Clarksville, Ark.-Former University of Wyoming wrestler Doyle Trout was named the new University of the Ozarks assistant men’s and women’s wrestling coach, it was announced by the athletics department this week.
Clarksville, Ark.-University of the Ozarks President Richard L. Dunsworth, J.D., has accepted an appointment as chair of the NCAA Division III Infractions Appeals Committee beginning immediately.
Clarksville, Ark.-The University of the Ozarks Athletic Department held a virtual awards ceremony Tuesday, May 19 on Zoom to honor student-athlete accomplishments and name the 2019-2020 Athlete of the Year winners.
Clarksville, Ark.-The University of the Ozarks Athletics Department has unveiled a completely redesigned web site, courtesy of PrestoSports, it was announced Friday (April 24).
Clarksville, Ark.-Junior wrestler Nathan Rankin capped the 2019-2020 season with Division III Second Team All-America honors from the National Wrestling Coaches Association, it was announced Tuesday.
Clarksville, Ark.-University of the Ozarks is extending Spring Break and cancelling all classes, effective immediately, for the next two weeks to best protect students and the broader community in response to risks associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Richardson, Texas-The American Southwest Conference announced today (March 13) the Council of Presidents has chosen to immediately cancel all Conference (ASC) athletics competition and championship events for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year.
Clarksville, Ark.-University of the Ozarks wrestler Nathan Rankin will represent the Eagles at the NCAA III Wrestling National Championships March 13-14 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Clarksville, Ark.-The University of the Ozarks men’s wrestling team is set to compete in the 2020 NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Regional Championships Saturday, Feb. 29 and Sunday, March 1 in Dubuque, Iowa.
Dubuque, Iowa-The Eagles finished the NCAA III Lower Midwest Regional in tenth-place in the toughest regional in the country. Nathan Rankin (125) advanced to the NCAA III National Championships with a second-place finish. Rankin will represent the Eagles March 13-14 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jerhett Lee (285) placed sixth overall at the regional and Ndayambaje John (174) placed eighth. Rankin posted a fall (1:22) against Griffin Gravel from Cornell College. Rankin then posted another fall (6:21) against Zac Blasioli from Millikin. Rankin had another fall (5:25) against Dylan McChesney from Simpson College to advance to the championship final. However, Rankin lost by decision (3-2) against Robbie Precin from North Central in the final. Corey Muniz (133) had a big win in his first match, a 2-1 win by decision. Sergio Nugent (141) had a major decision (11-3) win against Alex Cruz from Augustana. Nugent later won by decision (9-4) against his opponent from Huntingdon. John had a 9-5 win by decision against Floyd Miller from Buena Vista in his opening match. John later posted a technical fall against Jayson Spencer from Huntingdon. At 184, Miguel Baray had a win by decision (5-1) against Nikolas Perovic from MacMurray. Baray also had a fall (3:41) against Shane Mathias from Simpson. Lee opened with a 3-2 win by decision against Justin Hennessy from Nebraska Wesleyan. Lee followed that with another 3-2 win by decision against Frank Tomaskovic from Millikin.
Montgomery, Ala.-The Eagles finished as the runner-up in the Southeast Conference Championships in Alabama Saturday. It was the second straight season the Eagles have finished as runner-up. The Eagles now turn their attention to the NCAA Division III Regionals February 29-March 1 in Iowa. Highlighting the championships were individual titles by Nathan Rankin (125) and Jerhett Lee (285). Additionally, Rankin was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament and Lee was named 2019-2020 Conference Wrestler of the Year. At the tournament, the Eagles had the most match points (388) and the most pins in the least amount of time (43.01). Miguel Baray finished second in the 184-pound weight division. Rankin won by tech fall and then by fall in the championship match. Lee won by fall, won by decision and then won by decision in the championship match.
Clarksville, Ark.-Before a packed Mabee Gymnasium, the Eagles celebrated Senior Night in grand fashion with a dominating win over NAIA Williams Baptist University 36-9 Wednesday. After honoring the senior class, Nathan Rankin starting things off with a 14-1 win over Tahnell Palmer. Sergio Nugent later posted a 10-3 win. N’Dayambje John kept the momentum going for the Eagles with a 14-4 victory. Miguel Baray got a 11-2 win on Senior Night, Montana Doty had a spectacular win by fall and Jerhett Lee remained steady with a 3-0 win in the final bout. The Eagles will now prepare for the Southeast Conference Championships February 15 in Montgomery, Alabama.
Clarksville, Ark.-The Eagles went a perfect 2-0 in Saturday’s duals against Ottawa University and Huntingdon College. The Eagles claimed a 27-15 win over NAIA Ottawa University and then followed that with a 31-21 win over NCAA III Huntingdon College. Against Ottawa, Sergio Nugent posted a win by decision (4-3) after Nathan Rankin received a forfeit win. Zane Sims evened the score 12-12 with a win by decision (13-8). The Eagles took momentum of the match after Ndayambaje John collected a technical fall. Ottawa did battle back to gain three points, but Montana Doty at 197 posted a major decision (16-6) and Jerhett Lee had a fall at 285. Against Huntingdon, Rankin started the match in strong fashion with a technical fall. At 133, Stephen Fox posted a decision (9-3) and Nugent won his second match of the day with a technical fall at 141. Huntingdon made the match close as it won the next three bouts. But John and Miguel Baray both had falls. In the final match, Lee won again by fall.
Mount Vernon, Iowa-Nathan Rankin led the Eagles at the Cliff Keen-Mike Duroe Invitational Saturday in Iowa by winning the 125-pound division. Rankin defeated nationally-ranked Tristan Jenny from UW-La Crosse by fall (3:52) to earn first place. Rankin won by fall (4:16) against his first opponent and then by decision (9-5) to advance to the finals. Corey Muniz (133) placed third. He won by a sudden victory and a tech fall, and then posted a decision (4-0) and major decision (14-0). At 157, Russell Miller placed eighth. At 165, Zane Sims placed seventh. Ndayambaje John (174) also placed seventh.
Conway, Ark.-The Eagles placed fourth at the Central Baptist College Invitational Saturday in Conway. Nathan Rankin highlighted the Eagles effort by winning the 125-pound division. Rankin topped Christopher Sharp from Marian University by Fall (6:26) in the first-place match. Ndayambaje John placed second in the 174-pound division. Matthew Malheiro was third in the 149-pound division. Zane Sims was third in the 165-pound division. Corey Muniz was fourth in the 133-pound division. Montana Doty was fourth in the 197-pound division.
Springfield, Mo.-The Eagles had a big day in Springfield, Missouri, Friday topping NCAA II Drury University and NCAA III Fontbonne University. The Eagles defeated Drury 23-22 and Fontbonne 53-0 to post a 2-0 road record. Against Fontbonne, the Eagles dominated every match. According to head coach LeRoy Gardner, both Stephen Fox and Durrell Thompson had impressive wins. Nathaneal Rankin (125) won against Austin Cornell by Fall (4:35). Fox (133) topped Tanner Koester by Fall (1:31). Thompson (141) had a sudden victory win over Noah Patton (7-5). Matthew Malheiro (149) won against David Vance by Fall (0:55). At 174, Ndayambaje John topped Micah Dennis by TF (23-8 6:00), Miguel Baray (184) defeated Dalton Rawlins by Fall (2:29) and Jerhett Lee (285) won over Joseph Johnson by Decision (3-2). The Eagles grinded out a hard-fought win against the Panthers from Drury in the second match of the day. Gardner noted pins by Rankin and Baray pushed the Eagles to a victory. Fox topped Chris Hansen by major decision (MD 14-3). Sergio Nugent (149) defeated Riley McCall by decision (7-4). John posted a major decision (13-5) win against Tucker Caswell. Baray took down Logan Zimmermann by Fall (3:42).
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-Five Eagles faced stiff NCAA III competition at the Citrus Invite in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, over the holiday weekend. The two-day tournament featured Montana Doty (197), Ndayambaje John (174), Jerhett Lee (285), Corey Muniz (133) and Nathan Rankin (125) on the mat. Lee had the highest finish for the Eagles placing third overall. There were 34 wrestlers in the 285-pound division. Lee won by decision against Ethan Hofacker from Augsburg (Dec 7-2), won by decision over Parker Meaney from Baldwin-Wallace (Dec 5-1), won by major decision over Quincy Spiering from St Johns (Maj 10-2) and won by decision over Tyler Kim from Augsburg (Dec 4-1). Rankin placed fourth overall. Rankin defeated Patrick Lockwood from New York University by tech fall (TF 17-1). He then won by major decision over Kyle Murray from John Carrol (Maj 10-1), won by decision over Justin Stauffacher from Augsburg (Dec 8-3) and won by decision over David Yeh from Williams College (Dec 11-5). Muniz placed eighth overall. Muniz won by tech fall over Callum McAllister from Cornell College (TF 18-0), won by tech fall over Hanting Won from Johns Hopkins (TF 18-0) and won by decision over Chad Craft from Baldwin Wallace (Dec 5-2). John won by fall over John Falco from Rhode Island College (Fall 5:31) and won by decision over Alecsander Horne from Washington & Lee (Dec 6-4). Doty won by fall over Frank Milella (Cornell College) (Fall 2:10).
Nashville, Tenn.-The Eagles took on some of the toughest competition in NCAA Division III and dropped each match at the Gator Boots Duals in Nashville, Tennessee Saturday. The Eagles lost to Millikin 34-11, Concordia University Wisconsin 22-20, Simpson College 25-15 and Wisconsin-Eau Claire 38-14. Nathan Rankin (125) and Jerhett Lee (285) both went 4-0 at the event. Ndayambaje John finished with a 3-1 record. Rankin had two tech falls, a decision and a major decision. Lee had two falls and two decisions. John won by decision in all three of his fights.
Pratt, Kansas-The Eagles saw plenty of success at the first annual Pratt Community College Beaver Open Saturday in Pratt, Kansas. Four Eagles finished as runner-up in their weight division. Corey Muniz (133), Connor Klein (165), Ndayambaje John (165) and Montana Doty (197) all finished second. Nathan Rankin (125) placed third, while Zane Sims (165) took fourth. Muniz won by decision over Drew Burgoon (Barton) (Dec 8-4) and then won by major decision over Dalen Moore (Northeast Oklahoma) (Maj 13-4). Klein won by fall over Nosa Johnbull (Unattached) (Fall 1:16) and won by fall over Luke Culbertson (Pratt Community College) (Fall 1:31) in the semi-final. John won by decision over Dailen Presgrove (Oklahoma Wesleyan) (Dec 8-5) and won by tech fall over Garrett Haskins (Unattached) (TF 21-6) in the semi-finals. Doty won by decision over Bryce Westmoreland (Pratt Community College) (Dec 6-3) and won by fall over Titus Woodward (Oklahoma Wesleyan ) (Fall 1:06).
Little Rock, Ark.-The wrestling team opened Little Rock?s home season and lost 34-6 to the NCAA Division I Trojans. The Eagles picked up wins at 149 with Jaylen York and 285 with Jerhett Lee. York had a 11-4 decision over Tyler Brennan and Lee had a 4-0 decision over Gunner Cash. A large crowd gathered for the Trojans first ever home dual. The Trojans controlled the match, but head coach LeRoy Gardner feels like the team can build upon the match. "Little Rock has a group of fundamentally sound guys. My hats off to them. This was a great event and a great day for Arkansas wrestling. I thought we competed, but not every match came out like we wanted. We want to use this match as information to see where we can work and improve. They don't give out NCAA championships at this point of the season."
Clarksville, Ark.-The Eagles posted a 2-1 record at the Ouachita Baptist University Quad November 16 in Arkadelphia. The Eagles only loss came against NAIA power Oklahoma City University, a 27-12 setback. The Eagles topped Ouachita Baptist 45-3 and Emmanuel College 23-20. The Eagles will now prepare for a match against NCAA Division I Little Rock University November 23. The Trojans will host their first-ever home match against the Eagles. Against Ouachita Baptist, Stephen Fox (125), Corey Muniz (133), Sergio Nugent (141) Jaylen York (149), Tracey Eitel (157), Kade McMahon (165), Ndayambaje John (174), Miguel Baray (184) and Jerhett Lee (285) all had wins. Fox, Nugent, John and Lee all won by fall. Eitel, McMahon and Baray all won by decision. Muniz and York won by technical fall. Against Emmanuel, Muniz won by decision (4-2). Nugent won by decision (9-3). John won with a major decision (22-8). Baray also won by a mjaor decision (13-2). Sotolongo won by decision (8-5).
Little Rock, Ark.-The wrestling team won its second dual of the season with a dominating 45-4 win over Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock. At 141, Toby Adams defeated Dayvone Marshall (Fall 0:42). At 174, Connor Klein defeated Chance Costello. Jr (Fall 2:05). At 285, Jerhett Lee took down Darron Harvey (Dec 8-4).
St. Louis, Mo.-Competing against NCAA I, NCAA II, NCAA III and NAIA opponents throughout the day, the Eagles put up a strong effort at the Kaufman-Brand Open Saturday in St. Louis
Clarksville, Ark.-With an electric atmosphere on the outdoor tennis courts, the Eagles put on a show in their 41-10 convincing win against Lyon College today. It was the season-opener for both teams. "We came out guns blazing, that is what our team is trying to build ourselves around this year," said Kade McMahon. "We want to hit our opponents fast and hard and I think we showed that today." Jaylen York (149) took down Carlos Cuevas 12-4. McMahon (165) was impressive in his win by fall against John Gray. N'Dayambje John (174) grinded out a hard-fought win by major decision (17-7). Montana Doty (197) had several highlight reel moves in his win by fall. Heavyweight Cameron Oliver finished off the match with another hard-fought match winning by decision (3-2).
Clarksville, Ark.-With another NCAA III National qualifier last season, the University of the Ozarks wrestling team is continuing to surge under head coach LeRoy Gardner. Gardner, beginning his fourth year, not only had his third national qualifier at Ozarks, but the Eagles also finished as runner-up at their conference championships. Four wrestlers won individual conference titles - Nathan Rankin (125), Miguel Baray (184), Adolfo Sotolongo (197) and Jerhett Lee (285) - and Gardner was named the Conference Coach of the Year. Lee, who advanced to nationals last season, leads a group of strong returners for the 2019-2020 season. Rankin qualified for nationals two years ago, while Corey Muniz, Jaylen York, Russell Miller, Ndayambaje John, Alejandro Ordonez, Tracey Eitel, Sergio Nugent provide the Eagles with depth and talent on the mat. Beginning its sixth year of existence, the Eagles have its highest expectations in program history.
Clarksville, Ark.-University of the Ozarks has been recognized as the 2018-19 American Southwest Conference Sports Information Department of the Year as selected by the conference sports information directors.