NIACC wrestling team ranked third

MASON CITY - The NIACC wrestling team is ranked third in the latest NJCAA rankings by Intermat.

NIACC, which was No. 2 in the preseason rankings, has five ranked wrestlers, including top-ranked Paul Mascarenas at 125 pounds and No. 1 Shiquan Hall at 133 pounds.

Ellsworth is ranked No. 1, Iowa Lakes is No. 5, Iowa Central is No. 6 and Iowa Western is No. 9.

Other ranked wrestlers for the Trojans are No. 6 Quincy Kalkbrenner at 157 pounds, No. 8 Kyler Mathews at 197 pounds and No. 3 Lawrence Phillips at 285 pounds.

Mascarenas, who was sixth at last year's national meet at 125 pounds, is 7-3 this season with one technical fall and one major decision. He was third at the Kaye Young Open and sixth at the Buena Vista Open.

Mascarenas, who was also No. 1 in the preseason rankings, has a career record of 31-16 with six falls, 2 technicall falls and five major decisions.

Hall, who was fourth at last year's national meet at 133 pounds, is 7-3 with one fall and four major decisions. He was sixth at the Luther College Open and sixth at the Buena Vista Open.

Hall, who was also ranked first in the preseason rankings, has a career record of 37-13 with seven falls, three technical falls and 12 major decisions.

Kalkbrenner, who qualified for the national meet a season ago, is 4-2 with two technical falls and one major decision. Kalkbrenner, who has a career mark of 23-13 with five falls, four technical falls and three major decisions, was second at the Kaye Young Open.

Kalkbrenner was ranked seventh in the preseason rankings.

Mathews, who is a returning national qualifier, has a career record of 23-13 with five falls, four technical falls and three major decisions. Mathews, who has not wrestled this season, was ranked second in the preseason rankings.

Phillips, who is a returning national qualifier, is 4-3 with four falls. Phillips, who has a career record of 24-10 with 16 falls and one major decision, placed sixth at the Kaye Young Open and was sixth at the UNI Open.

Phillips was ranked No. 2 in the preseason rankings.

NIACC returns to action Jan. 9 at the Central College Open. The Trojans open their dual season Jan. 14 at Iowa Western.