Men's Wrestling 4th Best Team in Kansas

Left to Right: Tyler Hinton, Kevin Andres, Tyler Hinton Wrestling and Grant Hollingsworth. Photos by Calvin Shepherd

OTTAWA--As the lights dropped over the Newman University gym for the Kansas Cup finals, four Ottawa Braves wrestlers prepared for their big matches. With Kaleb Furr, third place, and Mark Smith, fourth place, already holding medals in their hands, the team sat in the fourth place spot pending how the final matches would turn out.  

Grant Hollingsworth, Tyler Hinton, Kasey Crump and Armando Contreras had battled their way through every Kansas colligate teams including teams in the NAIA, Junior College and NCAA to compete to be the best college wrestler in the state of Kansas.  

“Last year we only place three guys total, 2 in the finals and one for sixth place,” said Head Coach Kevin Andres, “so this year to place six guys with four in the finals was a vast improvement.” 

Grant Hollingsworth was first up for the Braves at the 133-pound weight class. Hollingsworth had pinned his first opponent and won his second match with a nail-biting last minute takedown. He was bested by Cy Trindle from LaBette Community College in a 16-1 final score.  

Team captain, Tyler Hinton, who had also won his second match with a last second heart attack pin, followed Hollingsworth. Hinton stands to be the only All-American on the Braves team. Dilon Scanlon of Benedictine College could not out match Hinton. He picked up the win for the team with a score of 13-1.  

“Going into the tournament, I had a mindset to always show improvements,” Hinton said when discussing the win. “So that’s what I did.” 

At the 197-weight class, another team captain, Kasey Crump, stepped out on the mat to wrestle a NCAA Division II Newman University Wrester, Dalton Weidl. Weidl just happened to be native to Ottawa, Kansas.  Crump wrestled a very close match losing 6-4. 

The final match of the night was headed up by heavyweight, Armando Contreras. Contreras made his way to the finals with a close first match, winning that one only 2-1, and a quick pin in his second. Contreras was wrestling a very close match with Dakota Gulley from Fort Hays University when he fell to his back and got pinned.  

Just when the Braves thought the day had ended and there were no more wins to come, an announcement came over the loud speaker. Tyler Hinton had won the coach-voted “Outstanding Wrestler” award.  

“Winning ‘Outstanding Wrestler’ at the Kansas Cup is one of my biggest accomplishments ever because year I took second at this tournament,” Hinton said. “I’m thankful and blessed for all the training and support I get.” 

The Braves became the forth-best team in Kansas on their road towards the National Qualifier.