2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Scholar All-Americans
SEWARD, Neb. – Three Bulldogs represented the Concordia University Wrestling program on the honor roll released on Tuesday (March 19) by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). The organization recognized Creighton Baughman, Bryson Bussinger and Stephen Duffy as 2024 NAIA Scholar All-Americans. Baughman has earned the distinction for the second-straight year while Bussinger and Duffy have earned the academic award for the first time.
In order to receive the NWCA Scholar All-American award, student-athletes must meet one of the following criteria:
· Must have a 3.0 GPA and be a 2023 NAIA All-American
· Must have a 3.25 GPA and be a 2023 NAIA Qualifier
· Must have a 3.5 GPA if they did not qualify for NAIA Nationals. MUST also have competed in at least 5 contests or the National Qualifying Conference Tournament.
A native of Papillion, Neb., Baughman has enjoyed an impressive two-year run in the Concordia singlet. He went 33-8 overall this past season, placed as the GPAC 141-pound runner up and qualified for the NAIA national tournament for a second-consecutive season. Furthermore, Baughman went a spotless 15-0 in duals and recorded a combined 98 college wins between his experiences at Concordia and Iowa Western Community College. Baughman is a two-time NAIA national qualifier and two-time GPAC All-Conference award winner. Creighton is a Biology major and a Master of Healthcare Administration student.
Bussinger and Duffy were also regulars in the Bulldog lineup in 2023-24. A freshman from Cozad, Neb., Bussinger went 10-14 in his first collegiate season. Bussinger competed at 125 pounds at the GPAC tournament. He is a Secondary Education (History) major. One of seven seniors in the program, Duffy went 13-11 on the mat this season. He competed at 174 pounds at the conference tournament while wrapping his career as a Bulldog. Duffy also went 15-10 during the 2022-23 season. He is a Psychology major.
Head Coach Chase Clasen’s program also landed four individuals on the 2024 NAIA Scholar-Athlete list: Baughman, Duffy, Henry Gaertner and Anthony Perez.