February 12, 2008 --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

SMC Wrestling Sending 8 To NJCAA Nationals
Pioneers Take No. 2 Team Position In Mid-Atlantic Qualifier 

SPARTANBURG – Spartanburg Methodist College brought home the No. 2 team in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Eastern District on Saturday, following the qualification of eight of the team’s wrestlers for the NJCAA Nationals. 

The National Junior College Athletic Association’s Mid-Atlantic Qualifier was held this past weekend at Gloucester County College in Sewell, NJ. 

SMC placed second out of six teams in the qualifier, with 79.5 total points. 

Three of the five SMC wrestlers making it to the final round of the qualifier went on to win their weight class. Those include Tim Burdine, a 149-lb. sophomore from Brandon, FL;  Jeremiah Webb, a 197-lb. sophomore from Beaufort, SC; and Dondricus Anderson, a 285-lb. freshman from Montrose, GA. 

Despite Nassau Community College’s overall first place win in the qualifier, SMC was able to take down two of their wrestlers in the final round.  

SMC’s Burdine won 8-3 over Nassau wrestler Andre Harrison; SMC’s Anderson claimed a 1:05 pin on Nassau wrestler Brandon Williamson.  

Webb’s final win (12-4) over Gloucester County College’s Nick Stratis helped seal SMC’s team defeat of Gloucester, the defending Division III national champions, and put the SMC team into second place in the qualifier. 

Placing second in their respective weight classes were SMC wrestler Michael Slaughter, a 133-lb. freshman from Dublin, GA, and Stephen Earwood, a 184-lb.freshman from Anderson, SC. 

SMC wrestlers Michael Boring, a 125-lb sophomore from Nags Head, NC; Carlos Morales, a 141-lb freshman from Orlando, FL; and John Murray, a 165-lb sophomore from Auburndale, FL, each placed third in their respective weight classes. 

Those eight wrestlers each qualified for the NJCAA wrestling national championship, out of SMC’s total squad of 10 at the qualifier. The national championship will be held February 21-23 in Rochester, MN. 

“Everyone went up there and wrestled tough.  It shows because we are taking 8 out of 10 wrestlers to nationals.  This is also the highest we have ever finished but we are all expecting bigger and better things at nationals,” says SMC head wrestling coach Robbie Higdon. 

Seven SMC wrestlers qualified for nationals in 2007, where the team placed 9th in Division I of the NJCAA and 13th in the field of 35 teams competing in the overall tournament, with a final score of 39. That was the highest an SMC team has placed in the national tournament during the team’s four-year history. 

“Our wrestlers are great sportsmen, who are very competitive and always represent Spartanburg Methodist College well. We’re all tremendously proud of them for an awesome season and look forward to a big success at nationals,” says SMC Athletic Director Mark Perdue. 

For more information, contact head coach Robbie Higdon at (864) 608-0974. 

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