Three Trojans seek national semifinal berths

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.