WARRENSBURG, Mo. – In his second outing as a Bulldog, junior Hagen Heistand made a splash. The Dow City, Iowa, native won the 149-pound championship as one of 10 competitors who represented Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling at the Roger Denker Open on Sunday (Jan. 19). The tournament featured wrestlers from 18 institutions and took place in Warrensburg, Mo., home to the University of Central Missouri.
The Denker Open marked the sixth tournament that Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad has competed in during the 2024-25 season. The 10 Bulldogs that took to the mats on Sunday combined for 13 contested wins.
“Overall, the guys are starting to show in matches what we’ve been working on in the room,” Watts said. “I think we’re starting to turn a corner there. It was a small group today, but Hagen really stood out. No one scored an offensive point against him. He won every match by bonus points. Jeremiah Vazquez wrestled pretty tough, and Teegan Tschampel wrestled well. It was a solid showing. I’m happy with the guys’ effort and fight today.”
A transfer from NCAA Division I Campbell University, Heistand wiped the floor with his competition in the 149-pound weight class. He blazed through the bracket with a pin in 3:51, a pin in 0:31, a major decision and two victories by technical fall. In the championship bout, Heistand took care of Central Missouri’s Ayden Dolt by a count of 19-4. As part of his day, Heistand defeated a pair of NCAA Division II foes and moved his season record to 10-1.
Two other Bulldogs earned place finishes at the Denker Open: Tschampel (fourth place at 197) and Vasquez (sixth place at 285). Tschampel picked up a pin over an NCAA DII opponent as he made his way to the third-place match. Tschampel has placed at two tournaments this season. Meanwhile, Vasquez collected three contested victories, including one by fall over an NAIA combatant.
Three additional Concordia wrestlers turned in at least one victory on the day: Gabe Lujan (1-2 at 125), Francisco Mendez (1-2 at 157) and Blake Boehmer (2-2 at 184). Mendez and Boehmer came away with a pin apiece.
Heistand entered the weekend ranked second in the GPAC at 149. His performances at the Denker Open may lead to him cracking the national rankings before the end of January. Said Watts of Heistand, “Having him and Stevie (Barnes) at 149 is going to be a good combo for us. Missing him first semester was tough, but it’s good to have him rolling now. He’ll be going with the team to the MO Valley Invite next week. It will be a good tournament for him to hopefully gain some more confidence.”
The season will continue next weekend with the Missouri Valley Invite (Jan. 24-25) in Marshall, Mo. The Bulldogs will enter 12 of their top competitors into the tournament, which serves as an annual showcase event for NAIA wrestling.