Ten Bulldogs officially named qualifiers for 2015 national championships
SEWARD, Neb. – A 2014-15 Concordia University wrestling season that has already included GPAC and NAIA North Group titles will continue when the 2015 NAIA Wrestling National Championships take place March 6-7. Third-year head coach Dana Vote will travel 10 wrestlers to the 58th annual event, which will be held at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kan. The first of four sessions is set to start at 10 a.m. CST on Friday, March 6.
Only three NAIA programs nationally will be represented by more individuals than Concordia on the national stage. Five Bulldogs will be making their second-straight trip to Topeka while the other five will get their first tastes of the NAIA national championships (see complete qualifier list below). At last year’s championships, Austin Mogg finished in fifth place at 125 pounds as Concordia’s lone All-American.
The top team in the North, the Bulldogs stand a good chance of improving upon their team finish of 22nd at the 2014 national championships. Concordia has garnered a top-15 national ranking in every coaches’ poll of the season. Its current ranking of sixth equals its highest-ever national placement in program history. All 10 of Concordia’s national qualifiers possess national rankings.
Stretch Internet, the NAIA’s official video streaming company, will be broadcasting the 10 title bouts (Session IV) of the 2015 NAIA Wrestling National Championships on March 7 on www.NAIANetwork.com. Packages can be purchased for $10.
For additional information on the 2015 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, click here.
Bulldog national qualifiers
125 – No. 14 Dmitri Smith (15-12)
133 – No. 10 Kodie Cole (15-5)
133 – No. 4 Emilio Rivera (27-9)
141 – No. 3 Andrew Schulte (17-2)
149 – No. 7 Enrique Barajas (25-8)
149 – No. 10 Jr Lule (15-6)
184 – No. 11 Austin Fehlhafer (16-10)
197 – No. 8 Ken Burkhardt Jr. (29-15)
285 – No. 13 DJ McIntyre (27-13)
285 – No. 15 Ceron Francisco (28-14)