Results

KEARNEY, Neb. - Regional champion Robert Gambrell led four national qualifiers for #12 Colorado School of Mines as the Orediggers placed fourth at the 2020 NCAA Super Region VI Championships.

Gambrell (174 pounds) punched his ticket to the NCAA Division II Championships along with Anderson Salisbury (184), Nolan Funk (197), and Weston Hunt (285) as the Orediggers compiled 84.5 team points to finish fourth, a spot better than they did in 2019.

#2 Gambrell blew through the 174-pound bracket allowing just three points, earning a 10-0 major over Adams State's Isaac Lopez before a 15-0 tech fall against San Francisco State's Malesilino Salt to make it to the semis. He earned his return nationals trip thanks to a 6-0 shutout of UNK's Terrell Garraway in the semis, then beat #12 Logan Nelson of Simon Fraser 8-2 in the final.

He was one of three Orediggers in finals along with Salisbury and Hunt. Salisbury beat Western's Ruger Wyneken 12-3 in the quarters and then scored the upset of the tournament with a 7-4 decision over #2 Anthony Mancini of UNK to secure his spot at NCAAs. In the final, #9 Justin Pichedwatana prevailed in a 5-1 decision. For Hunt, he pinned Adams State's Sylvester Montgomery before beating Chadron State's Mason Watt 7-4 in the semis; he fell 3-1 in a defensive final to #12 Jarrod Hinrichs of UNK.

The only Oredigger to qualify through wrestlebacks was Funk, who won his third-place bout to make his first appearance at nationals. The 197-pounder won his opener before falling to Donnie Negus of Colorado Mesa 6-5 in the semis; Funk majored UNK's Andrew Demos 13-0 in the consolation semis to set up a winner-take-all third-place bout, where he beat CSU-Pueblo's Ben Gould 13-7.

Mines had three other placewinners as Matt Lavengood took fourth at 125, Jake Woods fifth at 133, and Skyler Lykins sixth at 165. Lavengood went 2-2 including wins over CSUP's Parker McBride and SFSU's Aaron Perez, but lost by fall to Isaiah DeLaCerda in the third-place bout. Woods was 3-2 overall, wrestling back from an opening round loss with two straight wins before a tough 7-6 setback in the consolation semis to Western's Cody Fatzinger; Wood won the fifth-place bout by forfeit. Lykins lost his opener before a shutout 6-0 win over Chadron's Preston Renner; he then was caught in a pin by Adams State's Ryan Rochford in the consolation semis before losing a tough 11-10 bout to SFSU's Jeremy Huang in the fifth-place match.

Wes Rayburn was 0-2 at 141 as was Noah Ottum at 149 and Ryan Fidel at 157.

The NCAA Division II Championships begin March 13 in Sioux Falls, S.D.