Photo by Paul DeCoursey Ethan Karsten reacts after winning a national championship for Iowa Central on Saturday night in Council Bluffs.

COUNCIL BLUFFS — For 12 months, Ethan Karsten and Tyree Sutton have waited for this opportunity.

Karsten and Sutton both battled their way through the NJCAA National Wrestling Championships, ending it all here Saturday night with their hands raised as winners for Iowa Central.

The Tritons placed third overall behind Clackamas and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in the team race here inside the Mid-America Center. Clackamas had finished second each of the past two seasons.

Karsten and Sutton were two of four finalists for Iowa Central, as Travis Willers and Ashton Eyler both settled for second place. Four more Iowa Central wrestlers collected medals earlier in the day.

After placing second last year, Karsten made sure he would stand atop the podium as a sophomore. Utilizing his offense, Karsten secured a flurry of takedowns and had Joel Romero of Clackamas on his back for a four-point near-fall on his way to a 17-5 major decision at 157 pounds.

Karsten scored his second fall of the tournament in the semis, pinning Dallas Boone from Neosho in just 30 seconds. He also had a decision, a fall and a technical fall in the opening rounds.

It was also a run of redemption for Sutton, as he downed Joey Daniel from Clackamas in the 197-pound final, 5-2.

Sutton slipped past Northeastern Oklahoma A&M’s Zeke Silva in the semifinals, 9-7. He also had a technical fall, a decision and received a bye.

Willers was unable to overcome Harper’s Michial Foy at 165 pounds, dropping a 8-2 decision to settle for runner-up honors.

Willers secured his finals spot with an 8-1 decision over Pratt’s Nick Lucas after a decision, a major decision and a fall in the first three rounds.

In the 174-pound final, Eyler suffered an 11-3 loss to Trajan Hurd from Clackamas.

Eyler claimed an 8-6 decision over Rochester’s Shaen Siewert in the semifinals after picking up two wins and a bye on Friday.

Kevin Radcliff was fifth, with Brian Stanford adding sixth-place honors. Both Yar Aldiva and Gunner Cash ended their tournaments in eighth overall.

Radcliff finished his second national tourney off with a 6-3 victory over Esco Walker from North Idaho. The sophomore went 4-2 at 125 pounds.

Stanford settled for sixth at 184 pounds after a 6-4 loss to Trevor Senn of Clackamas. He was 3-3 over six matches.

Aldiva went 4-3 at 149 pounds, including an 11-5 decision loss to Barton’s Kolby Drogemeier. Cash was pinned in his last bout, ending his heavyweight run 3-3 at the tournament.