UPDATE: Concordia's dual at Doane scheduled for Jan. 12 has been postponed due to inclement weather. A makeup date has not yet been determined.
SEWARD, Neb. – The GPAC’s highest rated team is up next on the slate for Concordia University Wrestling. The Bulldogs prepped for the challenge this past weekend with a return to action at the Hastings Open in Hastings, Neb., where 19 Concordia wrestlers took to the mats. Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad last competed in a dual as part of the Avila Eagle Duals on Dec. 16. The Bulldogs will carry an overall dual record of 6-4 (2-2 GPAC) into Friday’s clash at fifth-ranked Doane. The battle with the Tigers is set to get underway at 7 p.m. CT inside the Haddix Center.
Concordia (6-4, 2-2 GPAC) at No. 5 Doane (5-3, 3-0 GPAC)
Friday, Jan. 12 | 7 p.m. | Haddix Center (Crete, Neb.)
Webcast: Doane YouTube
Live Results: Track Wrestling
The season to date has featured 10 duals and five tournaments. While taking part in the Hastings Open, Concordia knocked off whatever rust it may have worked up over Christmas break. The yields in Hastings were 28 wins (11 via pin) and four individual place finishes. The place finishes were turned in by Mason Garcia (second at 197), Creighton Baughman (third at 141), Barret Brandt (fourth at 165) and Garret Moser (fourth at 184). The Arroyo Grande, Calif., native Garcia took care of his first three opponents by pin. That run included a fall of Northwestern’s 22nd-ranked Kaleb Lind. Garcia was edged in the championship match, 1-0, by eighth-ranked Elijah Hynes of Missouri Valley College. Ranked fifth in the NAIA at 141, Baughman responded impressively after falling in his first match of the tournament. He then won five-straight bouts (three by pin and two by technical fall) and salvaged third place. Thirteen Bulldogs came away from the Hastings Open with at least one win.
The race for the team wins lead has heated up as Baughman stands at 23-5 and Brandt has run his mark to 23-8. Four other Bulldogs have collected at least 10 wins this season: Grant Wells (19-9), Hunter Weimer (13-9), Garcia (11-8) and Jeaven Scdoris (10-5). The Syracuse, Neb., native Brandt has accumulated 19 pins, two off the school record for a single season. A native of Papillion, Neb., Baughman owns a two-year Concordia record of 48-15. He sports a spotless 10-0 dual record on the season. From a team perspective, the Bulldogs’ dual wins have come over Midland, 45-6, Hastings, 41-9, Bethany College (Kan.), 55-0, Avila University (Mo.), 34-12, No. 18 Baker University (Kan.), 28-23, and Waldorf University (Iowa), 56-0.
Doane visited Seward last season and emerged with a 44-0 blanking of Concordia. Head Coach Dana Vote’s squad landed 12 competitors in the most recent official GPAC rankings (Dec. 20). Vote served as head coach of the Bulldogs during the 2012-13 through 2015-16 seasons (final two seasons resulted in GPAC championships for Concordia). The Tigers are coming off an appearance at the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where they went 2-3 with wins over Marian University (Ind.) and No. 10 Ottawa University (Kan.). Against GPAC opponents, Doane has been dominant so far this season with three wins – 50-0 over Northwestern, 40-9 over Briar Cliff and 56-0 over Midland. The Tigers return two 2023 All-Americans in Nathan Lendt (149) and Bradley Antesberger (197). The most notable departure from last season is Baagii Boldmaa, a three-time NAIA national champion.
Ranked wrestlers from both sides are listed below. Five Bulldogs appeared in the GPAC rankings released just prior to Christmas. Baughman is the GPAC’s top-rated wrestler at 141 pounds.
Ranked Competitors
NOTE: GPAC rankings are from Dec. 20 and NAIA national rankings are from the Dec. 22. Updated rankings will be posted to the NAIA website this week at this link: https://www.naia.org/sports/mwrest/2023-24/Releases/Ratings.
Concordia (6-4, 2-2 GPAC)
141 – Creighton Baughman: GPAC – 1st | NAIA – 5th
157 – Jeaven Scdoris: GPAC – 4th
165 – Tommy Wentz: GPAC – 2nd
165 – Barret Brandt: GPAC – 4th
197 – Mason Garcia: GPAC – 6th
Doane (5-3, 3-0 GPAC)
125 – Hunter Bennett: GPAC – 2nd | NAIA – 17th
133 – Devin Avedissian: GPAC – 1st | NAIA – 14th
149 – Nathan Lendt: GPAC – 1st | NAIA – 3rd
157 – Ben Miller: GPAC – 1st | NAIA – 12th
157 – Benjamin Dobler: GPAC – 3rd | NAIA – 22nd
174 – Cael Jordan: GPAC – 1st | NAIA – 15th
174 – Michael Scarponi: GPAC – 4th | NAIA – 24th
184 – Tyson Beauperthuy: GPAC – 1st | NAIA – 4th
184 – Chase Stieb: GPAC – 4th | NAIA – 18th
197 – Bradley Angesberger: GPAC – 1st | NAIA – 2nd
197 – Kasten Grape: GPAC – 2nd | NAIA – 6th
285 – Eli Criblez: GPAC – 4th | NAIA – 25th
There will be a break in the action following Friday’s dual. Concordia will be idle until Jan. 27 when it will wrestle Briar Cliff, Jamestown and Northwestern as part of the GPAC Day of Duals No. 2 in Sioux City, Iowa.