Only 1 wrestler qualifies for National tournament

The CSC wrestlers traveled to the Western Slope for the second weekend in a row to compete in the NCAA Super Region IV Regional Tournament hosted by Western State Colorado University, Gunnison.

The Eagles went into the tournament knowing it was going to be a tough battle, but two CSC wrestlers stood out in their performance. Taylor Summers, junior of Plymouth, walked away from the tournament as the runner-up at 133-pounds, qualifying him for nationals.

Summers finished second to three-time national finalist and two-time national champion Daniel DeShazer, senior of the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Summers was taken down four times by DeShazer, but earned three escapes, and one in the second period from his bottom starting position. On the fourth takedown of the match, Summers was pinned with only nine seconds showing on the clock.

At 165-pounds, Chance Helmick, sophomore of Beatrice, made it to the consolation semifinals where he wrestled Nick Swanson, junior of Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, Colorado. Helmick fell in the first period, and Swanson went on to place fourth in the tournament and qualify for nationals. In the fifth place match against Travis Bradford, redshirt sophomore of Western State, who beat Helmick in the quarterfinals on the first day of the tournament, Bradford ousted Helmick with a 5-4 decision.

Joshua Miller, sophomore, 141-pounds, and Caleb Copeland, junior, 174-pounds, both of Bennett, Colorado, both put points on the board for CSC during the tournament earning a major decision and a decision, respectively.

Brandon Kile, freshman of Hastings, 125-pounds; Clayton Steinmetz, junior of Hot Springs, South Dakota, 149-pounds; Johnny Porter, redshirt freshman of Bellevue, 157-pounds; Shane Rodenburg, freshman of Kent City, Michigan, 184-pounds; Stuart Hircock, sophomore of Amherst, 197-pounds; and Cooper Cogdill, redshirt freshman of Chadron, 285-pounds; all left their first NCAA Super Region IV tournament without a win.

Chadron State finished the regional tournament No. 13 in the team standings out of 14 teams with 22 points. Summers will wrestle Friday and Saturday, March 11-12, at the NCAA Championships hosted at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.