Council Bluffs, IA – The 2025 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Men's Wrestling North Central District Championship gets underway Sunday morning in Council Bluffs with seven programs eyeing a District title.
DETAILS: 2025 NJCAA North Central District Championship
Council Bluffs, IA | Reiver Arena
Sunday, February 16 | 10:00 AM
WATCH LIVE: GoHillsTV
TICKETS: Adults/Student - $5.00 | Children 5 & Under - Free
BRACKETS (released Saturday night):
125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157 | 165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285
ICCAC Dual Standings | ICCAC Dual Schedule | NJCAA Wrestling Rankings | NJCAA Individual Rankings | The Open Mat Rankings
SCHEDULE
| Round 1 | 20 matches | 3/6 & 4/5 seeds |
| Round 2 | 20 matches | Semi-finals |
| Round 3 | 20 matches | Consolation Semis |
| Round 4 | 10 matches | 5th/6th Place |
| Round 5 | 20 matches | Championship & 3/4th Place |
| Round 6 | True placement matches | If needed |
BACK POINTS
Indian Hills heads into the NJCAA North Central District Championship after claiming its first outright ICCAC regular season conference championship.
- The Warriors ran through their regular season conference slate with its first undefeated season, going 6-0 on the year.
- Indian Hills outscored its six conference foes 237-47, the most points for and fewest points against in the seven-team conference.
- In total, the Warriors went 10-0 in duals this year to extend their program-best winning streak to 13 duals, setting a program record for points in a season (387) along the way.
- The Warriors enter postseason play ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA, The Open Mat Team Dual, and The Open Mat Team Tournament rankings.
- Indian Hills is represented in all 10 individual weight classes in both the NJCAA and The Open Mat rankings.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
Seven teams will vie for a NJCAA North Central District Championship in one of the premiere junior college wrestling conferences in the nation.
- Four different teams have won the NJCAA North Central District Championship in each of the last four years.
- Five teams are currently ranked in the latest NJCAA Men's Wrestling Team Poll.
- Hawkeye will be making its first-ever appearance at the District championship in the program's first year of competition.
- Iowa Central took a runner-up finish in the regular season ICCAC standings followed by NIACC and Iowa Western.
- Iowa Central has claimed nine of the last 13 District championships, including six-straight from 2014-19.
- In total, 11 individual nation qualifiers from a year ago return to the mat for the 2025 NJCAA North Central District Championship, including four All-Americans.
WARRIORS AT DISTRICTS
The Warriors head to Council Bluffs for the NJCAA North Central District Championship after placing third at last year's national qualifier.
- In four years of competition at the District tournament, the Warriors have finished in the top-three three times.
- The Warriors captured the 2021 NJCAA North Central District Championship, the first year of competition for the program.
- In total, Indian Hills has captured seven individual District champions across four different weight classes.
- Indian Hills has earned 10 bids to the NJCAA National Championship in each of the last four years.
- The Warriors earned seven automatic qualifiers and three wild card bids at last year's national qualifier.
NATIONALLY RANKED INDIVIDUALS
The Warriors head into this weekend's tournament with eight of its individuals in the projected lineup ranked in at least one of the respective national polls.
- Sophomore Riley Bettich is ranked No. 1 in both the NJCAA and The Open Mat polls at 133lbs, but will compete at 125lbs this weekend.
- Freshman Andrew Marquez, ranked No. 1 in the nation at 197lbs, is ranked No. 9 in the national pound-for-pound rankings.
- Sophomore Brice Coleman has soared in the national rankings and will enter this weekend ranked No. 2 at 157lbs in The Open Mat Poll.
- Sophomore Jaquan East, an All-American last season at 174lbs, enters this weekend ranked No. 5 in the NJCAA Poll at 184lbs.
- In total, 30 nationally ranked individuals will head to Council Bluffs to compete for an individual District title.
SPREE'S NOTES
"The guys have continued to work hard and we are excited to see them have the opportunity to continue to improve in the postseason," stated head coach Cole Spree. "Should be another great NJCAA North Central District tournament with a lot of highly competitive matches like every year."
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Individual berths to the NJCAA National Tournament are on the line at the district tournament on Sunday. The top four individuals from each weight class will earn automatic berths to the NJCAA National Tournament with wild card spots available based on total number of participants. Additionally, as the host district, Region 11 will receive 10 additional qualifiers on top of their automatic qualifiers and wild cards. 10 individuals earned wild card berths from Region 11 in 2024. The 2025 NJCAA National Tournament is set for March 7-8 at the Mid-American Center in Council Bluffs, IA.
HOW TO WATCH
For the fourth consecutive year, GoHillsTV, the official streaming platform of Indian Hills Community College will provide full coverage to the NJCAA North Central District Tournament, free of charge. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:
- Facebook: visit www.facebook.com/gohillstv
- GoHillsTV App: Download the GoHillsTV app on your android or ios device
- Website: https://www.gohillstv.com/browse to catch all live and archived information
- Roku Streaming Device (new): Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!
| PROJECTED LINEUP | ||||
| Weight | Rank | Name | Class | Hometown |
| 125 | #1 / #1^ | Riley Bettich | So. | Crown Point, IN |
| 133 | #- / #- | Deontae Forest | Fr. | Godfrey, IL |
| 141 | #4 / #5 | Gavyn Whitehead | Fr. | New Castle, IN |
| 149 | #- / #- | Shehabeldin Mohamed | Fr. | Alexandria, Egypt |
| 157 | #5 / #2 | Brice Coleman | So. | Indianapolis, IN |
| 165 | #- / #10 | Cinsere Clark | Fr. | Des Moines, IA |
| 174 | #4 / #5 | Mohamed Tarek Abdelhady | Fr. | Alexandria, Egypt |
| 184 | #5 / #6 | Jaquan East | So. | Kokomo, IN |
| 197 | #1 / #1 | Andrew Marquez* | Fr. | Rock Island, IL |
| 285 | #6 / #7 | Naasir Edmonds | Fr. | Virginia Beach, VA |
| #NJCAA / #The Open Mat | ||||
| ^133lbs | ||||
| * No. 9 Pound-For-Pound | ||||
| PROJECTED LINEUPS | |||||||
| Weight | Ellsworth | Hawkeye | #2/#2 Indian Hills | #5 / #5 Iowa Central | Iowa Lakes | #24 Iowa Western | #12 / #- NIACC |
| 125 | Nick Needham | Adam Fish | Riley Bettich** | #5 / #4 Jaydale Whitlock | Dominic Chinemo | #6 / #5 Cyrus Bucsit | #- / #8 Luis Acevedo |
| 133 | Tyler Roper | Tate Turner | Deontae Forest | #5 /#4 Drew Cooper | Luke Guseman | Aaron Ohnoutka | Alejandro Rodriguez |
| 141 | Richard Barillas | Gavin Reed | #5 / #5 Gavyn Whitehead | #10 / #10 Matt Roche | Jadyn Friedrichs | Gabe Ferreira** | McKenley Charlus |
| 149 | Caiden Rentz | Macael Bear | Shehabeldin Mohamed | #9 / #9 Gary Walker III | #10 / #10 William Penn | #- / #12 Braxton Peacher | #5 / #5 Cordell White** |
| 157 | Nick Fischer | Brody Hoyt | #2 / #2 Brice Coleman | #6 / #6 Chance Davis | La Travion Agu | Dawson Bond | Hansel Pompa |
| 165 | Josh Berlin | Jackson Turner | #8 / #10 Cinsere Clark | #3 / #7 Kaden King | Fischer Hawkins** | Josiah Taylor | #9 / #11 Emmanuel Celestin** |
| 174 | Giles Cowell** | Austin Pfantz | #4 / #5 Mohamed Tarek Abdelhady | #10 / #12 Lawrence Rosario** | Braden Gissal | #10 Matteo Nikolov | Jonathan Krogman |
| 184 | Kaleb Horman** | Grant Nason | #6 / #6 Jaquan East** | #8 / #10 Sam Libby | Etheend Deyampert | Tanner Fuller | #5 /#5 Jessey Colas** |
| 197 | Zahyr Cronk | #- / #11 Isaiah Kellow | #1 / #1 Andrew Marquez | #5 / #6 Coen Grimm | Giovanni Hernandez | #- / #12 Kolby Scott | #8 / #7 Macray Klohs |
| 285 | Aiden McFadden | #10 / #10 Josh Vis | #8 / #7 Naasir Edmonds | Umair Ahmad | #- / #12 Phillip Malone | Orion Parker | Xander Kenworth** |
| BOLD - Returning NJCAA All-American | ||||||
| **- Returning National Qualifier | ||||||
| #NJCAA / # The Open Mat | ||||||
| PAST DISTRICT CHAMPIONS | |
| Year | School |
| 2024 | Iowa Central |
| 2023 | Iowa Western |
| 2022 | NIACC |
| 2021 | Indian Hills |
| 2020 | Iowa Western |
| 2019 | Iowa Central |
| 2018 | Iowa Central |
| 2017 | Iowa Central |
| 2016 | Iowa Central |
| 2015 | Iowa Central |
| 2014 | Iowa Central |
| 2013 | Ellsworth |
| 2012 | Iowa Central |
| 2011 | Iowa Central |
| PAST INDIAN HILLS DISTRICT CHAMPIONS | ||
| 2024 | Isaac Gibbs | 125lbs |
| 2023 | Kawaun Deboe | 285lbs |
| 2022 | Caleb Meekins | 133lbs |
| 2022 | Deron Pulliam | 184lbs |
| 2021 | Chris Busutil | 125lbs |
| 2021 | Caleb Meekins | 133lbs |
| 2021 | Deron Pulliam | 184lbs |
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