CHANUTE, Kan. – Despite only seven wrestlers qualifying for the NJCAA Wrestling National Championship, the Neosho Panthers defied the odds placing 5th in the team standings while claiming 5 All-Americans.

The Panthers finished with 83.0 points in the final team standings, 1.5 points behind 4th place finisher and West/Central District rival Colby Community College. Neosho was the only team to finish in the top 10 in the team standings that didn't have a wrestler competing at every weight class.

"We were 1.5 points from fourth place and that team had two guys in the championship finals," said head coach Wayne Petterson. "What we accomplished doesn't happen very often. To place in the top five and not have a single guy in the finals is tough to do."

While the Panthers failed to have a wrestler reach the championship finals, they racked up bonus points with many dominating wins. As a team, the Panthers posted a 24-15 record but scored bonus points in 18 of their wins. Neosho combined for 10 wins by fall, 5 major decisions, 2 injury defaults, and 1 tech fall.

The top finisher for the Panthers was freshman Lemuel Johnson who finished fourth at 133 pounds to earn All-American honors. Johnson posted a 5-2 record including 3 wins by fall and one major decision. His 3 falls brought his season total to team leading 19.

Returning All-American Tim Prescott (125 pounds) matched his 5th place finish as a freshman with another 5th place finish in his sophomore campaign.. This is the third consecutive season that a Panther has earned back to back All-American honors joining Jeff Vesta (2010, 2011) and Le'Roy Barnes (2012, 2013). It is the ninth time in the program's history that a Panther earned the honor as a freshman and a sophomore. He was dominant in his 6 wins with three coming by fall, a major decision, and 1 tech fall.

A pair of transfers made the most in their sophomore season's at Neosho. O'Shea Smith-Traylor (165 pounds) and Austin Warren (184 pounds) each competed in the National Championships at Rend Lake College before transferring to Neosho. Smith-Traylor finished 5th in the 2012 National Championship and followed that up with a 5th place finish for the Panthers. He posted a 4-2 record including one fall on his way to earning All-American honors for the second time in his career. Warren, a national qualifier last season, earned All-American honors by placing 5th with a 4-2 record including a major decision.

The final All-American for the Panthers was 197 pound freshman Dillon Archer who finished 8th. Archer went 3-3 on the weekend while picking up a pair of wins by fall and a major decision.

Two more wrestlers proved valuable to the Panthers despite not making the podium. Freshman Alex Shea (141 pounds) and Drew Benner (174) each went 1-2 on the weekend but scored big points for the Panthers as Shea's win came by way of a major decision and Benner's by fall.

"This has been my goal [top five finish] since I got here nine years ago. I am extremely proud of our guys and their efforts to accomplish this at the National Championship. Each of the seven young men contributed to this and that really makes it special. They wrestled their tails off every match, win or lose, and that is what we strive for out of our guys. I happy for each of them as well as our assistants who were a big part of this as well," said Petterson.

The 5th place finish by the Panthers is the third best in school history and the best since a runner up finish during the 2001-02 season. This is also the best finish in Wayne Petterson's tenure at Neosho. The Panthers had previously finished 8th twice before this season's finish. It is the sixth time in Petterson's nine seasons that the Panthers have finished in the top 15 nationally.

The West/Central District was also well represented in the final standings as three of the top five teams came out of the Panthers district including National Champion Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and fourth place finisher Colby.

http://goneosho.com/news/2014/3/5/WREST_0305141910.aspx