SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University wrestling program moved a step closer to regaining its perch atop the GPAC standings with a Saturday (Jan. 26) that went about as well as anyone could have scripted. The Bulldogs blew away their first three opponents and then knocked off defending GPAC dual champion Briar Cliff as part of a 4-0 day at the GPAC Duals that took place inside Walz Arena.
First-year head coach Levi Calhoun’s squad is now a perfect 6-0 in conference dual action this season. While hosting four other teams in Seward, Concordia defeated Hastings, 42-6, Jamestown, 40-0, Doane, 44-9, and Briar Cliff, 25-14. A total of 10 conference duals took place at Walz. The first action got started at 9 a.m. CST.
“I thought the effort was incredible across the board,” Calhoun said. “Even the matches we lost the guys were fighting. I’m really happy with the way they came out and performed. To come out undefeated on the day is a really good feeling, especially with taking down the defending GPAC champs in the final dual of the day. It was pretty exciting.”
This brought back memories of the recent past when All-Americans Ken Burkhardt Jr. and Ceron Francisco were wreaking havoc upon the GPAC. In Saturday’s action, the Bulldogs won 33 of 40 individual matches. By the time Concordia had polished off its first three victories of the day, it had dropped just four matches. Hastings was little match for the Bulldogs, who racked up six pins of the Broncos.
Junior Deandre Chery appears to be on a mission to win another GPAC title and reach the national stage again. The 174-pounder notched two more pins as part of a 3-0 day. Freshmen Michael Stann (285) and Mario Ybarra (125) both went a perfect 4-0. Stann has gone 6-0 in conference duals while running roughshod through league opponents.
At the end of the day, Calhoun had a tough time singling out just one standout performer. Fourteen Bulldogs registered at least one win. Kyle Carey (141) and Alberto Garcia (133) also added three victories apiece.
“It felt good,” Calhoun said. “I feel like we’re slowly getting back to that GPAC dominance we had in years past. It kind of felt like that today with being able to go in and impose our will on opposing teams. It’s a nice feeling, but we have a lot of work to do. We have two tough duals left in our conference schedule with Northwestern and Morningside. We’re going to continue to work and prepare for those.”
Exactly two wins each were recorded by Blake Castillo, Cameron Devers, Walker Fisher, Chucky Hedrick, Tyler Jorgensen, Darrin Miller and Jason Watkins. Blake Crawford and Josh Nelsen turned in one win apiece.
When the dust settled on Saturday, Concordia stood alone at the top of the GPAC standings. Situated next in line behind the Bulldogs are Morningside (5-1), Midland (4-1) and Northwestern (4-2). Since the start of the 2014-15 season, Concordia owns a combined GPAC dual record of 32-3.
Up next on the slate is Thursday’s dual at Northwestern. The action is slated to get started at 6 p.m. CST from Orange City, Iowa. In last season’s meeting in Seward, Concordia clipped the Red Raiders, 21-16.