Clackamas Wins 2011 NJCAA Wrestling Title
From North Idaho College Public Relations
Photos by John Johnson, 2008 USA Wrestling Photographer of the Year
SPOKANE, Wash. – Clackamas Community College (Ore.) won the team title with 109 points at the 2011 National Junior College Athletic Association Wrestling Championship at the Spokane Convention Center in Spokane, Wash.
Clackamas held the top spot since early in the competition Friday, Feb. 25. There was only a one-point spread between Clackamas and second-place North Idaho College at the end of the championship semi finals Saturday, Feb. 26. The lead expanded to a 13.5-point difference after the consolation semi finals. Clackamas clinched the tournament team title with 10.5 points over second-place North Idaho College. The tight team race ended with Rend Lake College (Ill.) in third place with 94 points and Iowa Central Community College in fourth place with 93 points.
"This was an extremely competitive tournament with the national championship on the line until the very end," said NIC Athletics Director & NJCAA Wrestling Committee Chair Al Williams. "The tournament was a great representation of the parity and competiveness of teams across the nation. We're honored to have had the opportunity to hold the tournament in our region."
North Idaho College and Rend Lake both had two individual national champions.
The tournament's four returning national champions all made it to the tournament finals.
Victor DeJesus of Iowa Lakes Community College defended his 2010 national championship, taking Jason Gray of Highline Community College (Wash.) in a hard-fought 3-2 decision to become a two-time national champion at 149 pounds.
The 197-pound bracket pitted defending national champion Walker Clarke of Labette Community College (Kan.) against North Idaho College's Jamelle Jones, who was looking to win his second national championship after winning the title in 2008 while wrestling in the 184-pound weight class for St. Louis Community College-Meramec in Missouri. The score was tied at 0 at the end of the first period, until Jones scored a one-point escape at the start of the second period followed by a two-point takedown to lead 3-0 midway in the second period. Forty-two seconds into the period, Jones turned Clarke into a near-fall position and then scored a pin. With the pin, North Idaho College received six points, taking the team from fourth to second in the tight team race.
In another dramatic contest, the 2010 heavyweight champion Tyrell Fortune of Clackamas defeated Iowa Central's Seth McGregor 4-3 to win his second consecutive national title in the 285 division.
North Idaho College was the host college for the NJCAA national tournament for the first time. The event was held at the Spokane Convention Center and included a total of 250 wrestlers representing 36 community colleges across the country.
Visit www.nic.edu/athletics/wrestlingnationals for complete tournament results.
Top 10 Team Results
1 Clackamas Community College 109
2 North Idaho College 98.5
3 Rend Lake College 94
4 Iowa Central Community College 93
5 Labette Community College 85.5
6 Harper College 84
Lincoln College 84
8 Northwest College 72.5
9 Muskegon College 69
10 Highline Community College 67.5
Top Eight Finishers (Top 5 receive NJCAA All-American honors)
Mike Garofalo of Nassau (right) defeated Josh Heinzer of Iowa Central (left) 3-2 for the 125 lb. title
125
First Mike Garofalo, Nassau Community College
Second Josh Heinzer, Iowa Central Community College
Third Steven Romero, Highline Community College
Fourth Jeff Vesta, Neosho County Community College
Fifth T. T. Prayther, Rend Lake College
Sixth Kyle McCrite, North Idaho College
Seventh Garret Jones, Labette Community College
Eighth Eduardo Dominguez, Harper College
Rend Lake's Tyler Holloway (right) won the 133 weight class championship by defeating Northwest's
Jesse Hillhouse (left) 3-2.
133
First Tyler Holloway, Rend LakeCollege
Second Jesse Hillhouse, Northwest College
Third Brandon Wright, Iowa Central Community College
Fourth Martin Gonzalez, Clackamas Community College
Fifth John Miller, Nassau Community College
Sixth D'Marcus Spencer, Lincoln College
Seventh Tim Hubbard, Mercyhurst North East
Eighth Wismit Moinius, North Iowa Area Community College
Wilson Metellus of Ellsworth (left) won the 141 lb championship by fall (5:35) over
Vinnie DiGravio of Mercyhurst North East (right).
141
First Wilson Metellus, Ellsworth Community College
Second Vinnie DiGravio, Mercyhurst North East
Third DaMonte Riley, Lincoln College
Fourth Sean Turner, Muskegon College
Fifth Cody Randall, Clackamas Community College
Sixth Kodie Silvestri, Nassau Community College
Seventh Casey Williams, Itasca Community College
Eighth Jace Campbell, Colby Community College
Victor DeJesus of Iowa Lakes (left) won the 149 lb national title with a 3-2 win over Highline's
Jason Gray (right).
149
First Victor DeJesus, Iowa Lakes Community College
Second Jason Gray, Highline Community College
Third Frankie BueneFuente, Bergen Community College
Fourth Mark Marianovich, Lincoln College
Fifth Michael Perez, Labette Community College
Sixth Tyler Peet, Alfred State College
Seventh Adam Will, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
Eighth Justin Schumacher, Western Wyoming Community College
The 157 lb weight class was won by Harper's PJ Starnes (left) after a 4-2 decision over
Jeremy Bommarito (right) of North Idaho.
157
First PJ Starnes, Harper College
Second Jeremy Bommarito, North Idaho College
Third Justin Pencook, Glouscester County College
Fourth Matt Melendrez, Clackamas Community College
Fifth Eric Jones, Highline Community College
Sixth Eric Telford, Muskegon College
Seventh Quinten Haynes, North Iowa Area Community College
Eighth Scott Verner, Western Wyoming Community College
Rend Lake's Isaiah Williams (left) defeated Derek Mestrovich (right) for the 165 lb
championship via a 10-4 decision.
165
First Isaiah Williams, Rend Lake College
Second Derek Mestrovich, Clackamas Community College
Third Dan McGillivray, Iowa Lakes Community College
Fourth Isaiah Tatum, North Iowa Area Community College
Fifth Troy Ireland, Niagara County Community College
Sixth Theo Jensen-Innis, Rochester Community and Technical College
Seventh Jake Mason, North Idaho College
Eighth Lance Wade, Nassau Community College
North Idaho's Jesse Nielsen (right-top) defeated Keithen Cast of Northwest (left-bottom)
with a 5-3 decision for the 174 lb championship.
174
First Jesse Nielsen, North Idaho College
Second Keithen Cast, Northwest College
Third Travis Peralta, Ridgewater College
Fourth Khari Washington, Harper College
Fifth James Haywood, Lincoln College
Sixth Jules Doliscar, Nassau Community College
Seventh Carl Foreside, Iowa Central Community College
Eighth John McArdle, Middlesex County College
Nick Petersen of Northwest (top-right) defeated Austin Moorehead (bottom) with a 4-1
decision to win the 184 lbs crown.
184
First Nick Petersen, Northwest College
Second Austin Moorehead, Rend Lake College
Third Brett Sanchez, Clackamas Community College
Fourth Ray Hall, Labette Community College
Fifth Arber Bebo, Harper College
Sixth Marlon Baker, Mercyhurst North East
Seventh Michael Johnson, Lincoln College
Eighth Teagan Franco, Yakima Valley Community College
Jamelle Jones of North Idaho (top) pinned Walker Clarke of Labette (bottom) to win the 197 lb title.
197
First Jamelle Jones, North Idaho College
Second Walker Clarke, Labette Community College
Third Nick Pica, Iowa Central Community College
Fourth Darren Faber, Highline Community College
Fifth Trent Flegel, Muskegon College
Sixth Vinny Campanille, Ellsworth Community College
Seventh Fred Moses, Lincoln College
Eighth Cully Butterfield, Itasca Community College
Tyrell Fortune (right) capped off a championship night for Clackamas by defeating Seth
McGregor of Iowa Central for the HWT championship.
285
First Tyrell Fortune, Clackamas Community College
Second Seth McGregor, Iowa Central Community College
Third Adam Chalfant, Harper College
Fourth Matt Wyss, Iowa Lakes Community College
Fifth Reno Redleaf, Labette Community College
Sixth Kyle Gibas, Niagara County Community College
Seventh Karl Green, Rend Lake College
Eighth Ryan Steverson, Muskegon College
Awards
NJCAA Wrestling Man of the Year: Bergen Community College Head Coach Mike Massenzio
Hall of Fame Inductees: Western New England College Wrestling Coach Anibal Nieves and SCIFIT Board Member and former longtime coach at Black Hawk Community College in Illinois Denton Smith
Falls Award: (Most falls in the least amount of time) Eric Telford, 157 of Muskegon College, with four falls
Sportsmanship Award: Walker Clarke, 197, Labette Community College
Non-Scholarship Coach of the Year: Paul Schmidt of Nassau Community College
Scholarship Coach of the Year: Josh Rhoden of Clackamas Community College
Wrestler of the Year: Jamelle Jones, 197, North Idaho College