WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Drury sophomore Jeremiah Halter advanced to the NCAA-II National Championship and the Panthers had a total of six wrestlers place at Super Regional IV, hosted by Central Missouri in Warrensburg on Saturday.
Halter finished third in the 174-pound weight class to earn a trip to the NCAA-II National Championship Tournament. The Liberty, Missouri, native opened with a 7-4 sudden-victory win in the quarterfinals over Trey Sizemore from Indianapolis. After Matt Ortiz, ranked seventh nationally out of McKendree, slipped past Halter 1-0 in the semifinals, Halter bounded back with a 7-4 win over Garrett Deason from Central Missouri. In the third-place match, Halter earned a trip to nationals with an 8-3 victory over Zane Coleman.
Halter's advancement to nationals marks the 10
th time in Drury's nine-year history they have advanced a wrestler beyond the Super Regional. It is the first time in two years the Panthers have sent a wrestler to the national championship, as Drury had three advance in 2023. Halter is the first Drury wrestler to represent the program in the 174-pound class.
Bryson Humphries,
Nate Wishne,
Trevor Christian,
Will Kuster, and
Tristan Staat all placed.
Kuster, who finished the season 30-8 at 165 pounds, finished fourth. The senior from Jefferson City, Missouri, won by Major Decision in the quarterfinals but lost a 5-4 decision in the semifinals to Cory Peterson from McKendree, ranked seventh nationally. The third-place match was between Newman's Jace Fisher, ranked 13
th in the nation against 14
th ranked Kuster, and Fisher emerged with a 4-1 win.
Tristan Staat (184 pounds) and Will Christian (149) both finished fifth, while
Bryson Humphries (125) and
Nate Wishne (141) came in sixth.
Drury's six placers match the most they have placed at the Super Regional. Drury had six place in 2023.
The NCAA-II Championships are March 14-15 at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis, Ind.
Super Regional IV Results for Drury
125
Bryson Humphries (25-10) placed 6th
Champ. Round 1 -
Bryson Humphries (Drury) 25-10 won by fall over Justin Shaw (Ouachita Baptist) 1-11 (Fall 2:49)
Quarterfinal - Nathan Smith (Indianapolis) 13-10 won by major decision over
Bryson Humphries (Drury) 25-10 (MD 12-0)
Cons. Round 2 -
Bryson Humphries (Drury) 25-10 won by decision over Dylan Sheler (Newman) 7-16 (Dec 8-5)
Cons. Round 3 -
Bryson Humphries (Drury) 25-10 won by major decision over Bryson Rowley (Kentucky Wesleyan) 8-25 (MD 14-6)
Cons. Semi - Sam Shafer (Maryville) 17-21 won by fall over
Bryson Humphries (Drury) 25-10 (Fall 1:05)
5th Place Match - Jason Strope (McKendree) 15-14 won by decision over
Bryson Humphries (Drury) 25-10 (Dec 4-0)
141
Nathan Wishne (11-20) placed 6th
Champ. Round 1 - Nathan Wishne (Drury) 11-20 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Ronan Schuelke (McKendree) 23-4 won by major decision over Nathan Wishne (Drury) 11-20 (MD 8-0)
Cons. Round 2 - Nathan Wishne (Drury) 11-20 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Nathan Wishne (Drury) 11-20 won by decision over Matthew Velasco (Kentucky Wesleyan) 25-21 (Dec 1-0)
Cons. Semi - Sabian Russell (Quincy) 30-7 won by major decision over Nathan Wishne (Drury) 11-20 (MD 13-3)
5th Place Match - Hudson Hackbarth (Maryville) 25-12 won by major decision over Nathan Wishne (Drury) 11-20 (MD 14-4)
149
Trevor Christian (24-12) placed 5th
Champ. Round 1 -
Trevor Christian (Drury) 24-12 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Garrett Lyons (Central Missouri) 23-12 won by fall over
Trevor Christian (Drury) 24-12 (Fall 1:52)
Cons. Round 2 -
Trevor Christian (Drury) 24-12 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 -
Trevor Christian (Drury) 24-12 won by major decision over Zachary Harrington (Quincy) 9-6 (MD 9-0)
Cons. Semi - Joey Semerad (McKendree) 24-6 won by major decision over
Trevor Christian (Drury) 24-12 (MD 14-4)
5th Place Match -
Trevor Christian (Drury) 24-12 won by decision over JP Homfeld (Maryville) 22-18 (Dec 7-2)
157
Joe Kuster (16-13)
Champ. Round 1 -
Joe Kuster (Drury) 16-13 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - John Ridle (Central Missouri) 24-6 won by fall over
Joe Kuster (Drury) 16-13 (Fall 6:02)
Cons. Round 2 -
Joe Kuster (Drury) 16-13 won by tech fall over Cade Johnson (Kentucky Wesleyan) 18-21 (TF-1.5 4:41 (16-1))
Cons. Round 3 - Hunter Vernon (Quincy) 17-17 won by decision over
Joe Kuster (Drury) 16-13 (Dec 7-4)
165
Will Kuster (30-8)
Champ. Round 1 -
Will Kuster (Drury) 30-8 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal -
Will Kuster (Drury) 30-8 won by major decision over Conner Johnston (Central Missouri) 18-12 (MD 13-4)
Semifinal - Cory Peterson (McKendree) 18-6 won by decision over
Will Kuster (Drury) 30-8 (Dec 5-4)
Cons. Semi -
Will Kuster (Drury) 30-8 won by tech fall over Shane Bates (Indianapolis) 14-17 (TF-1.5 4:36 (20-5))
3rd Place Match - Jace Fisher (Newman) 27-6 won by decision over
Will Kuster (Drury) 30-8 (Dec 4-1)
174
Jeremiah Halter (19-18) placed 3rd
Champ. Round 1 -
Jeremiah Halter (Drury) 19-18 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal -
Jeremiah Halter (Drury) 19-18 won in sudden victory - 1 over Trey Sizemore (Indianapolis) 7-6 (SV-1 7-4)
Semifinal - Matt Ortiz (McKendree) 20-9 won by decision over
Jeremiah Halter (Drury) 19-18 (Dec 1-0)
Cons. Semi -
Jeremiah Halter (Drury) 19-18 won by decision over Garrett Deason (Central Missouri) 4-9 (Dec 7-4)
3rd Place Match -
Jeremiah Halter (Drury) 19-18 won by decision over Zane Coleman (Central Oklahoma) 18-8 (Dec 8-3)
184
Tristan Staat (15-14) placed 5th
Champ. Round 1 -
Tristan Staat (Drury) 15-14 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Damon Ashworth (Central Missouri) 22-7 won by fall over
Tristan Staat (Drury) 15-14 (Fall 2:21)
Cons. Round 2 -
Tristan Staat (Drury) 15-14 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 -
Tristan Staat (Drury) 15-14 won by tech fall over Henry Martin (Ouachita Baptist) 6-13 (TF-1.5 6:37 (19-4))
Cons. Semi - Dalton Litzsinger (Maryville) 24-16 won by tech fall over
Tristan Staat (Drury) 15-14 (TF-1.5 1:30 (15-0))
5th Place Match -
Tristan Staat (Drury) 15-14 won by medical forfeit over Aidan Petersen (Indianapolis) 15-15 (MFFL)
197
Wade Stanton (3-9)
Champ. Round 1 -
Wade Stanton (Drury) 3-9 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Logan Kvien (McKendree) 18-1 won by fall over
Wade Stanton (Drury) 3-9 (Fall 2:24)
Cons. Round 2 -
Wade Stanton (Drury) 3-9 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Brayden Dillow (Central Missouri) 13-16 won by fall over
Wade Stanton (Drury) 3-9 (Fall 5:37)
285
Jack Stoffel (12-20)
Champ. Round 1 - Judson Rowland (Central Oklahoma) 12-7 won by fall over
Jack Stoffel (Drury) 12-20 (Fall 6:16)
Cons. Round 1 -
Jack Stoffel (Drury) 12-20 received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 2 - Caleb Wunsch (Newman) 26-11 won by fall over
Jack Stoffel (Drury) 12-20 (Fall 2:02)
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