RCTC Wrestling
NWCA National Duals Summary:
1st Rd: RCTC vs Garrett College (Win 45-0)
2nd Rd: RCTC vs Joliet Community College (Win 33-21)
3rd Rd: RCTC vs Niagra Community College (Win 29-20)
4th Rd: RCTC vs Jamestown Community College (Win 29-15)
The RCTC Yellowjackets completed a perfect 4-0 run through the NWCA National Duals to win the JUCO National Duals Title.
In the first match Rocco Visci started things off by getting a fall in 2:30 giving us a 6-0 lead and Cael Bartels followed that up winning a nail biter 10-9. That was a huge momentum boost for us as Cael went up a weight and beat a tough opponent. The Yellowjackets never looked back as the team won all 10 Matches in the dual with other big points coming from Parker Dobrocky who earned a Technical Fall and Walker Ingham who pinned his opponent in 1:20.
In the second round the Hive took on Joliet Community College. Things were a little tougher this round as the Jackets gave up 6 points to start due to a disqualification call. We were in a hole when Cael Bartels at 133 came up with a big pin of his own to tie up the team score 6-6. Next up was team captain Parker Dobrocky who beat his opponent 17-2 to give RCTC a lead 11-6. Owen Pharo received a forfeit at 149 making the team score 17-6. Joliet rattled off 2 wins in a row pinning VonRuden at 157 and getting a win at 165. It was 17-15 going into 174. However with 2 forfeits and 2 more falls including a :48 pin by Armani Tucker at HWT the Yellowjackets pulled away to win 33-21.
Next up in Round 3 the team took on Niagra Community College. It was a pretty back and forth battle. Due to forfeit, Niagra took an early lead until Bartels and Dobrocky got to their offense, scoring all kinds of points including a 20-5 technical fall by Dobrocky. RCTC went up 11-6. Niagra bounced back earning a win at 149 and a Fall at 157 to take the lead 15-11. Walker Ingham and Armani Tucker earned their 2nd pins on the day and Colton Krell won a hard fought battle 5-2. In the end the Yellowjackets advanced with a 29-20 win.
In the final round for the Championship RCTC was paired against Jamestown Community College. Again down 6-0 the team knew they were in a dog fight. Winning 4 really close matches for the team were Cael Bartels, Owen Pharo, Colton Krell (in a wild overtime match 13-9), and Zach Stahl getting his first win on the day.
"As a team going in we were a little bit banged up and were definitely not at full strength but the lineup we put out fought their butts off all day long. Getting big wins when we needed them and battling through injuries and adversity the team got it done. I don't think it was our best performance of the year however I give props to the team for finding a way to win when things were not going their way. This tournament will give us good momentum moving forward as we go into our Conference Dual CHampionships this week and the National Qualifier coming up in February. We have a lot to be proud of and small accomplishments to celebrate but at the same time we have so much to work on. It is going to be a fun last 7 weeks, as it feels like a sprint to the finish. Roll Hive!" -Coach Hack
Going Undefeated:
Cael Bartels (4-0)
Walker Ingham (4-0)
Armani Tucker (3-0)
Zach Stahl (1-0)
Owen Thorn (3-0)
One Loss Wrestlers:
Parker Dobrocky (3-1)
Owen Pharo (3-1)
Rocco Visci (1-1)
Zach Wells (3-1)
