February 27, 2008 --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

SMC Wrestling Finishes 22nd At NJCAA Wrestling Nationals
Beaufort Native Jeremiah Webb Places 7th, Claims All American 

SPARTANBURG – The Spartanburg Methodist College wrestling team battled their way to a 22nd place overall finish this past weekend at the National Junior College Athletic Association’s national wrestling championships in Rochester, MN, against the fiercest junior college competition the team has ever seen. 

SMC’s 22nd place finish out of 36 total teams put the team at an 18th place finish out of Division I participants. 

“The competition was very tough this year.  The thing about Junior College-level wrestling is that it is unpredictable because of the turnover rate and the movement of wrestlers into other weight classes.  There were a lot of returning All Americans and national qualifiers, especially at the 149 and 165 pound weight classes.  Our performance at nationals was very strong though,” says head wrestling coach Robbie Higdon. 

SMC sophomore Jeremiah Webb, of Beaufort, SC, went 3-2, defeating Iowa Central Community College’s Kevin Kelly, to place seventh in the overall tournament. Webb also claimed a nod for NJCAA All-American wrestling status for the second year in a row. 

“Jeremiah wrestled tough all season. He’s a very strong wrestler and a great leader on our team. We’re all  very proud of what he has accomplished in his two years here at SMC. To be named All-American two years in a row is a very impressive accomplishment,” Higdon says. 

SMC sophomore wrestlers Tim Burdine, of Brandon, FL, and John Murray, of Auburndale, FL, both went 2-2 for the tournament, but were eliminated in the fourth round of action.  

Eliminated in the third round were SMC’s Michael Boring, a sophomore from Nags Head, NC, and Carlos Morales, a freshman from Orlando, FL, who both went 1-2; and freshman heavyweight Dondricus Anderson, from Montrose, GA, who finished 2-2. 

Teammate Michael Slaughter, a freshman from Dublin, GA, was eliminated with an 0-2 record in the second round consolation. Freshman Stephen Earwood, from Anderson, SC, went 1-2 to be eliminated in the second round championship. 

The Pioneers’ regular season was laden with NCAA Division I and II competition, including four tournaments. In dual meets, the Pioneers wrestled against seven NCAA Division II schools, as well as Division I Gardner-Webb University.  

The Pioneers’ two dual meet wins were against Darton College, a junior college is Georgia, and St. Andrews Presbyterian, an NCAA Division II school. 

“To have wrestled the caliber of teams that we did during our regular season, we were expecting to go further in nationals. But we were very excited to go and are proud of our performance this season. Overall, we had an amazing season,” says Higdon. 

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia, and West Virginia.  

The College is in its 97th year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning. 

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

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