Council Bluffs, IA (March 7, 2025) – The Sussex County Community College Skylanders completed their first day at the 2025 NJCAA Men’s Wrestling National Championships with Thaylor Sibblies as the headline wrestler, nearly earning All-American honors.

The sophomore was one of two wrestlers to earn a match victory on the day, and was the only Skylander to win multiple matches on the biggest stage.

Despite not getting a first round bye in the 149 bracket, Sibblies dominated immediately in his Round of 64 match against Pratt’s Kolton Field with a 14-3 major decision win to advance to round two. Next he defeated Muskegon’s Jacob Gillson by decision 10-4 with crucial takedowns in the second and third period to seal the win and move on to the Round of 16.

In that match Sibblies made it the distance against Shehabeldin Mohamed of Indian Hills, but was dealt his first loss by major decision 13-3 to knock him down to the consolation bracket. 

He bounced back in a big way with his third win of the day against Colby’s Xzavier Martinez when he pinned Martinez late in the third period while trailing 1-0 to steal the match and keep his run alive. One more win would’ve made Sibblies an All-American, but in his next match against Northeastern JC’s Silas Thompson, he fell just short of the goal. Takedowns by Thompson in each period of the match gave him a comfortable 11-2 major decision win to end an incredible showing from Sibblies.

“Thaylor made an incredible run and was at his best at the right time,” head coach Nick Barzano said. “Five total matches in one day is always tough for a wrestler, but I’m beyond proud of him and his effort. It’s unfortunate to see him come that close and fall just short, but he worked very hard all year and gave it his all today.”

These were the last matches for Sibblies in his Skylanders career, but his accomplishments and impact on the program will always be remembered. During his time at Sussex, Sibblies became a district champion in 2024, made two NJCAA National Championship appearances, and helped the men’s wrestling program capture their first ever GSAC and Region 19 Championships.

“We’re going to miss him at Sussex, but Thaylor has a bright future ahead of him and he will continue to succeed at his next destination,” Barzano said.

Aside from Sibblies, Jose Alvarenga Giron was the only other wrestler to win a match for Sussex today, which means that no one will be wrestling on day two. Below are the remaining results for the Skylanders.

Carson Citro (125)

• Round of 32: Lost by tech fall against North Idaho’s Elijah Cater 16-0 in 1:18
• Consolation Round of 16: Lost by fall against Southwestern Michigan’s Santana Ramon 13-0 in 3:14

Chris Casale (133)

• Round of 32: Lost by fall against Big Bend’s Simon Cervantes 3-0 in 1:14
• Consolation Round of 16: Lost by fall against Muskegon’s Anthony Cage 4-0 in 4:51

Michael VanderMeulen (141)

• Round of 32: Lost by decision against Muskegon’s Kyron Zoet 15-9
• Consolation Round of 16: Lost by decision against Rochester’s Dylan Enriquez 10-3

Carlos Delgado (157)

• Round of 64: Lost by tech fall against Northeast Oklahoma’s Zack Dawson 15-0 in 2:13 
• Consolation Round of 32: Lost by fall against Pratt’s Johnny Thomas in 0:33

Jose Alvarenga Giron (165)

• Round of 32: Lost by tech fall against Pratt’s Melton Powe 19-3 in 2:41
• Consolation Round of 16: Won by decision against Garrett’s Cole Stuchal 5-4
• Consolation Round of 16 #2: Lost by fall against North Idaho’s Gabe Lake in 1:22

Mason Mericle (174)

• Round of 64: Lost by tech fall against Iowa Western’s Matteo Nikolov 16-0 in 4:21
• Consolation Round of 32: Lost by tech fall against Southwest Oregon’s Mario Deanda-Lopez in 2:04

Shawn Pawlowski (184)

• Round of 64: Lost by 16-1 tech fall against NIACC’s Jessey Colas in 4:37
• Consolation Round of 32: Lost by decision against Northwest’s Robby Ortega 12-7

Ryan Flammer (197)

• Round of 32: Lost by fall against Clackamas’s Nate Ronan in 2:17
• Consolation Round of 16: Lost by medical forfeit against Rochester’s Payton Garza in 5:53

With no wrestlers competing tomorrow on day two of nationals, the 2024-2025 season for the Sussex County Community College men’s wrestling program is now in the books. Barzano appreciated the journey along the way and that the team got the chance to compete today.

“This event is a great experience for our guys. This tournament is filled with scouts and recruiters, and it gives our wrestlers some great exposure,” he said. “Being able to wrestle in a high level tournament like this raises their confidence and level of performance. It opens their eyes to the depth of talent at this level and what it takes to be an All-American.”

Now with the offseason on the horizon, Barzano embraces the inevitable changes coming to the program as some cornerstone guys like Sibblies, Casale, Pawlowski, and Roman Citro depart and new recruits come in.

“I’m going to miss those four but they made their mark here, and I’m excited for their future,” Barzano said. “Some of our recruits have been making noise at the state tournament, and I believe this is our strongest recruiting class yet. Our program’s future is looking brighter than ever before. I’m also looking to strengthen our schedule to take on more quality opponents as well as travel further beyond our comfort zone to see more competition like what we saw today.”

Day two of the 2025 NJCAA National Championships will continue tomorrow March 8 at 9:30 a.m. with the semifinals, consolation semifinals, and championship matches all taking place. The championship matches will start at 6 p.m. and the tournament will be broadcasted live on the NJCAA Network.