Burlington, IA – The defending national champion Indian Hills Men's and Women's Wrestling squads open up dual action for the first time this year with a trip to Southeastern Community College Wednesday night.
DEATAILS: Indian Hills vs. Southeastern
Wednesday, November 5 | 6:00 PM (Women) | 7:00 PM (Men)
Burlington, IA | Loren Walker Arena
WATCH LIVE: Indian Hills vs. Southeastern
The Indian Hills Men's and Women's Wrestling squads, the defending National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) champions, will hit the road for its first dual test of the year against startup Southeastern Community College Wednesday night in an ICCAC conference dual.
WOMEN'S NOTES
The only program in history to win a women's wrestling title at the junior college level, the Warriors are set for a run to its sixth consecutive national championship, and fourth-straight at the NJCAA level.
- The Warriors enter the new year ranked No. 1 in the nation in the preseason TheOpenMat Team Dual and Team Tournament rankings.
- Indian Hills features four individuals in the top-10 of TheOpenMat Pound-for-Pound rankings.
- No. 1 Nevaeh Hayden (160lbs)
- No. 2 Ariah Mervilus (117lbs)
- No. 8 Kennedi Johnson-Washington (235lbs)
- No. 10 Brooklyn Noel (103lbs)
- In total, 15 individuals are ranked in the preseason rankings for the Warriors, including four individuals ranked No. 1 in their respective weight class.
- Read More: Warriors Ranked No. 1 in Preseason Poll
- Head coach Darren Wynn enters his second season at the helm of the Warriors.
- Indian Hills is coming off its opening weekend where the Warriors boasted a strong showing at the Luther Hill Invitational
- Read More: No. 1 Warriors Shine at Luther Hill Invite
- The Warriors are 16-1 all-time against ICCAC foes.
MEN'S NOTES
Fresh off a historic season that saw the Indian Hills Men's Wrestling squad capture its first national title in program history, the Warriors are set to take on the Blackhawks in an ICCAC dual.
- Under sixth-year head coach Cole Spree, the Warriors kick off its title defense after setting an NJCAA record for team points at the 2025 NJCAA National Championship.
- The Warriors return a loaded roster this year that features six returning All-Americans, three national finalists, and the program's first-ever national champions in Gavyn Whitehead and Andrew Marquez.
- Indian Hills is currently ranked No. 1 in the preseason NJCAA poll and No. 2 in both TheOpenMat Team Dual and Team Tournament rankings.
- Read More: Warriors Ranked No. 1, 2 in Preseason Polls
- Marquez enters the new year ranked No. 2 in the national pound-for-pound rankings followed by Whitehead at No. 3 and fellow sophomore Mohamed Tarek Abdelhady at No. 7.
- In total, seven individuals are ranked in the preseason NJCAA and TheOpenMat individual rankings.
- Indian Hills is coming off a strong showing at the Luther Hill Invitational that saw three individuals take top honors.
- Indian Hills posted a 10-0 overall dual record last season, including a 6-0 mark in ICCAC action.
- The Warriors have won 14 consecutive duals dating back to the 2023-24 season, including nine straight ICCAC duals.
SCOUTING THE BLACKHAWKS
Southeastern is in its inaugural year of competition at the NJCAA level on both the men's and women's side.
- The Blackhawks will be making their ICCAC dual debut against the Warriors on Wednesday night.
- Southeastern is led by head coach Gary Woods II, a former head coach at Joliet Junior College (IL).
- The Blackhawk women are ranked No. 14 in TheOpenMat Team Dual preseason poll and No. 15 in the TheOpenMat Team Tournament preseason rankings.
- Southeastern's women feature two individuals in the national rankings - Kiernan Farmer (No. 3, 160lbs) and Evelyn Phillips (No. 10, 138lbs).
- The Blackhawk men made its collegiate debut at the Yellow Jacket Open in Rochester, MN on Saturday while the women opened at the Luther Hill Invitational in Indianola, IA on Saturday.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Indian Hills women will head to the Ottawa Open on November 8 in Ottawa, KS while the men will compete at the Millikin Open November 8 in Decatur, IL.
| PROJECTED LINEUP (Women) | ||
| Class | Name | Rank (TheOpenMat) |
| 103 | Jamiyah Blount-Taylor | - |
| 110 | Chasey Karabell | 3 (103) |
| 117 | Ariah Mervilus | 1 |
| 124 | Gabriela Avila Diaz | 2 |
| 131 | Kaylea Beauchamp | 5 |
| 138 | Jasmine Wolfe | - |
| 145 | Olivia Stean | 2 |
| 160 | Afi Koumasse | 5 |
| 180 | Paola Rodriguez | 1 |
| 207 | Ileen Castrejon | 3 |
| 235 | Wyntergale Oxendine | 2 (207) |
| PROJECTED LINEUP (Men) | ||
| Class | Name | Rank (TheOpenMat / NJCAA) |
| 125 | Ashton Grace or Jayden Lee | - |
| 133 | Ashton Grace or Jayden Lee | - |
| 141 | Gavyn Whitehead | 2 / 1 |
| 149 | Jahkari Clark or Shehabeldin Mohamed | 3 / 2 (Mohamed) |
| 157 | Jahkari Clark or Shehabeldin Mohamed | - |
| 165 | Xavier Stermer or Eli Laine Roberts | - |
| 174 | Jeremiah Johnson | - |
| 184 | Johnathan Clohecy | - |
| 197 | Ryan Darnell | - |
| 285 | Justin Brown | - |
NEW YEAR - WHAT TO KNOW
Fans can keep up the Indian Hills Men's and Women's Wrestling squad all year long through a number of ways:
- X (formerly Twitter): @IHCCAthletics | @IHCCWrestling
- Facebook: Indian Hills Athletics | Indian Hills Wrestling
- Instagram: @IndianHills_CC_Wrestling | @IHCCAthletics
- Youtube: Indian Hills Athletics
- Website: www.indianhillsathletics.com
- Catch up with the history of Indian Hills Wrestling: Indian Hills Men's Wrestling Record Book | Indian Hills Men's Wrestling Record Book
- Keep up with former Indian Hills Wrestling standouts and where they are now | Next Level Warriors - Indian Hills Men's Wrestling | Next Level Warriors - Indian Hills Men's Wrestling
- All home duals take place at the Multi-Purpose Building on the Indian Hills Centerville Campus
HOW TO WATCH
As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of all Indian Hills home wrestling duals. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:
- GoHillsTV App: Download the Iowa Media Network app on your android or ios device and navigate to the GoHillsTV section
- Website: https://www.iowamedianetwork.com/gohillstv to catch all live and archived information
- Roku Streaming Device (new): Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!
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