2010-11 Wrestling schedule/results

OCTOBER
Oct. 23	Fall Clinic and Intrasquad Dual	Seward, Neb.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 6	Yellowjacket Open	Rochester, Minn.
Nov.13	Knox Invitational	Galesburg, Ill.	Results
Nov. 19	Wheaton College Dual	Mequon, Wis.
Nov. 20	Concordia University Open	Mequon, Wis.
DECEMBER
Dec. 3	Simpson College Dual	Indianola, Iowa
Dec. 3	Williams College Dual	Indianola, Iowa
Dec. 4	Simpson College Invitational	Indianola, Iowa
Dec. 8	Minnesota-State Southwest Dual	Sioux Falls, S.D.
Dec. 8	University of Sioux Falls	Sioux Falls, S.D.
Dec. 11	Buena Vista Open	Storm Lake, Iowa
JANUARY
Jan. 15	York College Open	York, Neb.	Results
Jan. 19	Hastings College Dual	Seward, Neb.	Results
Jan. 29	GPAC Championships	Hastings, Neb.	Results
FEBRUARY
Feb. 5	North Country Open	Collegeville, Minn.	9 a.m.
Feb. 9	Morningside College Dual	Hastings, Neb	Results
Feb. 9	Hastings College Dual	Hastings, Neb.	Results
Feb. 19	NAIA North Regional Championships	Orange City, Iowa	Results
MARCH
Mar. 3-5	NAIA National Championship	Cedar Rapids, Iowa	Results

All Home Matches in BOLD

2010-2011 - Wrestling roster

*Wt.*.	*Name*	*Yr.*	*Hometown*	*Previous School*
125	Jordan Fowlkes	So.	Newman Grove, Neb.	Newman Grove High
125	Jeff Green	Fr.	West Point, Neb.	West Point
125	Jake Williams	Fr.	Rio Rancho, N.M.	Rio Rancho
125	Brandon Roath	Fr.	Lincoln, Neb.	Palmyra
133	Travis Patrick	Fr.	Castle Rock, Wash.	Castle Rock
133	Adam Joseph	Fr.	Hastings, Neb.	Adams Central
141	Alex Rostvet	So.	Hastings, Neb.	Adams Central
141	Alex Stepanek	Fr.	St. Paul, Neb.	St. Paul
141	Logan Owens	Fr.	Carroll, Neb.	Wayne
141	Robbie Resendiz	Fr.	San Jancinto, Cal.	Tahquitz
149	Brandon Starkey	So.	St. Paul, Neb.	St. Paul
149	Zach Schnell	So.	Lincoln, Neb.	Northeast
149	Martin Dobler	Fr.	Rockford, Ill.	Lutheran
157	Jake Babb	Fr.	Falls City, Neb.	Falls City
165	Blake Augustyn	Fr.	Ord, Neb.	Ord
174	Nick Sheppard	Fr.	Englewood, Colo.	Englewood
174	Ryan Perez	Fr.	Lake Charles, La.	Sulphur
184	Ben Lierman	So.	Syracuse, Neb.	Syracuse
197	Julian Silva	Ju.	Covina, Cal.	Bishop Amat
197	Colton Schneider	Fr.	Millerville, AB Canada
197	Anthony Fulton	So.	Waverly, Neb.	Waverly
285	Barry Hubbard	So.	Roanoke, Va.	Wm Fleming
285	Dillon Heesch	So.	Dayton, Iowa	Dayton
285	Hunter Cummins	Fr.	Farmington, N.M.	Farmington
285	Aaron Roberson	Fr.	Alda, Ne.	Wood River
285	Joseph Koenig	Fr.	Orlando, Fla.	Boone

2010-2011 - Wrestling coaching staff

Head Coach: Doug Reese

Assistant Coach: Garett Kiley

Assistant Coach: Brady Johnson

Bulldogs prepare for Knox College Invite

The Bulldog wrestling team, fresh off of placing nine wrestlers in the Yellowjacket Open this past weekend, travels to Knox College (Galesburg, Ill.) this weekend for a 12-team invitational tournament.

Concordia is expected to compete against Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.), Simpson College (Iowa), Knox College, North Central College (Ill.), UW-Platteville, Central College (Iowa), Hannibal-LaGrange College (Mo.), Truman State University (Mo.), Rend Lake College (Ill.), Northland International (Wis.), Itasca College (Minn.), Illinois State University, and the University of Dubuque (Iowa).

This will be the first invitational tournament Concordia has participated in. There is team scoring in an invitational, where open tournaments do not track team scores.

“We are excited for this weekend,” commented Coach Doug Reese. “Our last competition went well, and we made the necessary corrections where our technique broke down. Thus far, we have had a great week of practice. It will be fun to see how we place amongst these other programs.”

Wrestling begins on November 13th at 9 am in T. Fleming Fieldhouse on the Knox College campus.

Bulldogs set to open season at Yellowjacket Open

The Bulldog wrestling program opens up the 2010-2011 campaign at the Yellowjacket Open in Rochester, MN hosted by Rochester Community and Technical College on Saturday, November 6.

The Yellowjacket Open is a Frosh-Soph wrestling tournament that is expected to draw approximately 160 wrestlers from Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

RTCC is led by head Coach Randy Rager, who was mentored by Concordia head coach Doug Reese at the University of Minnesota-Morris. Rager is the all-time career win leader in the NCAA with 164 career wins and was a three-time All-American.

“This is an ideal tournament for us to start our season with, and I am glad to have the opportunity to support one of my former wrestlers,” noted head coach Doug Reese. “Our entire team is made up of freshman and sophomores, so we are more or less a junior college team at this point. The mat is level this weekend, and we like that.”

The following team members will be traveling to the Yellowjacket Open:

125 – Gordie Fowlkes (So. - Newman Grove, NE), Jeff Green (Fr. - West Point, NE)
133 – Adam Joseph (Fr. - Hastings, NE), Travis Patrick (Fr. - Castle Rock, WA)
141 – Alex Rostvet (So. - Hastings, NE), Robbie Resendiz (Fr. - San Jacinto, CA), Alex Stepanek (Fr. - St. Paul, NE) or Logan Owens (Fr. – Carroll, NE)
149 – Zach Schnell (So. - Lincoln, NE), Brandon Starkey (So. - St. Paul, NE)
157 – Martin Dobler (Fr. - Rockford, IL)
165 – Blake Augustyn (Fr. - Ord, NE), Nick Sheppard (Fr. - Edgewood, CO)
174 – Ryan Perez (Fr. - Lake Charles, LA)
197 – Julian Silva (So. - Covina, CA)
285 – Hunter Cummins (Fr. - Farmington, NM)

The Bulldogs are led by NAIA North ranked wrestlers Julian Silva and Brandon Starkey, along with sophomore captains Gordie Fowlkes and Alex Rostvet.

“I am excited to finally get on the mat in real competition,” said California junior college All-American transfer Julian Silva. “I am fired up to wrestle someone other than teammates in practice. It is about time for the real thing!”

“It will be fun to finally compete and to get a good evaluation of where we stand at this point in the season,” noted Coach Reese. “We need to see how the freshmen handle the stress of travel and competition. They are taking a big step this weekend up from high school to collegiate level, so it will be nice to compete against a large number of other freshmen.”

Wrestling starts at 10 am at the Rochester Community and Technical College URC Sports Center.

Silva captures Knox Invite Title, Joseph places second, Starkey qualifies

13 Nov 2010

For the second straight weekend, the Concordia University wrestling team posted a winning record in a double elimination tournament. Three Bulldog wrestlers posted five or more wins and placed in the Knox College Invitational, a tournament that lasted just over 11 hours.

Julian Silva (Covina, Calif.) won his second straight tournament at 197 pounds. Silva opened the tournament with a fall in 2:51 versus Jake Hare of Hannibal-LaGrange College (Mo.) and then pinned Isaac Juarez of Knox College (Ill.) in 1:07. In the quarterfinals, Silva pinned Anthony Myrick of North Central College (Ill.) in 4:17. In the semifinals, Silva defeated No. 4 seed Theron Stewart of Central College (Iowa), 12-6. In the finals, Silva won a 10-3 decision over Jake Mabry of Oklahoma City University. Silva improved to a perfect 9-0 on the season.

“Julian is wrestling extremely well,” noted Coach Doug Reese. “He is extremely tough and physical on his feet. Mentally, he is breaking his opponents, and you can actually see his competition quit during a match. Julian will be tough to beat the way he is wrestling right now.”

Adam Joseph (Hastings, Neb.) posted a 5-1 record at 133 pounds. Joseph’s only loss came to the No. 1 seed, who placed second in the NCAA II national championship a year ago. Joseph won by fall over Chase Holloway of the University of Dubuque in 3:46. He then won an 8-0 major decision versus Sterling Wright of Oklahoma City University, defeated No. 4 seed Jeff Sand of Simpson College (Iowa), 8-2, then pinned Alex Wright of Central College (Iowa) in 57 seconds. In the consolation finals, Joseph defeated the No. 3 seed, Greg Gegoras of Augustana College (Ill.), 3-0.

Joseph is 9-2 on the season and has placed in the last two tournaments, meeting the NAIA national wrestling championship qualifying standards.

Brandon Starkey (St. Paul, Neb.) wrestled to a 6-2 record at 149 pounds. Starkey dropped his first match and then ripped off six consecutive victories. Starkey defeated Mike Butterfield of the University of Dubuque by the score of 7-4 and then executed a rare first period technical fall over Kin Vong of Knox College, 15-0. Starkey then defeated Curtis Hobbs of Central College, 6-5, and downed Trevor Maus of North Central College by the score of 7-6. He also defeated Justin Hoffman of Augustana College, 10-5. His final win was over Steve Poffenberger of Augustana College, 6-3.

“It was a long day for Brandon,” noted Coach Reese. “To wrestle eight times in one day is a lot of wrestling, and to lose your first match in a double elimination tournament makes it tougher. I was proud to see how Brandon wrestled in tight, physical matches. He proved that he is a wrestler who belongs in the national championships.”

Also posting wins for the Bulldogs were Gordie Fowlkes (2-2) at 125 pounds, Jeff Green (2-2) at 125 pounds, Alex Rostvet (2-2) at 141 pounds, Alex Stepanek (2-2) at 141 pounds, Robbie Resendiz (2-2) at 141 pounds and Hunter Cummins (2-2) at heavyweight.

The Bulldogs posted an overall record of 28-23 for the tournament.

“It is fun to see how the team is progressing,” remarked Reese. “We are wrestling with intensity and toughness. We won at least six matches today because we were in better shape and because we made our opponents quit. Our physical style is fun to watch. It was disappointing that we were not at full strength this weekend. Both Blake Augustyn at 165 and Zach Schnell at 149 were out of the lineup with illness, but we hope to have them back this week.”

Bulldogs prepare for first dual of season

The Concordia University wrestling team will compete in their first dual meet of the season against Wheaton College on November 19 at 6 pm in Mequon, Wis. Concordia University (Wis.) will host the dual.

Concordia’s tentative lineup
125 - Gordie Fowlkes (So. Newman Grove, Neb.)
133 - Adam Joseph (Fr. Hastings, Neb.)
141 - Alex Stepanek (Fr. St. Paul, Neb.)
149 - Zach Schnell (RFr. Lincoln, Neb.)
157 - Brandon Starkey (So. St. Paul, Neb.)
165 - Blake Augustyn (Fr. Ord, Neb.)
174 - Nick Sheppard (Fr. Edgewood, Colo.)
184 - Ryan Perez (Fr. Lake Charles, La.)
197 - Julian Silva (So. Covina, Calif.)
285 - Hunter Cummins (Fr. Farmington, N.M.)

Wheaton College is currently 0-4 in duals and is spotting the opposition four forfeits in all of their dual meets this season. The Storm is coached by former Olympian and US National Greco-Roman coach Jim Gruenwald.

Bulldogs set to compete in Simpson College Invite

The Concordia University wrestling team will take part in the Simpson College Invitational on Saturday. There will be live video on mat 1 during the tournament, which is also where the finals will be held. Results will also be available on the Simpson College website following the tournament. Links to the live video and results can be found below.

A strong field of competition is expected including: Missouri Baptist, Midland University, Briar Cliff, Baker, Coe, Truman State, William Penn, Waldorf, Wartburg, Upper Iowa, University of Dubuque, Eastern Illinois, Grandview, Buena Vista, Simpson, and NIACC.

Competing for the Bulldogs will be:

125 - Jeff Green, Gordie Fowlkes
133 - Adam Joseph, Travis Patrick
141 - Alex Stepanek, Alex Rostvet, Robbie Resendiz
149 - Zach Schnell, Brandon Starkey, Martin Dobler
165 - Blake Augustyn, Nick Sheppard
174 - Ryan Perez
197 - Julian Silva
285 - Aaron Roberson, Hunter Cummins

Wrestling will begin at 9 am in the Cowles Fieldhouse on the campus of Simpson College.

Augustyn places at Simpson Invite, qualifies for NAIA Nationals

3 Dec 2010

Blake Augustyn, a freshman from Ord, Nebraska, had an excellent performance at the Simpson College Invitational over the weekend. Augustyn qualified for the 2011 NAIA national wrestling championships.

Augustyn went 5-2 with two falls and placed fifth in the 165-pound weight class. Augustyn opened by the tournament with a 5-2 decision over Todd Brier of Central Missouri then won by fall in 2:40 over Kody Havens of Simpson College. In the quarterfinals, Augustyn dropped a match to the No. 3 seed Landon Williams of Wartburg College.

In the consolation bracket, Augustyn pinned Dez Broeg of Buena Vista College in 4:17, then defeated the No. 6 seed Todd Brier of Central Missouri, 5-0. In the consolation semi-finals, Augustyn dropped a 10-1 major decision to Matt MaGill of New York University. In the fifth place medal match, Augustyn defeated the No. 5 seed Jesses Schossow of Wartburg College by injury default.

“Blake had an outstanding tournament,” said Coach Reese. “He was physical, stayed in great position, and wrestled strategically. The success he had at Simpson should propel him towards greater achievement in the upcoming schedule.”

Augustyn has been named the Edward Jones Wrestler-of-the-Week for his performance at the Simpson Invitational. This weekly recognition is provided by Brady Johnson of Edward Jones Investments in Seward.

Freshman Adam Joseph (Hastings, Neb.) placed in his fourth consecutive tournament. Joseph, who is 16-7 on the season, placed sixth at the 133-pound weight class. He won a 10-2 major decision over Grand View University, a 12-3 major decision over Coe College, a 12-1 major decision versus William Penn University and a 6-3 decision over New York University. Joseph met the NAIA qualifying standard for the fourth time this season.

A number of Bulldog wrestlers had strong showings at the Simpson Invitational. Jeff Green (West Point, Neb.) went 2-2 at 125 pounds. Green won a 10-2 major decision over Grand View University and a 12-3 major decision over Coe College. Travis Patrick (Castle Rock, Wash.) went 2-2 at 133 pounds, posting a fall over New York University and a 7-4 decision over Simpson College.

Robbie Resendiz went 2-2 at 141 pounds. Resendiz posted two wins over the host school Simpson College, a 3-1 decision and a 4-3 decision. Brandon Starkey (St. Paul, Neb.) went 2-2 at 149 pounds. Starkey won an 8-4 decision over Baker University and had a fall in 6:23 over Baker. Ryan Perez (Lake Charles, La.) went 2-2 at 174 pounds. Perez won a 6-3 decision over Simpson College and posted a 9-7 decision over Missouri Baptist University.

Trio of Bulldogs ranked in NAIA North Region

Three Concordia wrestlers are listed in the latest NAIA North Region rankings released on Monday. Adam Joseph, Brandon Starkey and Julian Silva are all ranked in their respective weight classes.

Joseph (Hastings, Neb.) is ranked No. 1 in the 133-pound weight class with a record of 16-6 so far this year. Starkey (St. Paul, Neb.) is fourth in the 149-pound weight class. Starkey has posted a record of 10-5 so far this season. Silva (Covina, Calif.) has a record of 12-5 overall this season and is fourth in the 197-pound weight class.

The Bulldogs took part in the Simpson College Invite this past weekend. Concordia is set to compete in the Buena Vista Open on December 11.

Joseph sixth in NAIA individual ratings

Concordia University freshman Adam Joseph is ranked nationally in the latest NAIA individual ratings. Joseph is sixth in this week’s poll. Jordan Murphy (Briar Cliff) is the only other GPAC wrestler ranked nationally in the 133-pound weight class.

Joseph (Hastings, Neb.) has built a 16-7 record on the young season. He is the top rated wrestler in the north region and has placed in four straight tournaments. Joseph placed sixth in the Simpson College Invite this past weekend and has now met the NAIA qualifying standard four times already this year.

The Bulldogs will compete in the Buena Vista Open on December 11.

Bulldogs place three at Buena Vista Open

11 Dec 2010

Three Bulldog wrestlers placed at the Buena Vista Open on Saturday in the team’s last competition of 2010.

Freshman Blake Augustyn (Ord, Neb.) had another outstanding performance in Storm Lake. Augustyn wrestled to an 8-3 record in the last two tournaments, placing fifth in the Simpson Invitational and second in the Buena Vista Open. Both efforts met the NAIA qualifying standards.

Augustyn opened the tournament with a fall in 1:53 over Meldrick Woods of Missouri Baptist. He then defeated GPAC foe Tyler Sarringar of Dakota Wesleyan by the score of 5-4, scoring the winning points off a reversal in the final seconds of the match. In the semi-finals, Augustyn defeated Ryan Osgood of Iowa State, a two-time NCAA Division I national qualifier, by the score of 5-4 to advance to the championship finals at 165 pounds.

Augustyn dropped the championship match to Trent Molocek of NCAA II Southwest Minnesota State University by the score of 6-3.

“Blake is really coming on,” commented coach Doug Reese. “He defeated some very tough, skilled opponents today in close matches. These kinds of wins come from making no mistakes in a match. Blake is wrestling both smart and tactical, a winning combination.”

Gordie Fowlkes (Newman Grove, Neb.) placed third at 125 pounds. Fowlkes won his first round match by fall in 4:37 over Mike Thielen of Morningside College. He then dropped a match to Austin Mogg of Buena Vista University, who is the No. 2 ranked wrestler in the nation in NCAA Division III. Fowlkes was leading 2-1 deep into the second period when Mogg was able to take Fowlkes to his back for a fall.

Fowlkes then pinned teammate Brandon Roath in 3:45. In the consolation semi-finals, Fowlkes upset the No. 2 seed Kory Kistner of Morningside with solid 4-2 decision. In the third place medal match, Fowlkes won a major decision over Branden Schultz of Buena Vista University by the score of 12-3 to claim the bronze medal. Fowlkes is now 11-8 on the season.

Brandon Starkey (St. Paul, Neb.), who has qualified for his second trip to the NAIA national championships, opened the tournament with a come-from-behind fall over Jordan Langley of Morningside College in 5:30. Starkey then upset the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Zach Ryan of Buena Vista, with a hard fought 5-3 decision. In the semi-finals, Starkey lost a 4-2 decision to Justin Truckenmiller of Morningside College, 4-2.

In the consolation bracket, after trailing 7-3 in the first period to Tyler Parker of Buena Vista, Starkey mentally and physically broke Parker and poured on 11 points in the second period, then turned Parker to his back for a fall in 4:50. In the consolation finals, Starkey defeated Rulin Pederson of Morningside with a solid 7-3 decision to earn a third place finish. Starkey goes into the break with a 14-9 mark.

Other Bulldog wrestlers recording wins were Ryan Perez (Lake Charles, La.), who defeated Brandon Blanchard of William Penn University by fall in 2:59 and won a 6-4 decision over Justin Jenkins of Missouri Baptist University at 174 pounds. Robbie Resendiz (San Jacinto, Calif.) recorded a fall in 2:44 over Zach Gordon of William Penn University at 141 pounds, and Travis Patrick (Castle Rock, Wash.) won a 12-5 decision over Carlos Berrada of Buena Vista University at 133 pounds.

Unattached wrestler Jake Williams (Rio Rancho, N.M.) placed fifth at 133 pounds. Williams pinned Blake Rodgers of William Penn in 2:25, pinned Carlos Berrada of Buena Vista in 3:34, defeated No. 4 seed David Crow of William Penn by major decision 11-1, and won by major decision over Miles Negley of York College 16-4.

The Bulldogs had another solid outing to finish the 2010 part of the schedule. The team has a record of 132-115 going into Christmas break. The Bulldogs have placed 25 wrestlers in five collegiate tournaments and have qualified nine wrestlers for the NAIA national tournament.

Following break, the Bulldogs will take part in the Quality Inn Open hosted by Hasting College on January 8.

Bulldog wrestlers honored

A pair of Bulldog wrestlers was honored this week for their individual performances at the Buena Vista Open.

Freshman Blake Augustyn (Ord, Neb.) was selected by the Bulldog Athletic Booster Club as Concordia's Male Athlete-of-the-Week. Augustyn is the third wrestler to earn the honor this season joining teammates Julian Silva and Adam Joseph.

Augustyn placed second in the BVU Open at 165 pounds, meeting the NAIA qualifying standards for the second time this season. The highlight of the tournament was a 5-4 decision in the semi-finals over Ryan Osgood of the University of Northern Iowa, a two-time NCAA I qualifier. Augustyn has posted an 8-3 record over the last two tournaments.

Sophomore captain Gordie Fowlkes (Newman Grove, Neb.) placed third at the BVU Open at 125 pounds and earned the Edward Jones Wrestler-of-the-Week award. Fowlkes went 4-1 on the day with two falls. His last two losses have come to wrestlers ranked second and third in the nation.

The Edward Jones Wrestler-of-the-Week award is sponsored by Brady Johnson of Seward.

Patrick and Ayala win titles at York Open

15 Jan 2011

The Concordia wrestling team put on their best performance of the season this weekend, capturing two individual championships and placing five other wrestlers in the top five of their respective weight classes at the York College Open.

The tournament had a GPAC flavor featuring Hastings College, Morningside College, Midland University, Northwestern College and Dakota Wesleyan University. Also competing in the tournament was Baker University (Kan.), University of Nebraska – Kearney, Fort Hays State University (Kan.), Northwest Missouri State University, Bacone University (Ok.) and the host school York College (Neb.).

Two Bulldog wrestlers earned championship honors at York. Travis Patrick (Castle Rock, Wash.) placed first at 133 pounds, and Frank Ayala (West Covina, Calif.) won the heavyweight division. Patrick had an outstanding performance. He defeated an unseeded wrestler from Dakota Wesleyan, then defeated the #3 seed from Hastings, the #2 seed from Nebraska-Kearney, and the #1 seed from Fort Hays State University to win his first collegiate championship.

Junior college transfer Frank Ayala, who was unseeded in the tournament, shook up the field on his way to the championship. Ayala defeated Zane Platt of Northwestern College by fall in 2:20, upset #1 seed Dylan Berg of Baker University by fall in 3:23 after building a 8-1 lead in the second period, then defeated #4 seed Levi Calhoun of Baker University 5-2. The championship performance earned Ayala a trip to the NAIA national championships.

“We turned the corner as a team today,” commented Coach Doug Reese. “A champion is one who overcomes, and we overcame a lot of poor draws and bad seeding in this event. Our guys came to wrestle, and they didn’t care who it was. I was very excited with how we wrestled today.”

Julian Silva (Covina, Calif.) placed third at 197 pounds, upping his season record to a team-best 20-7. Also placing third was Dillon Heesch (Dayton, Iowa), who wrestled unattached at heavyweight.

Placing fourth in the tournament was Alex Rostvet (Hastings, Neb.) at 141 pounds. Brandon Starkey (St. Paul, Neb.) placed fifth at 149 pounds. Starkey won five matches on the day to up his season record to 20 wins for the second straight season.

Robbie Resendiz (San Jacinto, Calif.) also turned in a solid performance at 141 pounds. Blake Augustyn (Ord, Neb.) picked up a pair of wins at 165 pounds.

The Bulldogs captured 32 wins against 23 losses on the day with a total of 13 pins.

The Bulldogs take to mat again on January 20 when they host Hastings College in dual meet action in the HHPAC Arena. Wrestling will begin at 7 p.m.

Concordia defeats Hastings College in GPAC wrestling dual

19 Jan 2011

Concordia University stunned the #19 ranked team in the nation, Hastings College, with a 30-12 dual meet victory on Thursday evening in Seward. Results of the meet are listed below.

125 – Gordie Fowlkes (CU) won by decision 7-3 vs. Jarrod Weins (HC)

133 – Travis Patrick (CU) won by decision 5-3 vs. Cameron Mettenbrink (HC)

141 – Alex Rostvet (CU) won by decision 5-3 vs. Garth Ginder (HC)

149 – Justin Ferguson (HC) won by decision 10-7 vs. Brandon Starkey (CU)

157 – Taylor Boyce (HC) won by decision 5-2 vs. Zach Schnell (CU)

165 – Blake Augustyn (CU) won by sudden victory 8-6 vs. Brad Cusatis (HC)

174 – Jameon Rush (HC) won by fall 6:20 vs. Ryan Perez (CU)

184 – Andrew Lords (CU) won by fall 4:52 vs. Jairin Potter (HC)

197 – Julian Silva (CU) won by fall 5:53 vs. Nick Simms (HC)

285 – Frank Ayala (CU) won by injury default vs. Mitch Hervet (HC)

“You wrestle like you train,” noted head wrestling coach Doug Reese. “Our practices are physical, intense, and demanding. Our ‘in your face’ and intense style of wrestling breaks down our opponents mentally and physically. That style and type of training works – everyone witnessed that tonight. Solomon said, “All hard work reaps a profit,” and we saw that in action in this dual this evening. I am proud of our guys. They did what they are capable of doing. The real challenge is to keep elevating our performance.”

Sophomore Gordie Fowlkes (Newman Grove, Neb.) started the evening with a 7-3 decision over the #6 ranked wrestler in the NAIA north region, Jarrod Weins. Fowlkes’ win came off of two takedowns, two escapes and 1:02 of riding time. The win took Fowlkes record to 15-9 on the season, which includes a trip to the NAIA national championships on March 3-5.

At 133 pounds, freshman Travis Patrick (Castle Rock, Wash.) wrestled Cameron Mettenbrink. Patrick won a tight 5-3 decision off a late third period takedown. The win boosted Patrick’s season mark to 16-11. Last weekend, Patrick won the 133 pound championship title at the York College Open, earning himself a trip to nationals. Patrick has won his last five matches in row.

Alex Rostvet (Hastings, Neb.) was next up at 141 pounds. The sophomore co-captain won a tight, hard fought match (5-3) versus Garth Ginder. After a scoreless first period, Ginder built a 2-1 lead in the second period off a takedown. In the third period, Rostvet scored on a takedown before Ginder escaped to tie the match 3-3. In the waning moments of the match, Rostvet scored on a takedown to claim the victory. The win gave the Bulldogs a 9-0 advantage. Rostvet, a NAIA national qualifier, upped his season record to 13-9.

Sophomore Brandon Starkey (St. Paul, Neb.) faced Justin Ferguson at 149 pounds. Starkey held a 5-4 lead after two periods, but Ferguson’s mat skills were too much to overcome. Ferguson scored six points from the mat and handed Starkey a 10-7 loss. Starkey has put together back-to-back 20-win seasons and will be making his second trip to nationals. His season record now stands at 22-14.

Zach Schell (Lincoln, Neb.) wrestled Taylor Boyce at 157 pounds. The bout was a hard fought battle. At the end of two periods, the score was tied 2-2. In the third period, Boyce escaped to take a 3-2 lead. Down by one point, Schnell made a takedown attempt that was countered by Boyce and resulted in a Hastings takedown and a 5-2 win for the Broncos. The team score was now 9-6 in favor of the Bulldogs.

At 165 pounds, freshman Blake Augustyn (Ord, Neb.) faced senior Brad Cusatis. Cusatis is currently the #2 ranked wrestler in the North Region of the NAIA and the #9 ranked wrestler in the nation, but that did not intimate the freshman in any way. Cusatis came out quick and physical building a 4-2 first period lead. Augustyn tied the match in the second period with a reversal. With the match tied 4-4 in the third period, Augustyn scored a takedown with 20 seconds left in the match to take a 6-4 lead. Cusatis gained a reversal with just seven seconds to go in regulation to tie the score at 6-6.

In sudden death overtime, Augustyn scored a takedown and upset the nationally ranked Cusatis by the final of 8-6. The win gave the Bulldogs a 12-6 lead. Augustyn, who will also be making a trip to Cedar Falls for nationals, raised his season record to 17-11.

Ryan Perez (Lake Charles, La.) represented the Bulldogs at 174 pounds. Perez wrestled Hastings’ Jameon Rush. After a scoreless first period, Rush took control of the match, building a 9-1 lead. In the third period, Rush took Perez to his back for a fall in 6:20. The pin tied up the score of the dual, 12-12.

Freshman Andrew Lords (Rigby, Idaho) wrestled at 184 pounds against Jairin Potter. Perez came out on fire, scoring seven first period points off a takedown, reversal and a three-point near fall. Lords added four more points in the second period off a reversal and near fall, then pinned Potter at 4:52. The pin by Lords essentially locked up the dual meet with two of the most dominating wrestlers in the Bulldog lineup yet to wrestle. The win gave the Bulldogs an 18-12 lead.

Julian Silva (Covina, Calif.) wrestled at 197 pounds for the Bulldogs. He faced Hastings’ Nick Simms. Silva dominated the match, scoring 10 points off of three takedowns and a near fall before pinning Simms at 5:53.

The win upped Silva’s record to 23-7 on the season. The two-time junior college All-American will be making his third trip to the national champions in March.

Heavyweight Frank Ayala (West Covina, Calif.) wrestled Mitch Hervet in the last bout of the evening. Ayala scored early with a takedown before Hervet injured his knee. Hervet tried to resume wrestling, but decided to injury default out of the match. The win gave Concordia the 30-12 dual victory over the #19 ranked Broncos of Hastings College. Ayala won tournament honors last weekend at York College and has a five match win streak to bring his season record to 8-2. The two-time junior college All-American will be making another trip to nationals, this time to the NAIA national championships.

The win was big for the second-year Concordia wrestling program. The victory was the first against a GPAC opponent and its first against a nationally ranked opponent.

Concordia finishes third at GPAC Wrestling Championships

29 Jan 2011

In just their second year of competition in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, the Concordia University wrestling team made a big statement by placing 3rd in the conference championships behind Morningside College and Midland University.

It was a total team effort for the Bulldogs, who had 10 of their 12 wrestlers place. Concordia finished with 108.5 team points. The Bulldogs showed a huge improvement since last season when they placed just one wrestler and scored 9.5 team points.

The Bulldogs came out wrestling with intensity and passion, placing seven wrestlers in the semifinals. However, they could only advance Brandon Starkey at 149 pounds to the championship finals. After a major setback, the team refocused and won 8 of 10 medal matches to capture a third place team finish.

125 pounds – Gordie Fowlkes (Newman Grove, Neb.) placed 5th. Fowlkes won his opening round match versus Pedro Ruiz of Northwestern College with a fall in 5:49, and downed Ruiz again in the 5th place medal match, 10-7. Fowlkes is an NAIA National qualifier and has a season record of 18-11.

133 pounds – Adam Joseph (Hastings, Neb.) placed 3rd. Joseph has been out of the lineup since the first of January with a knee injury and had only two practices before the conference championships. Joseph opened up the tournament with a 13-8 decision over Jordan Murphy of Briar Cliff. He was then pinned in the semifinals by Matt Katusin of Midland in 2:15. In the consolation bracket, Joseph won a 7-5 decision versus Jake McManigal of Midland. Joseph defeated Josh Rodgers of Briar Cliff to place 3rd. Joseph is an NAIA national qualifier and has posted a season record of 20-7.

141 pounds – Alex Rostvet (Hasting, Neb.) placed 3rd. Rostvet dominated with his strong defensive skills. In his opening match, Rostvet won a 2-1 decision in overtime against Taylor Phipps of Morningside. Rostvet rode out Phipps in overtime and gained an escape with 22 seconds remaining to win the match.

In the semi-finals, Rostvet lost to nationally ranked Matt McDowell of Northwestern College, 9-0. In the wrestle-back rounds, Rostvet earned a decision over Garth Ginder of Hastings College, 1-0. He then won the bronze medal match against JL Mayo of Northwestern College, 2-1, on riding time advantage. Rostvet will be making his first appearance at the national championships and has a season record of 17-10.

149 pounds – Brandon Starkey (St. Paul, Neb.) placed 2nd. Starkey was unseeded in the tournament. Starkey opened the tournament against #3 seed Justin Ferguson of Hastings. Starkey scored a takedown and a near fall and picked up a decision over Ferguson, 5-0. In the semifinals, Starkey defeated #2 seed Justin Truckenmiller of Morningside, 8-6, off a late third period takedown to secure the match. In the finals, Starkey lost to Jerod Flores, the #6 ranked wrestler in the NAIA, by fall in 4:11. Starkey will be making his second trip to the national tournament and has a 25-15 record this season.

Alex Stepanek (St. Paul, Neb.) placed 5th at 149 pounds. Stepanek lost his opening round match to Jerod Flores of Northwestern, but bounced back to pin Tom Thompson of the University of Sioux Falls. He then won by major decision over Justin Cook of Hastings College, 14-6. Stepanek lost to Justin Truckenmiller of Morningside, 8-0, in the consolation semifinals. In the 5th place match, Stepanek won over John Shrader by injury default.

165 pounds – Blake Augustyn (Ord, Neb.) placed 6th. Augustyn won an 11-3 major decision against Hastings College. Augustyn is an NAIA national qualifier and has a season record of 19-15.

174 pounds – Ryan Perez (Lake Charles, La.) placed 5th. Perez won by decision over Tal Bakke of the University of Sioux Falls, 11-5. Perez is 11-16 on the season.

184 pounds – Andrew Lords (Rigby, Idaho) placed 3rd. Lords dropped his opening round match to the #1 seed Luke Evjen of Northwestern, 10-3. He responded and defeated the #2 seed Kevin Young of Midland University by fall in 4:13. In the bronze medal match, Lords defeated the #4 seed Nick Simms of Hastings College 8-4. Lords is 7-5 on the season after joining the team at the beginning of January.

197 pounds – Julian Silva (Covina, Calif.) placed 3rd. Silva pinned Marcel Moody of Briar Cliff in 1:24, then lost a tight 4-3 match to Tyler Kacmarynski of Morningside College. Silva came back and pinned Zane Platt of Northwestern College (:59). He then defeated USF’s Shed Klooster, 7-2, to claim a 3rd place finish. Silva is an NAIA national qualifier and is 27-8 on the season.

285 pounds – Frank Ayala (West Covina, Calif.) placed 5th. Ayala defeated Northwestern’s Brad Hughes, 8-4, then got caught in a cradle and was pinned by Tyler Thompson of Morningside in 4:31. Ayala then lost a 6-5 match to Cody Millard on a late third period takedown. In the 5th place medal match, Ayala won by injury default over Chris McKinney of the University of Sioux Falls. Ayala is a national qualifier and is 10-4 on the season.

“We had an opportunity to win the tournament with seven wrestlers in the semifinals,” noted head wrestling coach Doug Reese. “We had 7 of 20 semifinalists, but we went a disappointing 1-6 during that round. Our inability to win in the semifinals costs us the opportunity to win the conference title. But to our kids’ credit, they bounced back and won 8 of 10 matches in the medal round. That effort propelled us ahead of Northwestern into third place.”

Final Team Standings

1. Morningside College   165.0
2. Midland University  152.0
3. Concordia University  108.5
4. Northwestern College  99.0
5. Hastings College  61.5
6. U of Sioux Falls  44.5
7. Briar Cliff College  44.0
8. Dakota Wesleyan  40.5

The 2011 NAIA North Qualifier Tournament is set for Saturday, February 19, at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. The 2011 NAIA National Championships are March 3-5 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at the US Cellular Center.

Concordia splits GPAC wrestling duals

9 Feb 2011

The Concordia wrestling team split a pair of GPAC duals on Wednesday night at Hastings.

"After the GPAC championships, these duals only provide a couple of positive things to our team," noted head coach Doug Reese. "First, it provides and opportunity for our younger guys to get into the line up and compete in a varsity dual. Second, it provides an opportunity to keep the weight under control with a weigh-in. Third, it benefits our guys to help their seeding at the regional tournament. Fourth, we were able to rest some guys who are banged up a bit at this time of the season. We were able to achieve those goals tonight."

Morningside 37 - Concordia 9

125 - Kory Kistner (MC) won by forfeit
133 - Jake McManigal (MC) won by decision 10-3 vs. Travis Patrick (CU)
141 - Drew Smith (MC) won by fall 4:25 vs. Robbie Resendiz (CU)
149 - Justin Truckenmiller (MC) won by decision 8-4 vs. Alex Stepanek (CU)
157 - Jared Wildeboer (MC) won by fall in 4:34 vs. Zach Schnell (CU)
165 - Ben Knight (MC) won by decision 12-6 vs. Blake Augustyn (CU)
174 - Andrew Anthofer (MC) won by major decision 18-4 vs. Ryan Perez (CU)
184 - Brian Block (MC) won by fall in 0:47 vs. Andrew Lords (CU)
197 - Julian Silva (CU) won by decision vs. Tyler Kacmarynski (MC)
285 - Frank Ayala (CU) won by fall in 2:45 vs. Tyler Thompson (MC)

"We reached a goal in this dual with Silva avenging a one-point loss to Kacmarynski in the semifinals of the GPAC championships,” said Reese. “We will have the edge in seeding going into the regional next week with this win. Silva dominated the match with four takedowns.”

“Ayala pinned Thompson, who is ranked #8 in the NAIA,” added Reese. “That was a big win for Frank, and it sets him up for a nice seeding position next weekend.”

Concordia 35 – Hastings 18

125 – Jake Burke (HC) wins by forfeit
133 – Adam Joseph (CU) wins by major decision 16-2 vs. Jarrod Wiens (HC)
141 – Robbie Resendiz (CU) wins by decision 7-4 vs. Justin Ferguson (HC)
149 – Alex Stepanek (CU) wins by major decision 12-2 vs. Justin Cook (HC)
157 – Brad Cusatis (HC) wins by fall in 4:11 vs. Zach Schnell (CU)
165 – Blake Augustyn (CU) wins by fall in 1:51 vs. Justin Narduzzo (HC)
174 – Jairon Potter (HC) wins by fall in 1:45 vs. Ryan Perez (CU)
184 – Andrew Lords (CU wins by forfeit
197 – Julian Silva (CU) wins by forfeit
285 – Frank Ayala (CU) wins by forfeit

“I was really pleased with our younger guys stepping up tonight,” noted Reese. “Joseph, Resendiz, Stepanek, and Augustyn all put in strong performances as true freshman. It is nice to have that kind of depth and quality of effort. I was most proud of them tonight.”

The Bulldog wrestlers will take the weekend off and resume training on Monday for the NAIA North Regional Championships on February 19 in Orange City, Iowa.

Concordia splits GPAC wrestling duals

9 Feb 2011

The Concordia wrestling team split a pair of GPAC duals on Wednesday night at Hastings.

Morningside 37 - Concordia 9

“Ayala pinned Thompson, who is ranked #8 in the NAIA,” added Reese. “That was a big win for Frank, and it sets him up for a nice seeding position next weekend.”

Concordia 35 – Hastings 18

The Bulldog wrestlers will take the weekend off and resume training on Monday for the NAIA North Regional Championships on February 19 in Orange City, Iowa.

Silva and Joseph lead the way for Concordia at NAIA Northern Qualifier

19 Feb 2011

Five Concordia University wrestlers placed at the NAIA North Region Championship this weekend at Northwestern College. Gordie Fowlkes, Adam Joseph and Julian Silva earned a top-four finish, which assured them a seed in the NAIA national wrestling championship bracket on March 3-5.

The Bulldog wrestling team entered the tournament shorthanded when 141-pound wrestlers Alex Rostvet and Robbie Resendiz were unable to compete due to a flu-like illness. The inability of Rostvet to compete cost the Bulldogs dearly, as Rostvet would have been the fourth seed in the tournament.

Julian Silva (Covina, Calif.) placed second at 197 pounds. Silva opened the tournament versus Cody Millard of Midland University. Silva won a 13-7 decision on the strength of four takedowns. In the quarterfinals, Silva defeated Morningside’s Tyler Kacmarynski 5-2, allowing Kacmarynski just two escapes in the match.

In the semifinals, Silva won a hard fought strategic match against nationally ranked and number one seed George Hargrove of Dickinson State University. Trailing 1-0 going into the final period, Silva scored an escape and a takedown to claim a 3-2 decision. In the finals, Silva lost to number two seed Jon Wilbourne of Midland University, 7-4. Silva heads into the national championships as the number two seed in the region with a strong 36-10 record.

Sophomore Adam Joseph (Hastings, Neb.) placed in his seventh tournament of the season to up his rookie record to 28-10 at 133 pounds. Joseph opened the tournament as the number three seed. Joseph had a tough opening round draw against Josh Rogers of Briar Cliff University. Rogers was a 2010 NAIA All-American. After giving up two first period takedowns and trailing 4-1, Joseph ripped off nine straight points to win the match 10-4. Joseph then lost to nationally ranked Matt Katusin of Midland University 9-3 in the semifinals.

In the consolation semifinals, Joseph won a 9-2 decision over Jared Miller of Jamestown College, then in the consolation finals won a 10-5 decision over Jake McManigal of Morningside College to place third in the 133 pound weight class. Joseph’s third place finish will give him a seed in the national championship bracket.

Gordie Fowlkes (Newman Grove, Neb.) placed fourth at 125 pounds. Fowlkes opened the tournament versus Sergio Martinez of Dickinson State University. Martinez won a major decision 15-5 to send Fowlkes to the consolation bracket. Fowlkes bounced back with a fall in 1:34 versus senior Jarrod Weins of Hastings College, who is a national championship qualifier.

Fowlkes then upset the number four seed, Justin Peskar, of Midland University with a 3-1 win in overtime. The win advanced Fowlkes to the consolation finals with a rematch against Sergio Martinez of Dickinson State. Fowlkes built a 3-2 lead in the third period then suffered a separated shoulder. The injury allowed Martinez to obtain the down position in referee’s position, where an escape helped Martinez tie the match and change the momentum of the bout. In the final seconds, as Fowlkes tried to win the match, he was called for a penalty and the bout went to Martinez.

After placing fourth, Fowlkes was informed that he had to wrestle a “true” fourth match for national seeding. Fowlkes had to face Diego Quintana of Northwestern College. Fowlkes was 0-3 versus Quintana this season. His last match with Quintana was a loss in the consolation semifinals of the GPAC championships by fall. Fowlkes took command right off the opening whistle, scoring twice with takedowns to build a 5-3 lead in the opening period. At the beginning of the second period, Fowlkes turned Quintana for three near fall points to solidify a 9-3 win. The victory allowed Fowlkes to be seeded into the 125 pound bracket at the national championships.

“We got a tremendous effort out of Fowlkes, Joseph and Silva on Saturday,” noted head coach Doug Reese. “These guys wrestled extremely well match after match. They earned the opportunity to be seeded at nationals which is a huge benefit for them. I am very proud of what they achieved.”

Placing 5th at 184 pounds was Andrew Lords (Rigby, Idaho). Lords won a 3-2 match over Marcel Moody of Briar Cliff University, 3-2, and then pinned Ronald Willison of Briar Cliff University in 41 seconds. Placing 6th at 149 pounds was Brandon Starkey (St. Paul, Neb.). Starkey won a 16-6 decision against Ariel Bosque of Northwestern College and had a fall in 2:17 versus Dan Gerhardus of Hastings College. The final win gave Starkey his 31st win of the season.

Also winning matches for the Bulldogs was Travis Patrick (Castle Rock, Wash.) at 133 pounds, Alex Stepanek (St. Paul, Neb.) at 149 pounds, Ryan Perez (Lake Charles, La.) and Frank Ayala (West Covina, Calif.) at heavyweight.

The Bulldog wrestling team will now prep for their final competition of the season at the NAIA National Wrestling Championships on March 3-5 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Bulldogs finish 28th at NAIA Championships

3-5 Mar 2011

The Concordia University wrestling team completed the 2010-2011 season with a trip to the NAIA National Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids over the weekend. Eight Bulldog wrestlers competed in a field of almost 400 wrestlers from 39 colleges and universities.

The trip started with an unusual turn of events on Wednesday morning. As the team was preparing to leave the hotel at 7:30 to have a practice session, they noticed that the trailer they were pulling was missing. The security lock had been cut and was sitting on the asphalt parking lot.

After filing a police report with the Cedar Rapids Police department, Coach Reese was told, “Don’t count on seeing the trailer ever again.”

Around noon, while the team was in study table, the Cedar Rapids police called and informed Reese that the trailer was found. They gave Coach Reese the directions, and the coaches hurried to the location. When they arrived, they found seven police officers at the scene in a back alley.

The coaches were informed that an undercover police squad was staking out a “crack house” awaiting the delivery of a search warrant when a pickup truck pulling the Concordia University trailer arrived. The stolen trailer gave the police reasonable cause, and they rushed the scene. They arrested two female suspects, and two male suspects fled the scene.

All the contents of the trailer were intact, but the Nebraska license plate was missing and replaced with an Iowa plate. The police officers, all wrestling fans, allowed the Concordia coaches to take the trailer instead of holding it for evidence. After purchasing new heavy-duty locks, the wrestling team got back on their tournament itinerary.

Here is a recap of the tournament, weight by weight:

125 – Gordie Fowlkes (Newman Grove, Neb.) lost by fall in 6:26 to A.J. Gassman of Baker University in his opening round match. Trailing 6-3 in the last minute of the match, Fowlkes attempted a throw. His move was countered, and he was pinned. In the first round of the consolation bracket, Fowlkes lost 17-8 to Kellan Zietz of Minot State University. In the first period, Fowlkes was thrown for five points. He then reversed Zietz. Trailing 6-3, Fowlkes hit a deep double leg takedown and was penalized for an illegal slam. If the takedown was deemed legal, the match would have been 6-5. Instead, he was hit with a one-point penalty and lost the takedown. The entire momentum of the match was lost. The loss eliminated Fowlkes from the competition.

133 – Adam Joseph (Hastings, Neb.) won his opening round match, 8-2, over Matt Ruby of Minot State University. Joseph was in complete control through the entire match scoring a takedown, a reversal and a three-point near fall. In the next round, Joseph lost a 6-5 decision to Cameron Neiss of Montana State University Northern. Joseph held a one point lead going into the third period but gave up a reversal with two seconds left in the bout that cost him the match.

Travis Patrick (Castle Rock, Wash.) lost his opening round match to the #3 seed Alfonso Valles of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, 3-0. Patrick gave up a late third period takedown and a riding time point in the loss. In the consolation bracket, Patrick dominated Caleb Perkins of the University of the Cumberlands (KY), 16-5. Patrick scored on three takedowns and turned Perkins to his back three times for near fall points.

Unfortunately, in this national championship, two teammates had to face each other in the second consolation round. Adam Joseph defeated teammate Travis Patrick with a 9-0 major decision.

Joseph then lost to Anton Perkins of Missouri Baptist University, 7-5. Joseph trailed 7-0 in the first period and scratched his way back. He simply ran out of time to gain the victory. Both of Joseph’s losses were to competitors who earned All-American honors in the tournament.

141- Alex Rostvet (Hastings, Neb.) opened the tournament with a loss to returning national champion Tom Pretty of Cambellsville University by fall in 3:58. In the consolation bracket, Rostvet faced Hunter Muskrat of Oklahoma City University. Trailing 5-4 going into the third period, Rostvet rode out Muskrat for the entire two minutes to tie up the match on a riding time point and force the bout into overtime. Muskrat was able to secure a takedown to win in sudden victory.

149 – Brandon Starkey (St. Paul, Neb.) lost an opening round match to Alex Stemner of Simon Fraser University (CAN), 6-3. Starkey then lost in the consolation bracket to Zack McCormick of Lindsey Wagner College (KY) by fall in 5:57.

165 – Blake Augustyn (Ord, Neb.) lost his opening round match to Raleigh Abbott of Shorter University (GA) by fall in 36 seconds. In the consolation bracket, Augustyn bounced back with an 18-2 technical fall over Lupe Sillas of Bacone College (OK). Augustyn scored on five near falls, a takedown and a reversal to win the match in just five minutes. In the second round consolation match, Augustyn won by major decision versus John Tyler of Calument College of St. Joseph, 10-2. Leading 4-1 going into the third period, Augustyn broke Tyler mentally and added six more points to his total.

In the third round of consolations, Augustyn upset NAIA North Region foe Nick Zumwalt of Dickenson State University (ND) by fall in 2:48 off of a fireman’s carry. In the fourth consolation round, the winners earn All-American status and advance to the medal rounds. Augustyn faced Drae Cox of Lindenwood University (MO). Cox prevailed and won a major decision, 9-1.

197 – Julian Silva (Covina, Calif.) lost his opening round match to Derek Nightser of Calument College of St. Joseph (IN) by fall in 4:21. In the consolation bracket, Silva defeated Justin Cooper of Lindsey Wagner University (KY), 6-1, with two takedowns and riding time. Then, Silva defeated Jake Mabry of Oklahoma City University by the score of 10-4 with four takedowns, two of which came in the third period to secure the win.

In round four of consolations (the round of 12), where the winners earn All-American status, Silva faced Spencer Adams of Campbellsville University. With the score tied with one minute left in the match, Silva made a technical error, stepping around the wrong direction with an upper body tie-up. He was countered for a takedown by Spencer, who won 4-2.

Heavyweight – Frank Ayala (West Covina, Calif.) lost 12-4 to Carl Lawrence of Missouri Valley College and then dropped a 12-6 decision in the consolation bracket to Juan Enriquez of the University of Great Falls (MT).

Concordia finished in 28th place with 12.0 team points. Concordia finished ahead of conference foes Northwestern College, Hastings College, University of Sioux Falls, and Briar Cliff University.

“It was a tough, physical tournament,” said head coach Doug Reese. “We did not receive the best of draws which just made the tournament that much more difficult for us. The nice thing is that our three freshmen won six matches at the national tournament, highlighted by Blake Augustyn who won by fall, major decision, and major decision. That is an outstanding effort. We will continue to build upon this experience next season. We finished our second year with a 5-1 record, third in the GPAC with eight national qualifiers. It was a pretty good year that we can be excited about.”

Silva and Augustyn fall just short of All-American honors at NAIA Nationals

Concordia’s Julian Silva and Blake Augustyn fell just short of All-American honors at the NAIA National Wrestling Tournament today in Iowa. Both wrestlers battled throughout the day but were unable to advance to Saturday’s championship round. The Bulldogs are currently in 27th place with 12 team points.

A total of seven Concordia wrestlers were alive in the consolation bracket at the beginning of the day on Friday. Silva and Augustyn battled through multiple matches to earn a shot at All-American honors.

Silva (Covina, Calif.) won two matches on Friday before being eliminated. He picked up a 7-1 decision over Justin Cooper (Lindsay Wagner College) and a 10-4 decision over Jake Mabry (Oklahoma City University). Spencer Adams (Campbellsville University) eliminated Silva with a tough 4-2 decision on Friday evening.

Augustyn (Ord, Neb.) won three matches on Friday to stay alive. He opened the day with a 17-2 technical fall win over Lupe Silas of Bacone College. In his next match, Augustyn picked up a 10-2 major decision over John Tyler of Calumet College of St. Joseph. On Friday evening, however, Drae Cox (Lindenwood University) earned a 9-1 major decision to eliminate Augustyn from the tournament.

Adam Joseph (Hastings, Neb.), Frank Ayala (West Covina, Calif.), Brandon Starkey (St. Paul, Neb.), Travis Patrick (Castle Rock, Wash.) and Gordie Fowlkes (Newman Grove, Neb.) were eliminated earlier in Friday’s action.

Patrick and Rostvet named to the NWCA Academic All-American Team

The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced the 2011 NAIA/National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-American Team. A total of 44 NAIA wrestlers were recognized for both their academic and athletic achievement during the 2010-11 season. Concordia’s Travis Patrick and Alex Rostvet were named to the team.

Travis Patrick (Castle Rock, Wash.) posted an 18-20 record as a freshman at 133 pounds. Patrick won the York College Open in January. He defeated the #3, #2 and #1 seeded wrestlers in the tournament to earn championship honors and qualify for the NAIA National Championships. Patrick went 1-2 in the NAIA National Championships, defeating Caleb Perkins of the University of the Cumberland’s by major decision 16-5. Patrick has a 3.42 grade point average and is majoring in Exercise Science.

Sophomore Alex Rostvet (Hastings, Neb.) wrestled to an 18-14 record at 141 pounds. Rostvet placed 4th in the Yellowjacket Open and 3rd in the GPAC championships to earn All-Conference honorable mention honors. Rostvet, a two-year starter at 141 pounds, is majoring in Secondary Education and has a 3.39 grade point average.

“The NWCA Academic All-American Team is an award that honors both on the mat accomplishment and classroom achievement,” noted head coach Doug Reese. “That is not true with some other collegiate academic teams. This is why we look upon the NWCA Academic All-American Team in such high regard."

"Both Patrick and Rostvet are “All-American” student-athletes who have earned this award because of their work-ethic and personal character. We are excited that they are our first wrestlers to earn this distinction,” added Reese.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to serve and provide leadership for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on scholastic and collegiate wrestling programs. The membership embraces all people who are interested in amateur wrestling.