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Release Date:

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Wrestling Team Scores Well in Individual Rankings

HFC grappler Jeffrey Henderson (top) ranked No. 4 in the NCWA Individual Rankings.

The HFC Wrestling Club has scored respectably well in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association’s (NCWA) Individual Rankings.

HFC grapplers Jeffrey Henderson ranked No. 4, Diallo Matsimela ranked No. 7, Christopher Brown ranked No. 9, and both Chad Dunn and Trey Gower ranked No. 13. Additionally, HFC ranked No. 9 in NCWA Division 1 (D1) Team Rankings.

These rankings come on the heels of the Wrestling Club winning big at the Ben McMullen Open in Muskegon in early November where the grapplers competed against Ferris State University (FSU) in Big Rapids; Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Allendale; Mott Community College in Flint; and the University of Toledo (U-T).

These five teams competed against varsity National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 3 (D3) and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) programs, which accounted for 15 semifinalists; a finalist in eight of the 10 weight classes; claimed nine of the 20 finalist spots; and crowned four champions.

At this open, Matsimela was the champion, Brown and Gower were the two runners-up, and David Knapp and Aaron Heinonen were the two fourth-place finishers.

Under the leadership of Grant MacKenzie, the HFC Wrestling Club has produced 17 national qualifiers and one All-American in the NCWA. MacKenzie was also voted by his peers as “Coach of the Year” in the Great Lakes Conference in 2014 and 2015.

“I’m very proud of my boys,” MacKenzie said. “They wrestled with plenty of drive and plenty of heart,” he added.