PARK CITY, Kan. – Three Bulldogs made their way onto the national stage on Thursday (Feb. 29) as part of the 2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships. At 141 pounds, Creighton Baughman kept his season alive by going 2-1. Meanwhile, first-time qualifiers Tommy Wentz and Mason Garcia saw their tournament runs conclude on the opening day of action at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan.
The three Concordia qualifiers earned their way to nationals via automatic berths. The program has qualified seven individuals for the national tournament over Head Coach Chase Clasen’s first two seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs.
A two-time JUCO All-American, the Papillion, Neb., native Baughman is hoping to reach the podium in his second trip to the NAIA national tournament. Seeded 10th in his weight class, Baughman (33-7) started his day by dominating Elijah Griffin of Cumberland University (Tenn.) in a major decision, 14-1. In round two, Baughman fell by a 5-1 decision at the hands of seventh-seeded Cade Manion of Oklahoma City University. The loss put Baughman in a must-win bout that evening, and he came through by quickly pinning Carson Coy of Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) in 1:33. The pin marked the 13th of the season for Baughman, who owns 98 career collegiate wins between his time at Concordia and Iowa Western.
In their first tastes of the NAIA national tournament, Wentz and Garcia faced especially stiff competition. At 165 pounds, Wentz was defeated by technical fall and by fall while up against the eighth and seventh seeds, respectively, in the 165-pound weight class. At 197, Garcia found himself on his back as he went head-to-head against the NAIA’s Nos. 5 and 11 seeds in his class. Both Garcia and Wentz are juniors who will look to learn from their experiences as they look ahead to 2024-25. Wentz placed as the GPAC’s runner up at 165 while Garcia placed third in the conference at 197.
Baughman will continue to fight for his tournament life when the action resumes on Friday morning. Two more wins would make Baughman an All-American. First up on Friday, Baughman will draw No. 2 seed Logan Wagner of Marian University (Ind.).
For information on how to follow live coverage of the NAIA Wrestling National Championships, check out the tournament preview linked HERE.
Concordia wrestlers at NAIA National Championships
141 – Creighton Baughman
· Won by major decision over Elijah Griffin (Cumberland), 14-1
· Lost by decision to No. 7 Cade Manion (Oklahoma City), 5-1
· Won by fall over Carson Coy (Embry-Riddle), 1:33
165 – Tommy Wentz
· Lost by tech fall to No. 8 Matt Jenkins (Reinhardt), 15-0
· Lost by fall to No. 7 Braeden Baller (Texas Wesleyan), 2:06
197 – Mason Garcia
· Lost by fall to No. 5 Sawyer Hobbs (Providence), 1:53
· Lost by fall to No. 11 Curtis Thomas (Reinhardt), 2:02