Three Trojans seek national semifinal berths

NIACC's Ein Carlos will wrestle in Friday night's national semifinals at 184 pounds.
NIACC's Ein Carlos will wrestle in Friday night's national semifinals at 184 pounds.
March 3, 2023

COUNCIL BLUFFS - Three NIACC wrestlers will seek berths in the NJCAA national semifinals in Friday night's quarterfinals at the Mid-America Center.

NIACC's Cruz Aguilar (125), Ein Carlos (184) and Drew Fox (197) all won a pair of matches Friday to stay alive on the championship side of the bracket.

At 125 pounds, the seventh-ranked Aguilar (16-5) faces Otero's fifth-ranked Isaiah Gomez in the the quarterfinals, which start at 5:45 p.m.

At 184 pounds, the eigth-ranked Carlos (8-3) takes on RCTC's unranked Anthony Tuttle in his quarterfinal round bout. Carlos earned all-American honors with a fifth-place finish at 174 pounds in 2022.

At 197 pounds, the unranked Fox (8-5) grapples with Iowa Central's ninth-ranked John Lovett in his quarterfinal round match. The two ICCAC wrestlers did not meet during the regular season or at the NJCAA Region XI tournament.

NIACC's Isaac Church (18-7) takes on Labette's Jazen Brown, who is ranked seventh, on the consolation side of the bracket at 141 pounds. Church entered the national tournament ranked eighth.