 2017 in Fort Wayne, Indiana losing to Clackamas CC, Oregon in the finals 23-9.

The Norsemen opened the 16 team seeded event as the number one seed and defeated #17 ranked Northwest Kansas Tech 38-3 winning 9 of 10 matches.  In the quarter finals NEO defeated #16 ranked Western Wyoming College 31-15 winning 7 of 10 matches.The semi-finals matched NEO against #4 seeded Ellsworth Iowa CC (ranked #5) with the Norsemen prevailing 27-12 winning 6 of 10 matches. This set up a match up with Clackamas Oregon CC for the championship. 

In the finals matchup Clackamas, ranked #6 and seeded #6 defeated NEO 27-12 in a matchup of two teams that annually battle for the NJCAA National Championship in late February. In this match CCC won seven matches with many decided by one/two points in the final seconds of matches. It was great preparation for the individual National Tournament in February. "We learned a lot about ourselves", said assistant Coach Dennis Siegmann.

"Many of the matches with Clackamas could have gone either way," Norse Head Coach Joe Renfro said. "It's one of those situations where we're not going to be where we are going to be at in another month and a half and we knew that entering this tournament." "It's good for us that they left us in those matches and bad for them because we are coming back with vengeance. We will be right back at it tomorrow."

Two NEO wrestlers won all four of their matches. Leading the victory parade was NJCAA ranked #6 Saul Ortiz, sophomore, Wichita, Kansas, 174 lbs. with a big victory 9-3 over #1 ranked Jordan Gundrum, Ellsworth, Iowa. Gundrum lost in the National Finals last year to Jacobe Smith from NEO.  Ortiz is now 17-5 on the year. Also going 4-0 and remaining undefeated on the year at 14-0 was red shirt freshman 133 lbs. Sean DeShazer, Wichita, Kansas defeating the number #2 ranked Blake Walker, Ellsworth, Iowa 3-1. 
  
At 149 lbs. Dylan Lucas, redshirt freshman, Plainview, Oklahoma lost his first match of the season and is now 12-1 when he lost a scramble for a takedown in the final 15 seconds to #1 ranked Josh Reyes, Clackamas by a score of 7-6. James Wyatt Jordan, 165 lbs. freshman, Collinsville, Oklahoma ranked #4 also went 3-1 and is now 20-6 for the year.
 
The Norsemen will travel to Kearney, Nebraska Thursday to wrestle in five matches on Friday (1/13/2017) in the UNK-Midwest Duals.  NEO will wrestle #8 ranked Otero CC, Colorado; NAIA #32 Doane College; #19 Colby Kansas CC; #17 Northwest Kansas Tech; and Pratt Kansas CC.