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NCAA Division II – Super Regionals News

NCAA Division II Wrestling Super Regional Preview
The NCAA Division II wrestling postseason begins Saturday. Get prepared for all of the Super Regional action across the country.

Five Things to Watch At The NCAA Division 2 Super Regionals
NCAA Division II postseason wrestling begins Saturday with six Super Regional tournaments across the country. The top three wrestlers in each weight class move on to the D2 NCAA Championships March 15-16 in Hartman Arena in Park City Kansas.  For the teams with national title aspirations, such as #1 Central Oklahoma, #2 Lander, #3 St. Cloud State and #4 West Liberty, this weekend is about setting up a championship chase.  Here are five things to watch for at the Division 2 Super Regionals this Saturday. 
Home Mat Advantage? 
West Liberty University and Lander University will be wrestling on their home mats and anticipate a rowdy and raucous atmosphere. Will the home crowd advantage pay dividends on the mat?  
West Liberty comes into the weekend on a six-match dual winning streak and is anchored by returning champion and #1 Ty McGeary at 184 pounds with five other ranked wrestlers, including #4 Khyvon Grace (141), #12 Nico Taddy(149), #6 Jamar Williams(157), #10 Alec Cook(165), and #4 Francesco Borsellino (285). The Hilltoppers won the Super Regional Tournament last year and are looking to build off a sixth-place finish at the NCAA tournament. 
Lander has been on a tear over the last two seasons, finishing as the national runner-up last season and winning the Midwest Classic this season. The Bearcats have a loaded roster of wrestlers including, #1 James Joplin (125), #9 Jack Tangen (157), #1 David Hunsberger (165), and #3 Juan Edmond-Holmes (285). While these ranked wrestlers alone could make some serious noise this weekend, the Bearcats also have returning All-American Elijah Lusk (133) and two-time All-American and 2022 NCAA champion, Zeth Brower (141), in the lineup as well. 
Grand Valley’s Return to Postseason Wrestling
The Grand Valley State University Lakers will compete in postseason wrestling for the first time in more than 30 years after the university dropped wrestling in 1993. … story at … Flowrestling.org/NCAA-division-ii-wrestling-super-regional-preview
And …

Blubaugh Earns Back-To-Back Wrestler of the Year, Six Greyhound All-GLVC
INDIANAPOLIS – Redshirt-junior Derek Blubaugh is now back-to-back GLVC Wrestler of the Year as announced by the conference. Alongside Blubaugh, the University of Indianapolis wrestling team racked up six All-GLVC honorees.  
Blubaugh becomes the first Greyhound in the program’s history to earn the honor not only twice in a career, but back-to-back times. Coming out of Bloomington, Ind., Blubaugh went undefeated in GLVC action, and against Division II action up to this point in the season.  
A dominant season throughout, Blubaugh carried a No. 2 ranking at 197 from the preseason poll till now, capturing four different tournament titles, the headliner being the Midwest Classic. Alongside his honor he is All-GLVC first team, marking the fourth-straight honor for him, and his third time on the first team list. “Derek has accomplished a lot already in his career, going undefeated in GLVC the last two years made it a pretty much unanimous vote for him. He’s the definition of consistent. From an outside perspective I’m sure he’s impressive, but from an insider’s perspective, seeing him work every day, the effort he brings every day, the extra stuff, his character, he is one of a kind,” Head Coach Jason Warthan said. “We’ve had some special guys come through the program and he’s one of those guys we’re going to be talking about forever in this program. He certainly set the bar from an accomplishments [standpoint], from a work ethic, from the intangibles, he deserves every bit of success he’s had.”
Alongside Blubaugh, graduate-student Trey Sizemore joined him in the first-team honors, leading the conference in falls while also going undefeated in GLVC-action at 174lbs. “Trey being first team as well, he’s had a huge impact, it’s always fun when you get somebody that comes in with a little different style and has had high level coaching other than through us,” Warthan. “He’s improved the room around him … story at … UIndy.edu/Blubaugh-earns-back-to-back-wrestler-of-the-year-six-greyhound-all-glvc
And …

Central Oklahoma Eyes Historic Win at NCAA Division II Super Regional IV
Months of preparation boils down to the most important day of the season for top-ranked Central Oklahoma and that arrives Saturday when the Bronchos trek to Indianapolis, Ind. for the NCAA Division II Super Regional IV  Tournament. First-round action begins at 9 a.m. (Oklahoma time) at Nicoson Hall on the Indianapolis campus and the 10-team tournament will run straight through, culminating in the placement matches at approximately 4 p.m.
The top-three finishers at each of the 10 weights qualify for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 15-16 at Hartman Arena in Wichita, Kan. Five other regional tournaments will also be held Saturday, with 30 qualifiers advancing from each of those. “This is the biggest day of the year,” eighth-year head Toddy Steidley said. “You can’t do anything at nationals if you don’t get there, so the first order of business is qualifying. It all comes down to how we perform on this one day and the number one goal is to move everybody on to the national tournament. … story at … Owrestle.com/central-oklahoma-eyes-historic-win-at-ncaa-division-ii-super-regional-iv/
And …

Kisgen Earns Fifth Coach of the Year Honor; Nine Named All-#GLVCwrestle
Nine wrestlers notched postseason honors from the league with five first team selections, leading the conference
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. | Great Lakes Valley Conference – As No.5 McKendree University men’s wrestling prepares for its postseason competition, the Bearcats notched a GLVC-leading nine selections to the All-GLVC teams with five first team selections whil head coach James Kisgen earned his fifth GLVC Coach of the Year honor, as announced by the league office on Friday morning. The postseason honors also included one second team honoree and three third team selections, all of which followed up the program’s fifth league crown since the conference started sponsoring the sport in 2017. McKendree’s next outing is the NCAA Super Regional – Region IV tournament on March 2, where 10 teams converge on UIndy’s Niconson Hall to capture NCAA Division II National Championship qualifying bids for the championships in Kansas on March 15-16.
COACH OF THE YEAR | James Kisgen
Kisgen, who is in his 21st season at the helm of the program, earned his fifth GLVC Coach of the Year honor along with the program’s fifth league crown in the eight-year history of GLVC wrestling. Under his direction and mentoring, the Bearcats tallied nine more all-league nods in 2024, bringing the program’s total to 52 All-GLVC awards since the league began its sponsorship in 2016-17. Kisgen has led the Bearcats to conference crowns in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and now 2024. 
FIRST TEAM SELECTIONS
Christian Mejia | 125
Mejia becomes a four-time All-GLVC First Team member with … story at … MCKbearcats.com/Kisgen-earns-fifth-coach-of-the-year-honor-nine-named-all-glvcwrestle
And …

Chadron State’s Hunter named NWCA Region VI Coach of the Year
CHADRON, Neb. — After leading Chadron State to its first RMAC men’s wrestling title since 1995, Chadron State College head men’s wrestling coach Brett Hunter was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Region VI Coach of the Year, the NWCA announced on Friday.  
“I’m truly blessed to earn the Regional Coach of the Year Award,” Hunter said. “I’ve been honored and blessed with an incredible group of coaches and young men by my side this season.” 
In the 12th season under Hunter’s guidance, the men’s wrestling team finished 10-1 overall and 8-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference duals. The lone defeat occurred against #9 Nebraska-Kearney. 
The team is preparing the Super Region 6 Championships hosted by Colorado State-Pueblo on Saturday. 
The region is made up of the nine RMAC teams along with Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State. … story at … Chadroneagles.com/Hunter-named-nwca-region-vi-coach-of-the-year

March 2, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NJCAA – Men’s National Championships

National Championship Bracket
All ten weight brackets at D2/2024_Men-s_Wrestling_Bracket
And …

Winter Championships set to air on NJCAA Network
Charlotte, NC – As the 2023-24 NJCAA winter season transitions to the postseason, all championship action for basketball, indoor track & field, swimming & diving, and wrestling will be aired live on the NJCAA Network, ESPN+, or ESPNU. Each national tournament’s games, events, and matches will be streamed or broadcast to showcase the achievements of each participating student-athlete and member college. The NJCAA Network mobile app is available on all Apple and Android devices. The NJCAA Network app was developed in partnership with PrestoSports, the Official Website, Streaming, Statistics, and Camps Management Software Provider of the NJCAA, and gives viewers the opportunity to watch all NJCAA championship action directly from their mobile device, follow along with their favorite teams, and gain access to behind-the-scenes content.  … story details at … NJCAA.org/general/2023-24/releases/
And …

Championships Live Results at … Arena.flowrestling.org/event/

March 2, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Warner: Postseason wins may come down to critical ‘little things’

By Tristan Warner
As the postseason tournaments get underway across the nation, I started thinking about ways wrestlers can gain even the slightest competitive edge on their opponents this late in the season.  Let me start by stating this: Now is not the time to start changing your approach or routines. The “if-it-ain’t-broke, don’t-fix-it” expression can certainly apply here. 

This column first appeared in the Feb. 20 issue of WIN Magazine. Click on the cover or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe.
At this point in the season, everyone is preparing their minds and bodies for peak performance, so gaining a competitive edge can be difficult. Additionally, the regular season is a grind. Demanding the best out of your body when it is beaten down is not for the faint of heart, but that is why we wrestle. 
If there are any athletes or coaches out there looking for suggestions that might allow for some positive change late in the season, I have compiled some nuanced recommendations that I learned over the course of my career that made an impact for me.

Improve your warm-up
Blowing your lungs out before you step on the mat is crucial, especially before the first match of the day. Whether it is sprints in the hallway, a hard hand fight with a teammate or even burpees or squat jumps, any activity that stimulates aerobic and anaerobic activity just before a match will help. Too many wrestlers walk out cold and the first scramble takes the wind out of them. Simulate that first flurry of action during your warm-up. 

Consider your pre-match music and timing
The credit for this goes to nationally-renowned sports psychologist Dr. Jarrod Spencer and his Mind of the Athlete program. Too many athletes listen to hype music too long before their match, which can have an emotionally-draining effect. Listen to calm, relaxing music up until about 15 minutes before your match or when you are “in the hole” on a mat. Then flip the switch and get yourself amped up, just not too soon. 

Workout before weigh-ins
From my experience, most kids try to wake up under weight and wait to eat or drink until after weigh-ins. Then they get their warm-up in after weigh-ins and try to work out the food and fluid that is sloshing around in their stomachs. 
If possible, emulate the college method of waking up a little earlier and perhaps even a pound or two overweight. Maybe get a little bite to eat, so you have some calories in your body for energy later on. Then use that 45 minutes-to-an-hour period in the gym before skin checks and weigh-ins to jog, sprint, shadow drill or drill to get that last remaining pound or two off. 
You will not only have more energy throughout the day, but you will also have already gotten a good warm-up in and blown the lungs out nice and early. 

Bring an extra pair of wrestling shoes to warm up in
I might lose some people here. I always warmed up in a pair of “practice shoes” first. Then, when it was “game time” and I felt it was symbolic to flip the switch, I laced up and taped my “match shoes” and prepared for battle. … story at … WIN-magazine.com/Postseason-wins-may-come-down-to-critical-little-things

March 2, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NCAA Division III Regional Previews

2024 CENTRAL REGION PREVIEW
Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, 2024
Ohio Northern University | Host Site | 2023 Results
Teams (19):
Adrian, Albion, Alma, Baldwin Wallace, Case Western Reserve, Heidelberg, Hiram, John Carroll, Manchester, Mount St. Joseph, Mount Union, Muskingum, Ohio Northern, Ohio Wesleyan, Olivet, Otterbein, Trine, Wabash, Wilmington
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
#6 Baldwin Wallace
#12 Ohio Northern
#14 Wabash
A pair of returning national champions headline the Central Region this year. Michael Petrella of Baldwin Wallace is the defending champ at 149 and has steamrolled the competition so far with 32 bonus point wins out of 34 matches in an undefeated season. Teammate Jacob Decatur was the 2022 champion at 125 and the runner-up last season. He returned to the lineup for the second half of the year and has just two close losses to the wrestlers ranked ahead of him.
Jacob Reed of Ohio Northern is the other top-ranked wrestler in the tournament (besides Petrella). He has finished 3rd at the last two NCAA Championships and weathered a midseason injury to post a 22-0 record so far this season. Other highly-ranked returning All-Americans here include #2 Chase Baczek of Wabash … story at … D3wrestle.com/2024-central-region-preview
And …

2024 UPPER MIDWEST REGION PREVIEW
Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, 2024
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | Host Site | 2023 Results
Teams (19):
Augsburg, Aurora, Carthage, Chicago, Concordia-Moorhead, Concordia-Wisconsin, Elmhurst, Lakeland, Linfield, MSOE, Pacific, St. John’s, UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater, Wheaton
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
#2 Augsburg
#3 UW-La Crosse
#7 UW-Eau Claire
#15 UW-Whitewater
#23 Concordia-Moorhead
A pair of returning champs highlight this region. Nolan Hertel of UW-La Crosse won a razor thin overtime match at 157 last year and has backed it up with an undefeated season and a win over the defending DII champ in the NWCA All-Star Match. Sam Stuhl of Augsburg surprised many with his unseeded run to the 141 championship after a 3rd place finish in this region last year. He has taken a few losses but hopes to catch lightning in a bottle again in March. The third returning finalist here is Jared Stricker of UW-Eau Claire at 174. He is 34-2 with both losses coming to DI opponents at the Midlands. He could be on a path to repeat last year’s NCAA finals matchup with Wartburg’s Mulder.
#3 Cooper Willis of Augsburg only has a loss to Iowa’s Caliendo this year, but he does have two regular season wins against the defending DII champ at 165. He is one of six returning 2023 All-Americans for Augsburg. #5 Izzy Balsiger of Eau Claire was last seen in the postseason wrestling for UW-La Crosse in 2013 where … story at … D3wrestle.com/2024-upper-midwest-region-preview
And …

2024 NORTHEAST REGION PREVIEW
Saturday and Sunday, March 2-3, 2024
Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Host Site | 2023 Results
Teams (20):
Bridgewater State, Castleton, Hunter, Johnson & Wales, New England College, NYU, Norwich, Plymouth State, Rhode Island College, Roger Williams, Southern Maine, Springfield, Trinity, US Coast Guard Academy, US Merchant Marine Academy, Wesleyan, Western New England, Williams, WPI
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
#5 Coast Guard
#9 Johnson & Wales
#11 Castleton
#13 NYU
#23 Williams
Returning national champion Joziah Fry of Johnson & Wales is the top returner in the region and is in the only weight in the tournament with three top-ten individuals. Fry won last year at 125 and spent the first month of the season there before moving up to 133 in December. His only loss is to the #2 ranked wrestler in DI at the Princeton Open. The latest NWCA rankings have him back down at 125, even though he has not wrestled there since December. That said, expect him at 125 this weekend. The other returning finalist in the region is Coy Spooner of Coast Guard. … story at … D3wrestle.com/2024-northeast-region-preview
And …

2024 MIDEAST REGION PREVIEW
Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, 2024
Rochester Institute of Technology | Host Site | 2023 Results
Teams (21):
Alfred State, Brockport, Centenary, Cortland, Elizabethtown, Elmira, Ithaca, Johns Hopkins, Keystone, McDaniel, Muhlenberg, NJCU, TCNJ, Oneonta, Oswego, Penn College, Pitt-Bradford, RIT, St. John Fisher, Scranton, Ursinus
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams:
#17 TCNJ
#19 Centenary
The Mideast is the only region without a #1 ranked wrestler, but there is certainly some firepower throughout the weights. #2 Angelo Centrone should return to the lineup this weekend for Cortland at 149. He is undefeated with 17 of his 18 wins coming with bonus points. #2 Nicholas Sacco of TCNJ is one of the two highest returning finishers in the region after a 4th place finish last year. He is undefeated against DIII competition. The other top returner is #7 Charlie Grygas of Oswego who was 4th at 174. Other returning All-Americans include Thomas Monn of McDaniel, last year’s d3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year along with Muhlenberg’s pair of 8th place finishers Joey Lamparelli (125) and Anson Dewar (174). Michael Conklin of TCNJ finished 8th in 2022 but missed out on the tournament last season.
Alfred State will be looking for their first NCAA qualifiers since transitioning from the junior college ranks. They have a pair of wrestlers with a good shot. Zach Levey was a qualifier for Brockport in 2022 and will be looking for his second trip to the tournament while #4 Sean Malenfant has worked his way up … story at … D3wrestle.com/2024-mideast-region-preview
And …

2024 LOWER MIDWEST REGION PREVIEW
Thursday and Friday, February 29 – March 1, 2024
Alliant Energy Powerhouse | Host Site | 2023 Results
Teams (20):
Augustana, Buena Vista, Central, Coe, Cornell, Dubuque, Eureka, Fontbonne, Huntingdon, Illinois Wesleyan, Loras, Luther, Millikin, Nebraska Wesleyan, North Central, University of the Ozarks, Schreiner, Simpson, Wartburg, Westminster
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
#1 Wartburg
#4 North Central
#16 Central
#19 Coe
#21 Millikin
#23 Dubuque
#23 Augustana
Three of the seven returning NCAA champions from last year are in this region, and all three have had predictably dominant seasons. 2x champ Robbie Precin of North Central has not lost since the NWCA D3 tournament in 2021 and has the longest active win streak in all of NCAA wrestling. He has just two losses in five years of competition. Zane Mulder is 20-0 174 in his quest to repeat for Wartburg, while teammate  … story at … D3wrestle.com/2024-lower-midwest-region-preview/
And …

2024 SOUTHEAST REGION PREVIEW
Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, 2024
Lycoming College | Host Site | 2023 Results
Teams (22):
Alvernia, Averett, Delaware Valley, Ferrum, Gettysburg, Greensboro, King’s, Lycoming, Marymount, Messiah, PSU-Behrend, Roanoke, Shenandoah, Southern Virginia, St. Vincent, Stevens, Thiel, Washington and Lee, Washington and Jefferson, Waynesburg, Wilkes, York
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
#8 Alvernia
#10 Stevens
#18 Greensboro
#21 Ferrum
Matt Lackman of Alvernia has lost one match in the past two seasons, and it was in the national finals to his brother Nathan. That makes him 85-1 over his last two campaigns, and he comes into the postseason as the favorite at 165. The other #1 ranked wrestler here is Rayshawn Dixon of Ferrum. Dixon pinned Olivet’s King in the Wheaton finals to earn the top spot and joins Lackman in having a perfect season record. After dropping a heartbreaking match in last year’s All-America round that featured multiple reviews and the referee initially raising the wrong wrestler’s hand, he is looking toward the top of the podium. While Dixon is ranked #1, he has a teammate who joins Lackman as the other returning finalist in the region. Zach Beckner was a 2017 finalist at 125 lbs. and has found his way back to the Ferrum lineup seven years later. … story at …D3wrestle.com/2024-southeast-region-preview/

March 2, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NAIA Men’s Championship News – Mar. 2nd

2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championship Official Brackets Finalized
KANSAS CITY, Mo. –  The official brackets (PDF) for the 2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships have been finalized ahead of event starting tomorrow morning. The Battle For The Red Banner is hosted by Visit Wichita at Harman Arena in Park City, Kansas and concludes on Saturday, March 2nd. To purchase tickets for the three-day event, click HERE.
All matches at the national championships for Sessions I through V will be stream live via FloWrestling. Access to the live results and brackets can be found through TrackWrestling. The championship bouts on Saturday, during Session IV, will air on ESPN3 (www.watchespn.com).
Grand View (Iowa), Southeastern (Fla.), and Life (Ga.) will travel a full roster of 12 wrestlers to the national championships while Cumberland (Tenn.), Cumberlands (Ky.), Menlo (Calif.), Ottawa (Kan.), and Providence (Mont.) will bring 11 wrestlers total.  
The Cascade Collegiate Conference led all conferences with 65 individual qualifiers. The Mid-South Conference qualified 41 for second; The Heart of America Athletic Conference qualified 38 which narrowly edged out the Appalachian Athletic Conference for third. 
Brackets were verified and approved by the NAIA-Wrestling Coaches Association Bracketing Committee. Previously, a 16-member committee consisting of conference raters and oversight members met to select the remaining at-large qualifiers. Next, the 16-member committee along with three new oversight members determined the ranking order of each weight class. This was used as the basis for the Bracketing Committee and later verified. 
Each conference tournament was awarded automatic bids per weight class based on the final regular-season rating, which can be seen HERE. Each conference is awarded automatic berths based on … story at … NAIA.org/2023-24/Releases/Final_Brackets
And …

2024 NAIA Wrestling Championships Storylines To Follow
The NAIA Championships begin Thursday with nine past national champions and perennial team powers vying for titles
The NAIA National Championships return Thursday to Hartman Arena near Wichita for the fifth year in a row. For the first time in more than a decade, the tournament is back to a three-day format. This time around, each bracket features 28 wrestlers with the top 16 seeded. 
Here are the brackets and here’s a look at some of the top storylines to follow. 
The Team Race
We’re set for what should be a dramatic and exciting team race. Grand View won its 11th national title in 12 years last year, finishing 48.5 points ahead of second-place Life. The Running Eagles ended Grand View’s 13-year run without an NAIA dual loss in January when Life knocked off the Vikings in the NWCA National Duals championship. 
Grand View, Life and Southeastern each qualified the maximum 12 wrestlers for the this week’s tournament. Grand View has five #1 seeds, while Life has three. As for All-American projections according to seed, Grand View has 10, Life has nine, and Southeastern has five. 
Cumberland, Menlo and Providence each qualified 11 wrestlers. Menlo has five projected All-Americans, while Cumberland has four and Providence has three. 
Grand View and Life are seeded first and second at two weights. At 125, Grand View has #1 Aden Reeves, while Life has returning national champion Brandon Orum seeded second. At 184, Grand View has #1 Isaiah Luellen to Life’s #2 Kyle Homet. 
Life has an opportunity for separation at 165, where it has #1 seed Steven Villalobos and Grand View doesn’t have a representative. On the flip side, Grand View will want to capitalize at 149 with #1 Blake Gonzalez and #9 Blake Haney, a weight where Life does not have an entry.
The Returning Champions
Nine returning or past national champions are in the field this weekend. … story at … Flowrestling.org/NAIA-wrestling-championships-storylines-to-follow
And …

2024 NAIA Men’s National Championship Preview
Subscribe to this show via: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | RSS | More
Checking out what’s coming up at the 2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships this weekend at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas.  Host Jason Bryant will look at the draws, point out who to keep an eye on and provide some history of the championships. 
Event kicks off Feb. 29 and will be streamed live on Flowrestling. Brackets at Trackwrestling.com
Check out The Guide, Mat Talk Online’s massive Division I Men’s Wrestling Championship Preview Guide with pre-orders now available at WrestlingPreviewGuide.com. Use the Discount Code “podcast” to save $10. You won’t be disappointed.
Want an ad-free version of the show? Hit up the Patreon link at patreon.com/mattalkonline to contribute … story at … Mattalkonline.com/2024-naia-mens-national-championship-preview
And …

2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championship – Day One Recap
PARK CITY, Kan. – The 67th Annual NAIA Men’s Wrestling Championships, hosted by Visit Wichita at Hartman Arena, began Day One of competition on Thursday, February 29th. With morning and evening sessions, each with two rounds, Life (Ga.) and Grand View (Iowa) have once again emerged as the teams at the top of the standings. The Running Eagles lead 52 to 49.5.
The 2024 Championship features a move to a three-day event, aimed to create a better experience for the student-athletes on the mat, the coaching staff’s, and fans alike. Session I on Thursday morning saw the First Round (Championship) and First Round (Consolation) wrestled before the intermission. Thursday evening, in Session II, the 2nd Round (Championship) and 2nd Round (Consolation) competed after the Opening Ceremonies.
Click HERE to see the full schedule and results page. Click HERE for the team scores after Day One.    
Session I Highlights:

  • Nathan Rizek, the 125 pounder from Doane (Neb.), recorded the first victory and first fall of the tournament
  • Drake Vannoy of Oklahoma City, the eight seed in 149, recorded the fastest fall of 1:13  in the First Round (Championship)
  • Through 120 bouts in the First Round (Championship), there were 13 total upsets
  • Weight classes 149, 157, 174, and 197 saw all seeded wrestlers move past the First Round
  • 133 and 285 saw one upset each as Isaiah Miller of Jamestown (N.D.) earned a 10-4 decision over the 15th seed in 133; Wilkinson Saul posted a 15-0 tech fall over the 13 seed in 285
  • The most upsets occurred in 141 as four unseeded wrestlers pulled off the stunner, knocking off the 11, 12, 13, and 14 seeds
  • Chandler Woenker of Campbellsville (Ky.) pulled off the highest upset as he defeated the six seed in 184 by decision 4-1 … story at … NAIA.org/2023-24/Releases/DayOne
    And …

2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championship – Day Two Recap
PARK CITY, Kan. – The 2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Championship at Hartman Arena, hosted by Visit Wichita, continued with Day Two action in the 67th annual event. Grand View (Iowa) and Life (Ga.) have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.
Friday’s schedule included the Session III wrestling Third Round (Championship Quarterfinals) and Third Round (Consolation) in the morning. After the intermission and Parade of Scholar-Athletes, Session IV welcomed Fourth Round (Championship Semifinals), Fourth Round (Consolation All-America Round), and Fifth Round (Consolation Quarterfinals) in the nightcap. Click HERE to see the full schedule and results page. Click HERE for the team scores after Day Two.    
Session III Highlights:

  • Third Round (Championship Quarterfinals) Notes
  • Reigning 125 pound national Champion Brandon Orum of Life (Ga.) and third seeded Hunter Sparks of Eastern Oregon will collide in the semifinals while the top of the bracket will see Cinderella’s No. 13 Nicolas Aguilar of Menlo (Calif.) and No. 16 Allen Calderon of Indiana Tech square off for a berth in the finals
  • After the top three seeds all advanced to the semifinals, No. 6 Dominic Chaves of Texas Wesleyan used a sudden victory takedown to advance and secured the Rams first-ever All-American in school history
  • Evan Potter of Southern Oregon, the top seed in 141, needed the riding time point to set up his semifinal matchup against No. 4 Nicholas Yancey of Campbellsville (Ky.); meanwhile on the bottom half of the championship bracket, unseeded Gage Hudson of Cumberlands (Ky.) will battle No. 15 Hartwell Taylor of Saint Mary (Kan.)
  • Jack Latimer from Cumberland (Tenn.) pulled a narrow upset over the fourth seed to advance to the 149 pound semifinals and set up a match with top overall seed Blake Gonzalez of Grand View (Iowa); on the bottom side, No. 2 Nathan Lendt of Doane (Neb.) and No. 3 Chase Zollman of Missouri Valley will face off this evening
  • No. 12 Trevor Burdick of Reinhardt (Ga.) upset the No. 4 seed and kept the 157 pound weight class from being all four top seeds advancing to the semifinals … story at … https://www.naia.org/sports/mwrest/2023-24/Releases/DayTwo

March 2, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment