KANSAS CITY, Mo. - After defeating a nationally ranked wrestler in his only action of the week, Fort Hays State wrestling senior Brandon Ball was named the MIAA Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday.
The Great Bend native is the third Tiger wrestler to earn the honor this season.
Ball, the No. 2-ranked wrestler in Division II at 141 pounds, stayed perfect on the season with a 6-0 decision over No. 8 Pete Kuster of Drury. The win helped propel the Tigers to a 33-13 win over the Panthers on Friday (Feb. 7). Ball is now 12-0 on the season and 126-21 in his storied career at FHSU.
It is the third time Ball has earned the weekly conference award. He was also named league wrestler of the week after the Bob Smith Open during his sophomore (12/5/17) and junior seasons (12/4/18).
Ball joins Jordan Davis and A.J. Cooper as recipients of the award during the 2019-20 season. Davis and Cooper both received the honor in November (Davis 11/13/19, Cooper 11/26/19).
The No. 22 Tigers wrap up their regular season home schedule this week when they host third-ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday. Action in the MIAA dual is slated to begin at 7 p.m. The Tigers will honor Ball, Davis, Conrad Cole and Dy'Juan Carney in their final home dual with a Senior Night ceremony.