Centerville, IA – The No. 5 Indian Hills Men's Wrestling team placed fourth overall at the 2022 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) North Central District Championship on Sunday afternoon. The Warriors were led by a pair of individual District champions.

Sophomores Caleb Meekins (Livonia, MI/John Glenn) and Deron Pulliam (Columbus, OH/Dublin Scioto) repeated as NJCAA District Champions to lead the Warriors at Sunday's tournament. Meekins, the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation, captured the 133lb title while Pulliam, the top-ranked wrestler at 184lbs took home first-place.

Indian Hills, the defending District champions, scored 116.0 team points to finish behind District champion North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC). NIACC scored 125.0 team points to claim its first-ever District title as Iowa Central Community College placed second with 122.0 points and Iowa Western Community College placed third with 116.5 team points.

Meekins, who earned the top seed in Sunday's tournament, won his semifinal match with a pin in just 51 seconds to advance to the championship match at 133lbs. The returning All-American who won the 2021 NJCAA North Central District Championship, went all three rounds in the final bout on Sunday to defeat NIACC's Clarence Lee-Green by a 10-5 decision.

Pulliam entered Sunday's action as the returning District champion at 184lbs and battled through a competitive bracket. After earning the top seed and first round bye in Sunday's tournament, Pulliam scored a 10-2 major decision to advance to the title match. Pulliam maneuvered through the championship against Iowa Western's Josh McFarland and secured a 3-2 decision for the repeat title.

The two District champions earned an automatic berth to the upcoming NJCAA National Championship.

The Warriors also received a number of outstanding individual efforts on the mats on Sunday, resulting in more automatic qualifiers to the national championship.

At 141lbs, Victor Guzman (Rock Island, IL/Rock Island), a returning NJCAA All-American, secured third-place with a thrilling 10-9 decision in the third-place match. Guzman won a total of three matches to advance to the national championship.

Matthew Lewis (Centerville, IA/Centerville) placed fourth overall at 149lbs to earn an automatic berth to the national championship. Lewis scored a first-round pin and a fall in the consolation semifinals to place for the Warriors.

Destin Jones (Miami, FL/Palmetto) placed fourth at 157lbs for the Warriors. The sophomore scored a major decision in the opening round and a 9-7 decision in the consolation semifinals.

Cameron Nesbitt (Champaign, IL/Centennial) was the fourth-place finisher at 165lbs to earn an automatic qualifier spot.

At 174lbs, Jacob Anderson (Anchorage, AK/South Anchorage) secured third-place to earn a spot at the national championships. Anderson, the third-seed in the tournament, wrestled through the consolation bracket and scored a pin in 59 seconds in the consolation semifinals to advance.

Kawaun Deboe (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) finished third overall in the heavyweight division. The freshman picked up an opening round pin and scored a second round major decision to earn an automatic qualifier.

The Warriors also earned a pair of wild card berths to the national championship in Chris Busutil (Homestead, FL/South Ridge) at 125lbs and Khris Walton (Merrillville, IN/Merrillville) at 197lbs. Both sophomores earned All-American honors at the 2021 national championships.

This year's NJCAA National Championship will be held March 4-5 in Council Bluffs, IA at the Mid-America Center.

DISTRICT CHAMP! @IHCCWrestling saw its 2nd wrestler capture a North Central District Championship as COV-freshman Deron Pulliam took a 3-2 decision over @ReiverWrestling Josh McFarland. Pulliam joined 133 pounder, Caleb Meekins in winning back-to-back district titles. pic.twitter.com/8ML3J92fZs

— IHCC Athletics (@IHCCAthletics) February 13, 2022

CHAMPION! The 2022 North Central District Champion at 133lbs is @IHCCWrestling COV-freshman, Caleb Meekins. Meekins successfully defended his 2021 title with a 10-5 win vs. @NIACCWrestling Clarence Lee-Green in the finals. Meekins advances to the @NJCAAWrestling Championships. pic.twitter.com/HjLadoIiaZ

— IHCC Athletics (@IHCCAthletics) February 13, 2022