The Fort Hays State wrestling team is ranked eighth in the preseason FloWrestling NCAA Division II rankings, released Tuesday (Nov. 3). The Tigers totaled 39 points in the polling process, with four individuals nationally ranked.
Sophomore Mason Turner was ranked second at 125 pounds. The Kansas City, Kan. native was selected as an NWCA All-American last year after qualifying for the National Championships. Turner finished last season 16-5 overall and placed second at the Super Region IV Championships.
Senior Marty Verhaeghe was listed sixth at 165 pounds, however Verhaeghe is projected to wrestle at 174 pounds again this season for the Tigers. The Bucyrus, Kan. native qualified for the National Championships a year ago at 174 pounds after finishing as the runner-up at the Super Region IV Championships. He turned in an overall record of 28-12 as a junior, including a 20-8 mark against DII opponents. Verhaeghe was named the MIAA Dual Meet Champion at 174 pounds as a junior after going 2-1 in league duals.
Aryus Jones opens the year as the ninth-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds. The junior is the third returning Tiger who qualified for the National Championships a year ago after coming out on top in the third-place match at the Super Region IV Championships. He finished his sophomore campaign with a record of 28-9, including wins at the Swede Open, the Bob Smith Open and the RWC-Jet Invite.
A.J. Cooper enters his senior year as the eighth-ranked wrestler at 285 pounds. Cooper led the Tigers in wins a year ago, turning in an overall record of 36-11. He won 30 of his 38 matches against DII opponents, including wins at the Swede Open and the RWC-Jet Invite. He finished the year 10-2 in dual action and was the MIAA Dual Runner-Up after going 3-1 in league duals.
In addition to the four ranked wrestlers, this year's squad returns 15 other wrestlers from last season's team that placed fourth at the Super Region IV Championships. The Tigers also added six true freshman to the lineup for the 2020-21 season.
A schedule for the 2020-21 season is yet to be finalized and will be announced and posted on fhsuathletics.com at a later date.
FHSU Athletics