INDIANOLA, Iowa – The 2024-25 season got underway for a group of 18 Bulldogs at the Luther Hill Invite hosted by Simpson University on Saturday (Nov. 2). Those representatives of the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling program combined for 37 wins and 14 individual place finishes as Josh Watts made his debut as head coach of the Bulldogs. Bryce Karlin (133) and Tommy Wentz (165) both claimed titles within their respective weight classes in the open division of a tournament that featured competitors from 17 institutions from various levels of collegiate wrestling.
The tournament is just a starting point for Watts’ squad, which was pegged at No. 3 in the GPAC in the preseason ratings. Said Watts, “I’m happy with how the team competed today. I feel we laid a good foundation to build on and identified areas we need to work on. I look forward to getting back to the practice room on Monday.”
A returning national qualifier, Wentz won each of his three matches on Saturday at 165 pounds. He opened the day with a major decision over Central College (Iowa)’s Kevin Hogan and continued with a 4-2 decision over Grand View University (Iowa)’s Brock Moore and then a win in a tiebreaker over teammate Brent Ward in the championship bout. As for Karlin, he dominated with three-consecutive pins. The final one occurred in the first period in a wipeout of Quincy’s Isaac Bourge.
As shown below, there were eight Bulldogs who were runners up within their weight classes. That crew included wrestlers who competed in the freshman/sophomore divisions. The second-place Concordia finishers included Steven Barnes (149), Francisco Mendez (157), Simon Arredondo (165), Ward (165), Barret Brandt (174), Hunter Weimer (184), Torrance Keehn (197) and Teegan Tschampel (197). Brandt is looking to follow up a fine freshman season that saw him break the program record for pins in a season with 24. Brandt notched one pin on Saturday.
Bulldog place finishes
· 133 (Open) Bryce Karlin – 1st
· 165 (Open) Tommy Wentz – 1st
· 149 (FR/SO) Steven Barnes – 2nd
· 157 (Open) Francisco Mendez – 2nd
· 165 (FR/SO) Simon Arredondo – 2nd
· 165 (Open) Brent Ward – 2nd
· 174 (FR/SO) Barret Brandt – 2nd
· 184 (Open) Hunter Weimer – 2nd
· 197 (FR/SO) Torrance Keehn – 2nd
· 197 (Open) Teegan Tschampel – 2nd
· 184 (Open) Garret Moser – 3rd
· 184 (FR/SO) Blane Boehmer – 4th
· 149 (Open) Dominick Flynn – 5th
· 184 (FR/SO) Evan Sepanlou – 5th
Seventeen of the 18 Bulldogs who wrestled at the Luther Hill Invite emerged with at least one victory. The Pacific Junction, Iowa, native Barnes led the way in terms of overall wins with four (including one by technical fall). Three triumphs apiece were delivered by Karlin (133), Wentz (165), Arredondo (165), Brandt (174), Evan Sepanlou (184) and Keehn (197). Concordia combined for seven pins on the day. Of the four Bulldogs currently ranked nationally, Wentz (18th at 165) was the only one to compete in Indianola. Creighton Baughman (10th at 141), Hagen Heistand (25th at 157) and Mason Garcia (17th at 285) will soon get their 2024-25 seasons underway.
The Bulldogs now shift focus to the first dual of the 2024-25 season. Concordia will be in Fremont, Neb., on Wednesday for a clash with Midland at 7 p.m. CT. Last season, the Bulldogs went 3-5 in conference duals while the Warriors finished 0-8. Concordia took last November’s meeting by a 45-6 team score.