UNK Ahtletics
Peter Yazvac, Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations
KEARNEY – The sixth ranked Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team will host the 2020 NCAA Super Region VI Championships this Saturday, Feb. 29, at the Health & Sports Center.
The 10-team, double elimination tournament begins at 10 a.m. with finals set for 5 p.m. Three mats will be used for the first session (10 a.m.-roughly 3:30 p.m.) and two in the finals. The top three finishers in each of the 10 weight classes advance to the NCAA Division II Championships March 13-14 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Live results will be available at trackwrestling.com. You can also purchase a video streaming package for $19.95 with tickets available at the door or online at lopertickets.com. Doors open to spectators at 9 a.m. Saturday.
This is the second year Division II has gone to a six-region (PDF) format. Previously there were four regions and four national qualifiers at each weight class. Complete brackets will be available after the Friday night seeding meeting.
UNK is the lone MIAA-member school in Region VI; eight come from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), including associate member San Francisco State, and the lone independent is Simon Fraser University from Canada.
Besides the Lopers, Colorado School of Mines (12th), San Francisco State (13th), Adams State (16th) and Colorado Mesa (T-21st) are in the most recent Top 25 poll. A total of 24 individuals are ranked nationally, seven coming from UNK. The other schools represented are Adams, Mines and SFSU (three apiece), Mesa and Western Colorado (two apiece) and one each from Chadron State, Colorado State-Pueblo, New Mexico Highlands, and SFU.
The Lopers have never qualified all 10 individuals for the NCAA’s. Last year six made it to nationals with four reaching the national finals.
UNK Lineup
125 lbs. – #7 Josh Portillo (Jr., Clarion, Ia., 23-7, 12 tech falls)
133 lbs. – #4 Wesley Dawkins (Jr. Lincoln, 23-9, eight falls)
141 lbs. – #12 Jonathan Killingsworth (Jr., Lincoln, 20-6, four tech falls)
149 lbs. – #9 Sam Turner (Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo., 5-1)
157 lbs. – Jacob Wasser (Jr., Kintnersville, Pa., 12-6, 10 bonus point wins)
165 lbs. – #2 Matt Malcom (Jr., Glenwood, Ia., 27-7, 19 bonus point wins)
174 lbs. – Terrell Garraway (So., Lenexa, Kan., 16-11, eight falls)
184 lbs. – #2 Anthony Mancini (Gr., Middletown, Del., 11-2, 11 bonus point wins
197 lbs. – Andrew Demos (So., Lake Villa, Ill., 19-14, 11 falls)
285 lbs. – #12 Jarrod Hinrichs (Sr., Geneva, 16-4, five falls)