DETAILS:
NCAA III Wrestling National Championships
March 13-14, 2020
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
U.S. Cellular Arena

PREVIEW: 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. Rankin, a junior wrestling in the 125-pound weight class, qualified for nationals after finishing second at the NCAA III Regional. The native of Plano, Texas, owns a 25-4 record this season. He will open the tournament Friday morning (11:00 am) wrestling Logan Ninos from Ithaca. Ninos, a sophomore, is 29-11. It is the second time Rankin has qualified for the NCAA III Wrestling National Championships. He first went as a freshman.

"Every wrestler at Nationals wants to win a national title," he said. "I have confidence going into the tournament that I can win a title, too. I feel like I am where I need to be right now as a wrestler."  

Rankin has been fueled all season by missing nationals last year.

"I've definitely carried the feeling of not qualifying last season as a huge motivating factor all throughout the season," he said. "In fact, I had last year's fifth place trophy I received at regionals sitting above my locker so that I would see it every day. Any time I would have a tough practice or a difficult time and wanted to take the easy way out, I would dig down to that horrible feeling I had of not qualifying. I don't think I would be the wrestler I am today without that motivation." 

The 2020 Championships marks the third year in a row the program has sent a wrestler to the NCAA III National Championships under head coach LeRoy Gardner.

"We are excited about Nathan's prospects," said Gardner. "I look for him to make a run at the podium. He can be a national champion if he wrestles his best. He has really used the last two years as a learning opportunity to get better. I think that is what makes him great and why he is in the spot he is in. He is a fierce competitor. He hates losing and will do everything he can to win. He wants to find out what he is capable of. He has risen to whatever we ask, and that is the fun part of coaching him. I want Nathan to make it a long fight because if you are in a gut check and it is about who has the bigger heart and more lungs, then I will take Nathan." 

Gardner also believes Rankin has something to prove.

"Nathan was hurt last year after not qualifying," said Gardner. "He has a point to prove and has a chip on his shoulder. I tell the guys all the time that wrestling really doesn't care how you feel, it will give you the truth every time. If you don't perform your best, you get beat by the guy that is."  

Under Gardner, the wrestling program has had four wrestlers qualify for Nationals.



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TICKETS
All Sessions - CLICK HERE
Session I (Fri.) - CLICK HERE
Session II (Fri.) - CLICK HERE
Session III (Sat.) - CLICK HERE
Session IV (Sat.) - CLICK HERE