Takedown Report

NAIA Tournament Preview: Defending champion Grand View seeks rare “Elite Eight” status

By Johnnie Johnson, Special to TheMat.com | Feb. 28, 2019,

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Grand View is No. 1 in the NAIA poll for the 50th-consecutive time and the 53rd time in program history, which is the most for any program dating back to the start of the 2000-01 season. The last time Coach Nick Mitchell’s Vikings were not ranked No. 1 was on Oct. 17, 2012. Since October 2012, GV has extended its streak to 50-straight No. 1 rankings in NAIA. And, how about going wire-to-wire as the top ranked team in NAIA?? Well, only three teams have accomplished that feat! Since 2001, only Grand View (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18), former members Notre Dame (Ohio) (2010-11) and Lindenwood (Mo.) (2006-07) have gone the entire season ranked No. 1. If the current season and past history are any indication of what can be expected at the NAIA Nationals on March 1st and 2nd, you should not miss out on the championship. The NAIA National Wrestling Championships will be in Grand View’s back yard at the Jacobsen Center on the Iowa State Fairgrounds on March 1st and 2nd. The event is being broadcast live on Trackwrestling. As you may recall, in the 2017-2018 season, Grand View (Iowa) rewrote the record book by winning its seventh-straight team title and set a new scoring record of 234.5 during the 2018 NAIA Championships, blowing away their previous season’s marks of 210.0 (2016) and 234.5 (2017) points. GV has either tied or set a new scoring record in four out of the last five years. The Vikings are the first team in NAIA Wrestling history to win seven-consecutive national titles. Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/February/28/NAIA-Nationals-Preview?mc_cid=0ea239a796&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 2, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized