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University of the Ozarks

University of The Ozarks Athletics

Eagles Wrap Up Regional Tournament With Four In Top-8

Nathan Rankin and the Eagles placed 12th at the NCAA III Lower Midwest Regional in Iowa.
Posted: Feb 26, 2022

Match Details
 NCAA DIII Lower Midwest Regional
Day Two, Saturday, Feb. 26
Dubuque, Iowa

On the Mat
 Dubuque, Iowa-Four University of the Ozarks wrestlers finished in the top eight in their respective weight classes at the 2022 NCAA DIII Lower Midwest Regional Tournament in Dubuque, Iowa. Nathan Rankin, Jake Dado and Jonathan Ward each placed sixth and Ka'Ron Lewis placed seventh to pace the Eagles. As a team, the Eagles finished in 12th place out of 18 teams. Rankin (125) and Dado (141) both dropped hard-fought matches in the main draw semifinals to the eventual champions in their respective weight divisions. Rankin, a two-time nationals qualifier, fell to Shannon Akeo of Central College in a tight 9-8 decision and Dado dropped a 7-0 decision to Zayren Terukina of Wartburg. Rankin ends his career as the most decorated wrestlers in school history. Ward, a freshman, made an impressive run in the tournament, scoring 8 points for the Eagles and advancing to the semifinals of the 174-pound consolation round before losing to Tristin Westphal of Coe College in a fall. Ward went 3-3 in his NCAA regionals debut. Lewis, also a freshman, (285) went 3-2 in the tournament, losing in the third round of the consolation round on Saturday before winning the seventh place match by medical default. He scored 7.5 points for Ozarks. For the weekend, nine of the 10 Eagle wrestlers won at least one match in the tournament, which is considered the toughest DIII regional in the country.

Team Scores
1. Wartburg College - 158.5
2. Loras College - 149.5
3. Coe College - 148.5
4. North Central College - 143.0
5. Millikin University - 116.0
6. Central College (Iowa) - 97.5
7. Luther College - 76.5
8. Cornell College - 51.5
9. University Of Dubuque - 49.0
10. Augustana College (Illinois) - 45.0
11. Simpson College - 39.5
12. University Of The Ozarks - 38.0
13. Nebraska Wesleyan University - 19.0
14. Buena Vista University - 18.5
15. Huntingdon College - 17.5
16. Westminster College (Missouri) - 7.5
17. Fontbonne University - 0.0
17 Schreiner University - 0.0