Bushey wins National title

Niagara County Community College sophomore Jordan Bushey became the history-rich wrestling program's sixth National Champion at this past weekend's NJCAA Championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Bushey joins past NCCC greats Willie Moore (1977), Mark Jurek (1989), Dan Uhteg (1991), Rashad Evans (2000) and Troy Keller (2018) on the list.

Bushey, the top seed in the 174-pound bracket, went 5-0 at the tournament. The Region III/Eastern District I Most Outstanding Wrestler finished the season with a 35-2 record. Here is a look at his NJCAA tournament results:

Championship: dec. Daniel Torres (Jamestown), 3-2

Semifinal: dec. Jeremiah Colon (Rochester), 6-2

Quarterfinal: major dec. Breason Lewis (Northeastern), 15-1

Round of 16: pin Jacobi Deal (Northwest Kansas Tech), 1:36

Round of 32: dec. Austin Hacker (Colby), 6-0

Freshman Frankie Gissendaner, meanwhile, took fourth place and earned NJCAA All-American status in the 149-pound bracket. Gissendanner finished 4-2 at the event, including three straight wins to reach the semifinals. On the year, Gissendanner went 27-3 with a team-best 16 pins.

Classmate Mason Gray also picked up NJCAA All-American honors after taking sixth place in the 141-pound weight class. Gray lost in the round of 16 before battling back with four consecutive consolation-bracket wins to earn his spot on the podium. Gray was 30-10 with 15 pins on the season.

Other competitors for NCCC were: Jacob Bell (125, 1-2), Josh McCoy (133, 0-2), Christian Robinson (165, 1-2), Josh Thibeault (184, 1-2), Devin Van Lengen (197, 0-2) and Jaquan Johnson (285, 2-2). 

The Thunderwolves finished with 62 team points, good for 10th place overall. Clackamas won the team scoring for the second consecutive year.