Wrestling Wins Eastern District II Tournament, Crowns 5 Champions & Coach of the Year
Spartanburg Methodist College wrestling program won its first ever Eastern District II Team title in program history, crowning 5 individual champions. The Eastern District tournament is the national qualifying event wrestler junior college wrestling. It's the equivalent to a region championship in most other junior college sports. SMC not only won but won by more than 20 team points to Camden who placed second. 133lbs Tramon Jenkins (Beaufort, SC), 149lbs Aaron Fountain (Live Oak, FL), 157lbs Brandon Harris (Greensboro, NC), 197lbs Evan Makupson (Thomasville, NC) and 285lbs Andrew Wade (Cambridge, MD) all won individual titles for SMC. Also placing for the Pioneers were 174lbs Caleb Spears who placed 3rd and 165lbs Jamal Brannon who placed 4th.
In order to qualify for the NJCAA National Tournament, each individual had to place within the top 3 of their respective weight class. The Pioneers saw 7 individuals place top 3 and will be traveling to Council Bluffs, IA to compete at the NJCAA National Wrestling Championships on February 23rd – 24th. Those 5 wrestlers who were crowned champions in their weight class earned a top 8 "seed" at the national tournament.
In addition to an outstanding performance by the Pioneers, Coach Oliver in just his 3rd season as Head Coach, was awarded Coach of the Year for the Eastern District. The Pioneers won their first ever team title in the thirteen year history of the program, and also had the most ever individual champions in one year. The Pioneers will move forward and attempt to earn individuals All-America status at the NJCAA National Tournament. Currently they have 2 individuals ranked in the top 8 in the national poll.
You can find all information on the national tournament, including brackets through the link below.