Bulldogs headed to Desert Duals for second-straight year

SEWARD, Neb. – Head coach Dana Vote’s sixth-ranked Bulldog wrestling team has already embarked on its journey to Las Vegas, Nev., for the second-consecutive December. In Vegas, Concordia will take part in the annual Desert Duals held in the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino located along the Vegas strip. The action gets started at 8 a.m. PST from Sin City on Saturday.

“We’re excited to go out there and compete,” Vote said following last week’s dual victory over Northwestern. “We’ll get a chance to see some other nationally-ranked guys from out west that we don’t normally get to see. We’re just excited to go out there and have a good time and compete.”

Vote and his coaching staff along with 15 Bulldog wrestlers boarded a flight bound for Vegas early Thursday afternoon. That group includes eight nationally-ranked wrestlers for a Concordia squad currently sporting its highest-ever ranking in the NAIA coaches’ poll.

The Bulldogs believe they will be well-equipped to go up against four teams ranked inside the NAIA’s top 20 when Saturday’s grand event occurs on mats laid out in a hotel ballroom.

“It’s fun wrestling in that big ballroom,” Senior Enrique Barajas said. “There’s no pressure. We just go out there and try to do what we know we can do. We want to have a good time with our teammates and get some wins.”

At last year’s Desert Duals, Concordia defeated both No. 23 Embry-Riddle of Arizona (26-16) and NCAA Division III Pacific University of Oregon (26-16) while dropping duals against No. 14 Menlo College of California (30-7) and No. 5 University of Great Falls of Montana (33-9). Individually, then freshman Ken Burkhardt Jr. (197) enjoyed a 3-1 day that included a win over Menlo’s 14th-ranked Ian Mac Ineirghe.

This season the Bulldogs have won four of their first five duals with the only loss coming at the hands of top-ranked three-time NAIA defending national champion Grand View University. Concordia is ranked first in the NAIA North Qualifying Group and sits atop the GPAC standings with a 3-0 conference mark.

Vote already feels confident in where his team is headed, but Saturday’s quartet of duals could serve to fortify that belief.

“The biggest thing is we’re just going to go out and battle and wrestle each match,” Vote said. “We’ve got a lot of big key matchups that we’re excited to see individual-wise. There’s a lot of excitement for the Desert Duals.”

Seventh-ranked Indiana Tech, Concordia’s first opponent in Vegas, sports a 10-3 dual record and matches the Bulldogs with eight nationally-ranked grapplers. Among other Saturday opponents, No. 7 Oklahoma City University boasts five ranked individuals, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Ariz.) has six and Wayland Baptist University (Texas) has four.

Live results and video for the Desert Duals will be available via TrackWrestling.com.

Desert Duals schedule (all times Pacific)

• 8 a.m. – Concordia vs. No. 7 Indiana Tech
• 10 a.m. – Concordia vs. No. 11 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Ariz.)
• 12 p.m. – Concordia vs. No. 7 Oklahoma City University
• 2 p.m. – Concordia vs. No. 19 Wayland Baptist University (Texas)

(NOTE: The Duals will operate on a rolling schedule, thus, times after 8 a.m. are approximate.)

Concordia Desert Duals roster
125 – Cooper Bailey, Fr. (3-8)
125 – Dmitri Smith, So. (4-7)
133 – No. 3 Eric Franklin, Jr. (11-5)
133 – No. 4 Emilio Rivera, Sr. (15-5)
141 – Kodie Cole, So. (0-1)
149 – Brock Dalton, Jr. (2-9)
157 – No. 5 Enrique Barajas, Sr. (16-6)
157 – No. 13 Austin Starkey, Jr. (10-7)
165 – Tommy Bailey, So. (3-8)
174 – No. 13 Austin Fehlhafer, So. (5-5)
184 – Kale Hintz, Sr. (4-8)
184 – No. 16 Noel Richardson, Jr. (9-8)
197 – No. 11 Ken Burkhardt Jr., So. (12-10)
285 – No. 11 Ceron Francisco, So. (14-8)
285 – DJ McIntyre, Jr. (8-8) 

Desert Duals opponents in the national rankings

No. 7 Indiana Tech (10-3)

• 125 – No. 15 Kristopher McKinley
• 133 – No. 2 Mitch Pawlak
• 133 – No. 7 Brett Yarbrough
• 141 – No. 11 Matthew Miller
• 141 – No. 15 Robert Humphrey
• 149 – No. 9 Thomas Garty
• 165 – No. 8 Jacob Johnson
• 184 – No. 8 LJ Grayson

No. 7 Oklahoma City University (4-2)

• 125 – No. 3 Aaron LaFarge
• 157 – No. 3 Zach Skates
• 165 – No. 6 Ricky McCarty
• 174 – No. 16 Jared Bass
• 184 – No. 7 Derek Siverstsen

No. 11 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (1-2)

• 125 – No. 6 Sage Ornelas
• 133 – No. 6 Nick Oliver
• 141 – No. 13 Andrew Burr
• 157 – No. 7 Colin Merkley
• 165 – No. 9 Luke Riley
• 174 – No. 5 Jose Cruz III

No. 19 Wayland Baptist University (7-2)

• 133 – No. 5 Andrew Porras
• 141 – No. 6 Chris Hart
• 149 – No. 13 Victor Thomas
• 184 – No. 12 Michael Naiper