By Kelly Murphy
This is the first of a three-part series featuring Iowa Lakes wrestlers who qualified for the 2019 NJCAA National Wrestling Tournament in Council Bluffs. The Lakers will send nine wrestlers to the tournament, slated for Friday-Saturday, March 1-2, at the Mid-America Center.
Nine Iowa Lakes wrestlers have their eyes set on bringing a national championship back to Estherville.
The Lakers punched their tickets to the 2019 NJCAA National Wrestling Championships with stellar performances at this year’s regional tournament held Feb. 10. The team finished the season well, with only one conference loss against Iowa Central.
A fifth-place finish in regionals was not enough to qualify the team for the tournament, but with nine wrestlers competing in Council Bluffs Friday and Saturday, March 1-2; the team will have a fighting chance at the title.
The first wrestler to qualify for the tournament was 125-pounder Kevin Saravia.
Saravia is used to success as well. He qualified for nationals last year at the exact same weight class. Saravia is also a three-time state finalist in high school as well as a two-time state champion in his home state of North Carolina.
“The team has prepared themselves for this, and I am positive that my team will do their job,” Saravia said. “I am really excited about nationals because anybody could win it. Sharing this experience with my team will be great as well.”
The second wrestler to qualify for the Lakers is 141-pounder Anthony Fisher.
As a sophomore for the Lakers, Fisher is accustomed to success. He qualified for nationals last year at 141. He went 1-2 at the national tournament in 2018.
In his home state of Delaware, Fisher was a state champion and also earned the title of FloNationals All-American.
“I feel like I’ve put in the work all year long just to put myself in the position where I am now to compete for a national title. “We’re all pushing ourselves hard because we know we won’t get the days back so we make the most of we do come March first and second we won’t have any regrets,” Fisher said.
“I’m looking forward to going out and wrestling my best matches that I’ve wrestled. Last year, I came into the tournament unprepared and it showed as I went 1-2, but this year I’m not holding back anything,” Fisher said.
“He is excited to compete at nationals for the final time. I’m looking forward to strapping up my Iowa Lakes singlet one last time and going to war with my brothers.” Fisher said.”
Call of the Lake 
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