11 Placers Lead Men's Wrestling at Cougar Open
The Colby Trojans men’s wrestling team turned in a strong showing Sunday at the Cougar Open, hosted by conference partner Barton, finishing the day with 11 placers against a deep field that featured NJCAA, NAIA, and NCAA competition.
GREAT BEND, Kan. — The men's wrestling team turned in a strong showing Sunday (Dec. 14) at the Cougar Open, hosted by conference partner Barton, finishing the day with 11 placers against a deep field that featured NJCAA, NAIA, and NCAA competition.
Colby was led by Talon Suttles at 133 pounds, who put together a solid run to reach the championship bout. After receiving a first-round bye, Suttles went 2–1 on the day, earning a technical fall before securing a pin against a conference opponent from Fort Hays Tech Northwest. Suttles came up short in the first-place match but closed the tournament as one of Colby's top performers.
Scotty Engle delivered a strong performance as well, finishing third after going 3–1 on the day. Engle capped off his run with an impressive victory over an NCAA Division II opponent in the third-place match, highlighting his ability to compete against higher-level competition.
Another standout performance came from Jovanny Arellanes, who went 4–1 to place third. After a bye to open the day, Arellanes earned a fall before suffering his lone loss. He responded with three consecutive wins, including victories over conference opponents from Fort Hays Tech Northwest and host Barton, to secure a spot on the podium.
At heavyweight, Kevaun Jones battled through a demanding bracket to place fifth, finishing 4–2 on the day. Jones dropped his opening match to a Fort Hays Tech Northwest wrestler but rebounded with three straight wins, including a victory over an NCAA Division II opponent from Newman University. After a loss to another Newman wrestler, Jones closed the tournament with a dramatic 25–24 decision win over teammate Bob Tatum in the fifth-place match.
Colby added depth throughout the lineup, with Luis Vasquez, Robert Cazarez, and Tatum each finishing sixth. Gunner Owens and Sammie Cyrus earned seventh-place finishes, while Sebastian Rodriguez rounded out the Trojans' placers with an eighth-place result.
With 11 total placers, the Cougar Open marked a productive close to the open-tournament portion of the semester for Colby. The Trojans will look to carry that momentum into their next dual, traveling to La Junta, Colorado, to face Otero JC on Wednesday (Dec. 17). The matchup will serve as Colby's final competition of the 2025 calendar year before the Trojans resume action in early January at the Jet Open (Jan. 4) hosted by Newman University.