The Ouachita wrestling team traveled to Pueblo, Colorado over the weekend to participate in the NCAA National Tournament. The Tigers placed 15th overall, collecting 27 points, and had three athletes named as All-Americans in just their second year of existence.
Ouachita’s Garrett Evans participated in the 125 lb weight class, recording a 2-2 record throughout the event. Evans had a chance to finish seventh, but fell to David Demo of MSU. Evans was one of the three Tigers to receive All-American honors at the tournament.
Josh Myers finished the event with a 1-2 record in the 141 lb weight class. Myers was victorious in his first match, but ended up losing to eventual second place finisher William Young of Newberry in his second match. Myers faced off with Aaron Smith of American International in his third match, falling in a 10-8 decision.
Bobby Williams was the second of three Tigers who finished with All-American honors, placing fifth overall at nationals with a 3-2 record in the 157 lb weight class. Williams defeated Braden Turner of East Stroudberg University to secure his fifth place finish.
Dallas Smith finished the tournament with another All-American honor for the Tigers, placing sixth overall with a final record of 3-3 in the tournament at the 184 lb weight class. Smith fell to Mitch Schultz of Indianapolis University in his final match, placing him sixth overall.
Ouachita’s three All-American wrestlers are the first in the short, but storied history of the program. In just its second year of existence, head coach Kevin Ward led his team to their first national ranking in the history of the program, as well as the first Regional Championships in program history.