Tattooed just above Creighton Baughman’s right knee is the word “SAVED” in all caps. Get to know Baughman and it makes a whole lot of sense. That one word helps the Papillion, Neb., native keep everything in proper perspective, even during times of uncertainty. There clearly have been those moments for Baughman, who first found himself at Northern State University (S.D.) while beginning his collegiate wrestling career.
The path ahead was unknown roughly a year-and-a-half ago after Baughman had completed two years at Iowa Western Community College. Baughman just knew he wanted to stay somewhere close to home.
“I wasn’t really sure what my next step was going to be,” Baughman said. “The coach at Iowa Western reached out and said, ‘Hey, one of my old wrestlers, Chase Clasen, is taking over at Concordia.’ I knew I wanted to be close to home in Omaha. That’s where I’ve always lived and that’s where all my family lives. He linked us up and I met with Coach Clasen. I took a visit here and really fell in love with the faith-based atmosphere. I saw the vision that Coach Clasen had, and I ended up choosing Concordia.”
The decision has worked out nicely for both sides as Baughman thrived in his first year as a Bulldog. He posted a 25-10 overall record and qualified for the 2023 NAIA National Championships at 141 pounds. His influence within the program was felt in obvious ways as Concordia moved up to third in the GPAC (from sixth the previous year) and equaled a program record for dual wins in a single season. Baughman’s campaign ended at the national tournament with a pair of wins on that stage. He fell short of the All-America podium, something that has him intensely motivated for this season.
The signing of Baughman was a big deal for Concordia Wrestling. Baughman made his next destination official in May of 2022 after he took home two All-America awards as a member of the Reivers program. Not only was Clasen adding a potential All-American wrestler, he was getting an all-around quality person who also excels in the classroom (as evidenced by his 2023 NWCA Scholar All-America award). Like Baughman, Clasen had wrestled at Iowa Western for Coach Josh Watts. The fit for Baughman has been a natural one.
“He’s a model representative of what this program’s looking for,” Clasen said. “He’s a great guy off the mat, great student, great socially and a great wrestler. He’s one of those guys who doesn’t have a lot of words to say, but he walks the walk. Having a guy like that in the room – if a guy looks over and we’re in the trenches and he’s going hard – that’s inspiring. We’re super blessed to have him on the team.”
As a born and raised Nebraskan, Baughman says he put on wrestling shoes by the age of three. As Baughman states, “For the most part, it’s all I’ve ever known.” Winters have always been about wrestling, and eventually, the sport became a year-round endeavor as Baughman trained in freestyle and Greco prior to his college days. He was influenced in the sport by the likes of his father, uncle and grandparents.
Baughman says it’s been more recent that faith became a larger part of his life. What he has learned over the past year was that Concordia was the perfect place for him to grow in that aspect while also furthering his wrestling career. Baughman also remembered Concordia from attending a Fargo camp and thought highly of the facilities and the layout of the campus.
“First and foremost, it’s a faith-based atmosphere,” Baughman said. “While I’ve always known that God loves me, I’m still fairly new to religion. These last four or five years, my family and I really went all in on seeing what God has in store for us and doing our best to love Him. Coming to Concordia and taking some of the basic Old Testament, New Testament and theology classes has completely opened my eyes and really see who God is, what He has planned for me and how much He loves us.”
God-willing, Baughman expects to see himself ascend to the podium in early March of 2024. From the outside looking in, Baughman’s first Concordia season appeared to be a resounding success. While Baughman has enjoyed the experience, his exit from the 2023 national tournament left him hungry for more. He also will tell you that he expected to win a national title at the junior college level (where he placed fifth and third, respectfully). With this potentially being Baughman’s final season of collegiate wrestling, he’s determined not to leave anything on the table.
“I can earn it every single day and I’ll continue to do my absolute best to do that,” Baughman said. “When I get to that national tournament, no matter who they put in front of me, I have to take it. It doesn’t matter who it is in front of me, they breathe the same air I do. You wrestle hard for seven minutes and just remember that it’s the same wrestling as in the practice room as it would be in the national finals or whatever it may be. It’s the exact same sport. Don’t overcomplicate it. Just enjoy the process. I’m so thankful for what the sport has given me. Go out with no regrets.”
Clasen may describe Baughman as someone who “doesn’t have a lot of words to say,” but the words he does speak carry a lot of weight within the Concordia Wrestling room. Baughman admits that “I’m not a very vocal leader.” At the same time, he sets an example that his teammates would be wise to follow. Baughman is all about doing the right thing on the mat, off the mat and in the classroom.
Says Baughman, “It’s not complicated. It’s about doing the simple things the right way – showing up on time, not missing practice and being disciplined with your diet. Whatever it takes. As lucky as we are to compete in college, we only get four or five years. We have the rest of our lives to slack off or do whatever we want to do after that. While I get these four or five years in college wrestling, I want to make the absolute most of them. That way, ten years down the road, I’m not saying, ‘I wish I was more disciplined or would have done that better.’”
Whatever result occurs this winter, it won’t be for lack of effort. Even Baughman himself says that wrestling isn’t a sport you compete in because you want the glory. Those who succeed at a high level do so because of all the unglamorous hours logged behind the scenes. Baughman, a biology major, is so focused on the day-to-day grind that he can’t even really tell people what will come next after he finishes his education. Since wrestling is all he’s ever known, he wants to continue to be around the sport in some fashion.
Baughman understands that God will guide him to the places he’s supposed to go. It was his sophomore year of high school when a light bulb moment occurred for Baughman. His wrestling coach invited him to his church and suddenly Baughman realized he had been missing something in his life. Baughman felt ‘saved.’ Thus, the ink that appears on Baughman’s right leg.
That word is clearly visible when Baughman dons the Concordia singlet and puts his heart and soul into competition for seven minutes. Baughman understands his ‘why.’
“Seeing the change that new faith has made in my family’s and my own life has been nothing short of a miracle,” Baughman said. “In that time, I learned who God was, what He’s done for me and the other worldly plan He has given me. ‘Saved’ was always the word that came to mind when I think of the transformation that finding new faith has done for me.”
More thoughts from Creighton Baughman:
On the most inspiring person in his life: “Outside of God, I would say probably my mom. She had me at a very young age and she went on and got her degree and was able to provide for me and provide for our whole family. A lot of times I took it for granted, but as I’ve gotten older and have seen what my parents sacrificed for me and the time they committed so that I could live out my dreams of wrestling and help me get to this point, I’m so, so thankful for them.”
On rewards of wrestling: “Wrestling is one sport you don’t do for glory. You do it because you know how hard you’ve worked. Every single match, you can’t take it for granted. You have to make the most of it and be proud of what you accomplished and the hours of practice that went into a seven-minute match. That’s always something to take pride in. Going onto the real world, mentally, it prepares you for just about anything. I’m so thankful for the sport of wrestling.”
We are excited to welcome Creighton Baughman to the bulldog wrestling family! Creighton is a transfer from Iowa Western, where he was a 2x NJCAA All-American! Creighton is also from Papillion, NE and was a 4x state medalist! #BEaDAWG pic.twitter.com/hSHYpdyMxQ
— Concordia Wrestling (@CUNEwrestling) May 20, 2022
