HASTINGS, Neb. – Following back-to-back years with runner-up finishes, graduate student Creighton Baughman rose to the top of the podium on Saturday (Feb. 22) at the 2025 GPAC Wrestling Championships. Baughman’s first-place claim at 141 pounds highlighted the efforts of 12 Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling competitors at Hastings. As a team, the Bulldogs tallied 149.5 points and placed third in the conference on the strength of 11 top-five individual finishes.
Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad also emerged with eight NAIA automatic national qualifiers. The program has earned its largest national qualifying group since sending eight wrestlers to Park City, Kan., in 2020.
“I was happy with how our guys came out and fought,” Watts said. “They've fought hard all second semester and came ready to do their absolute best this weekend. If there’s anybody that deserves (to win), it’s Creighton. He does everything right and works hard. He’s a great example for underclassmen on how to do everything correctly. I was really happy for him. He was due (to win the title).”
Baughman will be joined on the national stage by fellow automatic qualifiers in Steven Barnes (149), Hagen Heistand (149), Cole Price (157), Barret Brandt (184), Hunter Weimer (184), Torrance Keehn (197) and Mason Garcia (285). Baughman and Garcia will be repeat qualifiers while the others will make an appearance at NAIA nationals for the first time in their careers. Select GPAC wrestlers still could earn wild card berths to nationals. The auto bids were handed out based on an allocation system the NAIA devised for each weight class.
Concordia GPAC place finishers:
· 1st – Creighton Baughman (141); NAIA qualifier
· 2nd – Hagen Heistand (149); NAIA qualifier
· 2nd – Cole Price (157); NAIA qualifier
· 2nd – Tommy Wentz (165)
· 3rd – Brent Ward (165)
· 3rd – Hunter Weimer (184); NAIA qualifier
· 4th – Steven Barnes (149); NAIA qualifier
· 4th – Barret Brandt (184); NAIA qualifier
· 4th – Mason Garcia (285); NAIA qualifier
· 5th – Bryce Karlin (133)
· 5th – Torrance Keehn (197); NAIA qualifier
Ranked No. 6 in the NAIA at 141, Baughman faced little resistance from his first three opponents at the GPAC tournament. He pinned his first round and quarterfinal foes before dismantling Northwestern’s Noah Parmelee by technical fall (15-0) in the semifinals. In the championship, Baughman drew NAIA 15th-ranked Devin Avedissian of Doane. A second period takedown and two escapes were enough for Baughman to topple Avedissian, 5-3, for the title. Baughman will head to NAIA nationals for the third-straight year.
Concordia put eight individuals into the GPAC semifinals and four advanced to championship matches, including Heistand (149), Price (157) and Wentz (165). A transfer from Campbell University, Heistand wrestled NAIA No. 2 Nathan Lendt to a stalemate until the opponent from Doane broke the 1-1 tie with a reversal and eked it out, 3-1. Heistand won in the quarterfinals by tech fall and in the semis by major decision and stands at 16-3 on the season. Meanwhile, Price recovered from his championship match loss by winning a 5-2 decision over Morningside’s Caden Eggleston for true second. Price went 4-1 with a pin on the weekend. At 165, the league’s only auto bid went to Morningside’s Blaine Cristo, who defeated Wentz by major decision in the title bout. Wentz recorded two wins in the tournament and is hopeful of a wild card bid to nationals.
Of the other five that earned auto bids, two rallied back after losing their first match – Keehn (197) and Garcia (285). It’s been a breakthrough season for Keehn (ranked 13th in the NAIA), who won twice by pin and then came through in the pivotal fifth-place match with a major decision over Northwestern’s Kaleb Lind. A national qualifier at 197 last season, Garcia pinned a foe from Dakota Wesleyan and then avenged a loss earlier this season by defeating Doane’s Eli Criblez, 4-2, the key victory that secured another nationals bid.
At 184 pounds, Weimer took two wins by decision to position himself for third place and Brandt earned three contested wins (one by pin). The two Bulldogs were set to face each other in the third-place match that was forfeited to Weimer. Both Brandt and Weimer have reached 20 wins on the season. Joining Heistand as a qualifier at 149 is Barnes (another transfer), who won two contested matches, including one by major decision. Heistand defeated Barnes by major decision in the semifinals before Barnes rebound with a victory, 8-3, over Morningside’s Chris Aragon.
Concordia’s other GPAC competitors were Bryce Karlin (133), Brent Ward (165) and Teegan Tschampel (197). Karlin collected three pins (tied for second most in the tournament field) on his win to claiming fifth place in his weight class. At 165, Ward notched three wins with his last being a 13-12 decision over a Morningside foe for third place. Tschampel was eliminated from the field on Friday.
The results were promising for a program that qualified three wrestlers for nationals in 2024. The Bulldogs also moved up from fifth place at last year’s GPAC tournament to third in 2025. Said Watts in sum, “Mason had to beat a guy he lost to this year in order to qualify. He did a great job. All our guys competed well. Now we have to stay on top of things.”
All that remains in the 2024-25 season is the NAIA Wrestling National Championships for those who are named qualifiers. Official qualifiers will be announced next week by the NAIA. The national tournament will take place at Park City Arena in Park City, Kan., March 6-8. For details about the event can be found via the NAIA website linked HERE.