PLAINVIEW, Texas – The No. 2-ranked Indiana Tech men's wrestling team repeated as Sooner Athletic Conference Champions on Saturday inside the Pete and Nelda Laney Center with 174.5 points and seven individual champions. The Warriors outscored second-place Oklahoma City University by 40.5 points to run away with its second-ever conference title.
Sawyer Miller and
Erique Early were named Co-Wrestlers of the Year, with the latter repeating as the SAC's top grappler while head coach
Thomas Pompei was named the SAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season. The Warriors had 11 wrestlers qualify for the NAIA National Championships next month in Des Moines, Iowa: Miller, Early,
Gaige Torres,
Robert Humphrey,
Justin Atkinson,
Mason Gaines,
Jacob Gross,
Eric Vermillion,
Jake Weimer,
Josue Hill and
Oscar Martinez, with 10 wrestlers earning automatic bids to the championships from their finishes at the SAC meet. It is the fourth time that Miller and Early have qualified for the NAIA National Championships while it is the third time for Atkinson and Gross. Torres, Humphrey, Gaines and Martinez are all making their second trip to the national championships while it is the first time that Vermillion, Weimer and Hill have qualified.
Miller won both his matches on the day, starting off the tournament with a pin in 62 seconds and following that up with an 8-2 win in the 125-lbs. finals. Early rolled his way to his second straight title at 133-lbs. with a 12-3 major decision, 24-9 tech fall and a pin in the championship.
Atkinson won a pair of one-point decisions before forfeiting to Humphrey in the finals at 149-lbs., who had pinned his opponent in his semifinal matchup. Torres pinned his semifinal opponent in 48 seconds before winning his second straight SAC title. Gaines went 3-0 and won in sudden victory in the 157-lbs. finals, 3-1.
Gross had a pair of decisions to win the 165-lbs. title while Vermillion went 3-1 at 174-lbs, rebounding from a semifinal loss to finish in third place. Weimer took second at 174-lbs. and fell to the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships, OCU's Chase Vincent, 5-3. Hill had a pair of pins to win the 184-lbs. title while Martinez dropped a pair of matches after reaching the finals to take true third.
Jonathan Watkins went 3-2 at 157-lbs. and finished third.
Tech now turns its attention to the NAIA National Championships March 1-2 in Des Moines, Iowa.
