The 2015 NJCAA National Championship tournament was held in Des Moines, Iowa at the Jacobson Exhibition Center. The tournament started out on Friday February 27th as 252 wrestlers from 39 schools took to the mat with hopes of becoming a national champion. The competition wrapped up on the 28th as 80 of the NJCAA’s best wrestlers including one wrestler from Northwest College were honored as All-Americans.

Kaelen Loveless of Northwest College in Powell had a great tournament, and ended the weekend as Wyoming’s only NJCAA All-American. In the first round he earned a 5-3 decision over Dylan Beckner of Pratt Community College, before losing a 0-4 decision to Bryce Carr of Darton College. The second round loss sent him into the consolation bracket. Kaelen won the next three matches, including a fall over Dequaylon Gray of Arkansas Baptist, a 9-7 overtime win over Quincy Kalkbrenner of North Iowa Area Community College, and a 4-3 decision over Cole Shirey of Mercyhurst. The last two matches of his tournament did not go his way, Loveless lost a 3-4 decision to Devon Jackson of Muskegon College, and in the 7th Place match he was outscored by  Derrick Gates of Labette Community College. At the end of the two days Kaelen’s 4-3 record was good enough for him to finish in 8th place and earn All-American honors in the 165 pound division at the NJCAA National Championships.

Wrestling at 125 pounds Ronald Wardleigh of Western Wyoming Community College went 2-2 over the weekend, as did Eduardo Pehna the 133 pounder from Northwest College. All four of the wins posted by these two wrestlers came by Fall. Both Wardleigh and Pehna came up one round short of earning All-American honors.

Jeff McCormick of Northwest College had a bye in the opening round of the competition at 149 pounds. In his first match of the tournament he earned a fall over Jake Bellis of Harper College, but he ultimately came up one round short of becoming an All-American. 

The last two Wyoming wrestlers to come one round short of All-American honors are both wrestling for Western Wyoming Community College. In the 174 pound division Colby Barlocker won his first bout of the tournament by tech fall over Travis Cripe of Ridgewater College. After getting pinned in his next match Colby won two more matches before being eliminated in the consolation quarterfinals. Wrestling at 197 pounds, Aspen Naylor had two bye's and a fall over Ian Lynch of Camden Community College, before being eliminated in the consolation quarter finals.

Northwest College finished in 21st with 20.5 points and Western Wyoming Community College came in only half a point behind with 20 points to finish in 22nd.