SEWARD, Neb. – On the heels of sharing the GPAC dual title, the Concordia University wrestling team now has its sights set on making a run at a conference postseason title. GPAC championships and individual berths to the NAIA National Championships will be at stake on Saturday when the Bulldogs compete at the conference postseason championships hosted in Orange City, Iowa, by Northwestern. The action is set to begin at 10 a.m. CST.
Live results will be provided by Track Wrestling. Northwestern will stream the action live via its Stretch Internet portal.
In the latest conference ratings released on Monday (Feb. 11), head coach Levi Calhoun’s squad moved back a spot to No. 2 behind Morningside. Of the 12 Concordia competitors entered into the GPAC Championships (see list below), ten are ranked within the top five of the conference in their respective weight classes. Junior Deandre Chery retained his hold on the No. 1 ranking at 174 pounds. Chery will attempt to defend his 2018 GPAC title at that weight. A 2018 All-American, the departed Giovanni Castillo was also a conference champ last season at 133 pounds.
If the rankings hold up, Chery could find himself going up against teammate Walker Fisher in the title match at 174 pounds. On his way to a championship last season, Chery won by pin and then technical fall before a tightly contested first-place bout that ended in a tiebreaker. Chery (31-9) enters Saturday with the second most victories on the team, behind only redshirt freshman heavyweight Michael Stann (34-12). The two standouts are neck-and-neck for the team lead in pins. Stann has recorded 16 and Chery 15.
Both Chery and Stann will be looking to bounce back from losses in last week’s dual against Morningside. Chery fell while bumping up to 184 pounds. Meanwhile, Stann was upset at 285 by the Mustangs’ Phil Rasmussen. As a result, Rasmussen jumped Stann in the conference ratings. Like Fisher and Stann, senior Alberto Garcia (133) boasts a No. 2 GPAC ranking. Senior Josh Nelsen (184) and Mario Ybarra (125) are both rated third in the GPAC.
Garcia, a transfer from Palomar College, would appear to be another candidate for a GPAC title run. He is 12-2 this season and will enter the GPAC championships on a seven-match win streak. He is 5-0 against conference opponents but has not yet faced the current No. 1 133-pounder in the conference: Midland’s Julian Gaytan.
From a team championship perspective, the Bulldogs have an opportunity to claim their fourth GPAC/NAIA North Qualifier postseason title in the past five seasons. Concordia first began competing in an exclusively GPAC postseason qualifier in 2016. The Bulldogs actually reigned supreme in a 14-team NAIA North Qualifier in 2015.
The final NAIA national rankings will prove critical in regards to determining automatic bids for the national championships. The top finisher in each weight class at each of the conference tournaments receives an automatic berth to the national championships. Additional automatic allocations are determined by using the final regular-season coaches’ poll (Feb. 13). For example, if the GPAC has four individuals ranked at 133 pounds in the final ranking, the conference would be awarded four automatic berths at that weight class. In addition to the automatic qualifiers, each conference is allowed three at-large individuals from any weight class. The remainder of the 240-wrestler field is selected by the national ranking committee.
The 2019 NAIA Wrestling National Championships are set to take place at the Jacobson Exhibition Center in Des Moines, Iowa, March 1-2. For more information on the event, visit the NAIA website HERE.
GPAC Championships Roster
125 – Mario Ybarra (23-11) | GPAC rank: 3
133 – Alberto Garcia (12-2) | GPAC rank: 2
133 – Zack Moistner (12-13
141 – Cameron Devers (13-13)
157 – Chucky Hedrick (5-3) | GPAC rank: 4
165 – Blake Castillo (12-13) | GPAC rank: 4
174 – Deandre Chery (31-9) | GPAC rank: 1
174 – Walker Fisher (11-6) | GPAC rank: 2
184 – Darrin Miller (14-13) | GPAC rank: 5
184 – Josh Nelsen (17-14) | GPAC rank: 3
197 – Tyler Jorgensen (17-17) | GPAC rank: 5
285 – Michael Stann (34-12) | GPAC rank: 2