2021-22 Wrestling Schedule/Results
6-6 overall | 3-5 GPAC (T-6th) | Season Stats | Roster
| Date | Event/Opponent | Location | Time/Result | Dual Record |
| Oct. 30 | York College Open | York, Neb. | Results | |
| Nov. 7 | Baker University Dan Harris Open | Baldwin City, Kan. | Results | |
| Nov. 11 | *Hastings College Dual | Seward, Neb. | L, 17-29 | 0-1, 0-1 |
| Nov. 13 | Dakota Wesleyan Open | Mitchell, S.D. | Results | |
| Nov. 20 | University of Nebraska-Kearney Open | Kearney, Neb. | Results | |
| GPAC Crossover Duals: Dec. 1 | ||||
| Dec. 1 | *Dakota Wesleyan University | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 32-13 | 1-1, 1-1 |
| Dec. 1 | *Morningside College | Sioux City, Iowa | L, 9-27 | 1-2, 1-2 |
| Dec. 4 | Doane University Open | Crete, Neb. | Results | |
| Dec. 9 | *Midland University Dual | Seward, Neb. | W, 32-18 | 2-2, 2-2 |
| Concordia Bulldog Duals: Dec. 18 | ||||
| Dec. 18 | Oklahoma Wesleyan University | Seward, Neb. | W, 31-13 | 3-2 |
| Dec. 18 | (15) Marian University (Ind.) | Seward, Neb. | L, 11-32 | 3-3 |
| Dec. 18 | Central Baptist College (Ark.) | Seward, Neb. | W, 58-0 | 4-3 |
| Jan. 8 | Hastings College Cusatis Open | Hastings, Neb. | Results | |
| Jan. 14 | *(4) Doane University Dual | Crete, Neb. | L, 3-39 | 4-4, 2-3 |
| Jan. 21-22 | Missouri Valley College Invite | Marshall, Mo. | CANCELED | |
| GPAC Crossover Duals: Jan. 29 | ||||
| Jan. 29 | *Northwestern College | Sioux City, Iowa | L, 15-24 | 4-5, 2-4 |
| Jan. 29 | *Briar Cliff University | Sioux City, Iowa | L, 12-28 | 4-6, 2-5 |
| Jan. 29 | *University of Jamestown | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 27-17 | 5-6, 3-5 |
| Feb. 3 | York College Dual | Seward, Neb. | W, 31-9 | 6-6 |
| Feb. 5 | Morningside College Dave Edmonds Open | Sioux City, Iowa | Results | |
| Feb. 18-19 | GPAC Wrestling Championships | Mitchell, S.D. | 6th place | |
| Mar. 4-5 | NAIA Wrestling National Championships | Park City, Kan. | 42nd place |
2021-22 Roster
| Weight Class | Name | Yr. | Hometown | Previous School |
| 125 | Isaac Agabin | Fr. | Las Vegas, Nev. | Cheyenne HS |
| 149 | Tracy Allen | Fr. | Lakeland, Fla. | George Jenkins HS |
| 285 | Cody Bender | So. | Utica, Neb. | Centennial HS |
| 141 | Josh Broyles | Fr. | Baldwin City, Kan. | Baldwin HS |
| 157 | Issiah Burks | Sr. | Hemet, Calif. | Hemet HS |
| 141 | Conner Burrus | Fr. | Hubbard, Ohio | Elyria HS |
| 125 | Henry Gaertner | Fr. | Royal Oak, Mich. | Lutheran HS Northwest |
| 197 | Mason Garcia | Fr. | Arroyo Grande, Calif. | Arroyo Grande HS |
| 149 | Brandon Gonzalez | So. | Santa Barbara, Calif. | San Marcos HS |
| 285 | Jesse Guadarrama | Fr. | Las Vegas, Nev. | Cheyenne HS |
| 197 | Jack Hedke | Fr. | Marysville, Kan. | Marysville HS |
| 184 | Jovon Howe | Fr. | Idaho Falls, Idaho | Idaho Falls HS / Homeschool |
| 174 | Timothy Huber | Fr. | Gretna, Neb. | Gretna HS |
| 125 | Thomas Ivey | Fr. | York, Neb. | York HS |
| 197 | Clayton Laabs | So. | Orange, Calif. | Villa Park HS |
| 197 | Cyrus Marshall | Sr. | Columbus, Neb. | Columbus HS |
| 285 | Wayne Moore | So. | Surprise, Neb. | David City HS |
| 165 | Anthony Perez | Jr. | Redondo Beach, Calif. | South HS / Cerritos College |
| 174 | Andrew Reid | So. | Lenexa, Kan. | Shawnee Mission Northwest HS |
| 184 | Isaac Renas | Fr. | Aurora, Colo. | Vista Peak Prep |
| 125 | Adam Roberts | So. | Cheyenne, Wyo. | Central HS / University of Wyoming |
| 157 | Jose Sanchez | So. | Wylie, Texas | Wylie East HS / MacMurray College |
| 149 | Jeaven Scdoris | Fr. | Milford, Neb. | Milford HS |
| 141 | Jeremiah Sistek | Fr. | Parker, Colo. | Chaparral HS |
| 165 | Tavoris Smith | So. | St. Petersburg, Fla. | Iowa Lakes CC |
| 285 | Jacob Telles | Fr. | Albuquerque, N.M. | Sandia HS |
| 174 | Mozes Valenzuela Smith | Fr. | Tucson, Ariz. | Pueblo HS |
| 184 | Hunter Weimer | Fr. | Porterville, Calif. | Monache HS |
| 133 | Carter Willis | Fr. | Lakeland, Fla. | Strawberry Crest HS |
| 174 | Trenton Wills | Fr. | Valley Center, Kan. | Trinity Academy |
| 133 | Mario Ybarra | Jr. | Scotssbluff, Neb. | Scottsbluff HS |
STAFF
Myron Bradbury, Head Coach
Tyree Cox, Assistant Coach
Ybarra collects Academic All-District accolade
July 8, 2021
NAIA Academic All-District At-Large Teams
SEWARD, Neb. – Representing Concordia University Wrestling, Mario Ybarra has been selected as a 2020-21 Academic All-District® At-Large Team member. College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced the at-large honorees on Thursday (July 8). The category includes student-athletes from wrestling and a variety of other sports. Ybarra landed on the All-District 3 squad, which features award winners from the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
The 2020-21 Academic All-District® Men's and Women's At-Large Teams, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in athletic competition and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
Also recently named a Scholar All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), Ybarra studies computer science. This past season, Ybarra went 15-3 overall and placed seventh in the 133-pound bracket at the NAIA National Championships. Ybarra (Scottsbluff, Neb.) has twice qualified for nationals and owns a career record of 62-25. He won the 125-pound GPAC title as a sophomore in 2020. Ybarra has garnered some form of all-conference mention in each of his three seasons. Ybarra is the program’s first-ever CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree.
First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early August.
Bradbury takes reins of wrestling program
Aug. 17, 2021
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Wrestling program will transition leaders as former Head Coach Levi Calhoun has moved into an Assistant Athletic Director role with the Bulldogs. In his place, Concordia Athletics has tabbed former Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) Associate Head Wrestling Coach Myron Bradbury, as announced on Tuesday (Aug. 17). Bradbury becomes the fifth Bulldog Head Wrestling Coach during the GPAC era.
A rising star on the NAIA landscape, Bradbury also previously assisted the men’s and women’s wrestling programs at NAIA member Lyon College in Batesville, Ark. Bradbury’s staff at Concordia will include Assistant Coach Tyree Cox.
Said Bradbury, “First I want to thank God for his guidance through this process and during the last two months. I am excited to lean on him as we go forward. Next I want to thank my parents and family for the love and support they continue to provide. And finally I want to thank Concordia University for their belief in me to lead this wrestling program. The support from the administration is incredible and something I'm very excited about.”
Said Director of Athletics Devin Smith, “We’re ecstatic to welcome Coach Bradbury to Concordia. He knows exactly what it takes to run an elite wrestling program in the NAIA. Myron’s work at Lindsey Wilson was exceptional and the role prepared him for this next step as a head coach. Our leadership team is confident in Coach Bradbury’s ability to foster excellence within our wrestling program, on and off the mats.”
Bradbury comes to Concordia via one of the NAIA’s true powerhouse wrestling programs in Lindsey Wilson. In five seasons as a full-time staff member with the Blue Raiders, Bradbury worked under highly successful Head Coach Corey Ruff (now the head coach at the University of Cumberlands in Kentucky). Over the past five years, Bradbury aided in Lindsey Wilson placing in the top five of the NAIA Wrestling National Championships each season with national runner-up claims in 2017 and 2019. The Blue Raiders also won three Mid-South Conference Tournament titles during that run. Prior to his full-time role, Bradbury worked two years at Lindsey Wilson as a part-time and student assistant.
Additionally, Bradbury coached Lindsey Wilson wrestlers that achieved six NAIA national titles, four NAIA national runner-up finishes, 35 All-America plaques and 26 Mid-South Conference titles. As the assistant, Bradbury played an integral role in putting together recruiting classes that were among the best of all small college programs. Prior to returning to his alma mater Lindsey Wilson, Bradbury spent one season at Lyon.
Up until the present, Bradbury had been the Head Coach of Team Kentucky, associated with the USA Wrestling Team organization. Bradbury managed the coaching staff and led Team Kentucky into state and national tournaments. The native of Elizabethtown, Ky., has also coached in various other capacities, such as at the high school level, and founded the Blue Raider Wrestling Club and the Kentucky Regional Training Center.
Bradbury graduated from Lindsey Wilson with his Bachelor of Arts in Health Communication. As a wrestler at Lindsey Wilson, Bradbury compiled an overall record of 42-24 and twice qualified for the national tournament. As a high school grappler, Bradbury won two Kentucky state titles at Trinity High School.
Ybarra, Telles ranked nationally to begin 2021-22 season
Oct. 28, 2021
2021-22 GPAC/NAIA preseason wrestling rankings
SEWARD, Neb. – Conference and NAIA national preseason rankings have been released for the 2021-22 wrestling season. As a team, the Concordia University Wrestling program landed at No. 4 in the GPAC ratings while being listed under “receiving votes” in the NAIA coaches’ preseason poll. On an individual level, eight Bulldogs were tagged with top six rankings within the GPAC at their respective weight classes. Mario Ybarra and Jacob Telles represented Concordia with national rankings.
Myron Bradbury is readying to make his head coaching debut for the Bulldogs, who have hopes of improving upon last season’s GPAC finishes of tied for fifth in the regular season and sixth at the tournament. Concordia sent three qualifiers to the 2021 national tournament, including the aforementioned Ybarra (All-American at 133) and Telles (GPAC heavyweight champion).
Ybarra opens this season as the GPAC’s top-rated competitor at 133. The native of Scottsbluff, Neb., is a returning All-American with 62 career wins, two career national tournament appearances and an individual GPAC title on his resume. Ybarra was slotted in as the NAIA’s No. 8-ranked 133-pounder this preseason. Meanwhile, Telles is currently the conference’s third-rated heavyweight and is ranked No. 19 in the NAIA. The native of Albuquerque, N.M., won 33 matches last season.
The rundown of Concordia wrestlers who appeared in the GPAC preseason ratings is shown below. The group includes each of the team’s four captains in Issiah Burks, TJ Huber, Telles and Ybarra. Each of the four Bulldogs are ranked within the top three of the GPAC in their respective weight classes. Burks enjoyed a solid 2020-21 season that saw him go 23-10 overall.
Concordia will open the season on Saturday at the York College Open. The host Panthers will welcome the Bulldogs and wrestlers from institutions such as Avila University (Mo.), Bryant & Stratton College (Wis.), Hannibal LaGrange University (Mo.), Hastings and Wayland Baptist University (Texas). Live results will be available via Track Wrestling.
Bulldogs with preseason rankings
125 – Thomas Ivey: 6th in GPAC
133 – Mario Ybarra: 1st in GPAC; 8th in NAIA
157 – Tavoris Smith: 5th in GPAC
157 – Anthony Perez: 6th in GPAC
165 – Issiah Burks: 3rd in GPAC
174 – TJ Huber: 3rd in 174
197 – Mason Garcia: 4th in 197
285 – Jacob Telles: 3rd in GPAC; 19th in NAIA
Garcia dominates, Bulldogs earn 11 top-four placements at York Open
Oct. 30, 2021
YORK, Neb. – The 2021-22 season is off to a strong start after 11 Bulldogs earned top-four place finishes in their respective brackets at the York College Open. Most significantly, Conner Burrus and Mason Garcia represented Concordia University Wrestling with individual tournament championships. The season’s first tournament took place inside the Freeman Center in York, Neb., on Saturday (Oct. 30) and featured Avila University (Mo.), Bryant & Stratton College (Wis.), Hannibal LaGrange University (Mo.), Hastings, Wayland Baptist University (Texas) and host York College.
The event marked the head coaching debut of Myron Bradbury, who took over the reins from Levi Calhoun. Bradbury saw many positives while identifying areas for potential growth.
“For the first tournament of the year it went about as expected,” Bradbury said. “We have guys who are close to figuring things out. My biggest takeaway is that most of our guys have the key ingredients but just don’t know exactly what order to put them in yet. We have plenty of work ahead, but I’m really excited about what’s to come. The work we’re putting in is paying off.”
When the dust settled, the 14 Bulldogs who competed on Saturday combined for 39 wins, including 23 that came via fall. No one was more dominant than Garcia at 197 pounds. The native of Arroyo Grande, Calif., pinned each of his five opponents (four in the first period) on his way to a York Open championship. He defeated opponents from four different institutions. Garcia’s five pins in a single day nearly matched his season total of seven from 2020-21 when he went 18-12 overall.
The career of Burrus appears promising after the freshman celebrated winning the 141-pound B bracket on Saturday. The native of Hubbard, Ohio, went 5-0 with a pin. In his final match of the day, Burrus defeated Andy Rojas of Hastings by decision, 5-2. In addition, Thomas Ivey (125 A) and Anthony Perez (157 B) placed second in their brackets.
Said Bradbury, “Mason had a great day and worked really hard. He’s very coachable. He made some nice adjustments in his matches. How do you get better than five pins?
“Conner Burrus – what a freshman. I think he’s going to lead the way for our freshmen as far as how to compete. His matches were hard-fought. He beat a fifth-year senior after giving up the first takedown. I’m really pleased with everyone.”
Ivey had the opportunity to wrestle in his hometown of York. He’s another freshman Bradbury sees great potential in. Ivey went 4-1 with two pins on his day. Perez also collected four wins. Five Bulldogs recorded exactly three victories: Josh Broyles (3-2 at 141), Tavoris Smith (3-2 at 157), Jose Sanchez (3-2 with three pins at 165), Mozes Valenzuela Smith (3-2 with three pins at 285) and Jack Hedke (3-2 with three pins at 285). Thirteen of the 14 Concordia grapplers in the tournament notched at least one win.
The following Bulldogs placed fourth or better in their brackets:
· Thomas Ivey (125A) – 2nd
· Adam Roberts (125B) – 4th
· Josh Broyles (141A) – 3rd
· Conner Burrus (141B) – 1st
· Tracy Allen (149A) – 4th
· Tavoris Smith (157A) – 3rd
· Anthony Perez (157B) – 2nd
· Jose Sanchez (165) – 3rd
· Hunter Weimer (184) – 4th
· Mason Garcia (197) – 1st
· Jack Hedke (285A) – 4th
The brackets were separated into A and B groups at weights that had a large number of entries. The ‘A’ brackets were not necessarily designed to be stronger than the ‘B’ brackets. The Bulldogs held back their two returning national qualifiers, Jacob Telles (285) and Mario Ybarra (133). In the NAIA preseason national rankings, Ybarra landed at No. 8 at 133 while Telles was rated the 19th best heavyweight.
The season will continue at next Sunday (Nov. 7)’s Dan Harris Open hosted by Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. The action is slated to begin at 9 a.m. CT. Concordia will be at home for the first time when Hastings visits Friedrich Arena for a GPAC dual on Nov. 11.
Small group represents Bulldogs at Dan Harris Open
Nov. 7, 2021
BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – A small group of Bulldogs represented the Concordia University Wrestling program at the Dan Harris Open hosted by Baker University on Sunday (Nov. 7). Five Bulldogs combined for five wins with Jose Sanchez leading the way at 165 pounds. This marked the second tournament of the 2021-22 campaign.
A week earlier, Head Coach Myron Bradbury took 14 competitors to the York College Open. Many of the team’s top wrestlers are still waiting to wrestle their first matches of the season.
Sanchez enjoyed the most success of Concordia wrestlers on Sunday. He notched three wins in the 165-pound bracket. He opened the day with a 9-8 victory by decision and also collected a pin. Tavoris Smith (157) and Mozes Valenzuela Smith (285) picked up one win apiece. Valenzuela Smith pinned his second opponent of the day. Meanwhile, Tracey Allen (149) and Jack Hedke (197) came up empty in their two matches.
The Bulldogs are gearing up for their first dual of the season. They will welcome Hastings to Friedrich Arena on Thursday for a 7 p.m. CT clash. Concordia has dubbed the dual as Faculty Night and is offering a free popcorn and free soft drink to all faculty in attendance. The Bulldogs and Broncos both went 3-5 last season in GPAC duals.
Wrestling program to host Faculty Night at home opening dual
Nov. 8, 2021
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Wrestling program has circled Nov. 11 on the calendar as the date to showcase many of its top competitors for the first time this 2021-22 season. The Bulldogs have dubbed Thursday as Faculty Night at Friedrich Arena, where Hastings will serve as the opponent for a GPAC dual. Concordia faculty members in attendance on Thursday will receive a free popcorn and free soft drink, courtesy of the wrestling program.
FACULTY NIGHT
Thursday, Nov. 11: Concordia vs. Hastings, 7 p.m.
--Live Webcast
--Faculty in attendance will receive a free popcorn and free soft drink
Dual Notes
· Myron Bradbury will make his home debut as head coach on Thursday. Bradbury spent the previous five seasons as the top assistant at Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.). During that stretch, the Blue Raiders placed inside the top five at the NAIA National Championships each season with runner-up claims in 2017 and 2019. So far this season, Bradbury has presided over a Bulldog team that has wrestled at the York College Open and the Dan Harris Open (hosted by Baker University).
· Concordia is coming off a 2020-21 season that saw it go 3-5 in GPAC duals (tied for fifth), place sixth at the GPAC tournament and finish 35th at the NAIA national tournament. The Bulldogs bring back two national qualifiers in Mario Ybarra (133) and Jacob Telles (285). Ybarra placed seventh at the national tournament at 133 pounds, earning All-America honors. Currently, Ybarra is ranked eighth in the NAIA at 133 and Telles is ranked 19th nationally at heavyweight.
· At the York Open that took place on Oct. 30, a group of 14 Bulldogs combined for 39 wins, 29 pins and 11 tournament place finishes within the top four. No one was more dominant than Mason Garcia at 197 pounds. The native of Arroyo Grande, Calif., pinned each of his five opponents (four in the first period) on his way to a York Open championship. Garcia’s five pins in a single day nearly matched his season total of seven from 2020-21 when he went 18-12 overall. At 141, Conner Burrus went 5-0 at the York Open and was the champion of the ‘B’ bracket.
· Five Concordia grapplers competed this past Sunday at the Dan Harris Open in Baldwin City, Kan. Jose Sanchez enjoyed the most success amongst Concordia wrestlers. He notched three wins in the 165-pound bracket. Sanchez opened the day with a 9-8 victory by decision and also collected a pin. Tavoris Smith (157) and Mozes Valenzuela Smith (285) picked up one win apiece. Valenzuela Smith pinned his second opponent of the day. Meanwhile, Tracey Allen (149) and Jack Hedke (197) came up empty in their two matches.
· Prior to last season, the Bulldogs had won or shared the GPAC regular season title in five of six seasons. Last season’s GPAC dual wins came over Dakota Wesleyan, Midland and Jamestown. Concordia hopes to reverse its 27-24 loss to Hastings from this past January.
In the rankings
In the official preseason rankings, Concordia came in at No. 4 in the GPAC while Hastings landed at No. 7. Below is a listing of ranked individuals from both teams. The Broncos boast three grapplers who are ranked nationally: Edrich Nortje (seventh at 141), Thomas Stevenson (14th at 157) and Taygen Smith (sixth at 165).
GPAC = conference rank | NR = NAIA national rank
Concordia
125 – Thomas Ivey: GPAC – 6th
133 – Mario Ybarra: GPAC – 1st | NR – 8th
157 – Tavoris Smith: GPAC – 5th
157 – Anthony Perez: GPAC – 6th
165 – Issiah Burks: GPAC – 3rd
174 – TJ Huber: GPAC – 3rd
197 – Mason Garcia: GPAC – 4th
285 – Jacob Telles: GPAC – 3rd | NR – 19th
Hastings
133 – Kavika Aholelei: GPAC – 5th
141 – Edrich Nortje: GPAC – 2nd | NR – 7th
157 – Thomas Stevenson: GPAC – 1st | NR – 14th
165 – Taygen Smith: GPAC – 1st | NR – 6th
Garcia, Telles dominate in dual loss to Hastings
Nov.11, 2021
SEWARD, Neb. – While making its first home appearance of the 2021-22 season, Concordia University Wrestling salvaged the night to some degree with a strong finish at the back end of the lineup. It just wasn’t enough to dig out of a large hole in terms of team scoring as visiting Hastings defeated the Bulldogs, 29-17, inside Friedrich Arena on Thursday (Nov. 11). The Broncos won seven of the 10 matches, including four that came with bonus points.
This marked the first home dual experience as head coach for Myron Bradbury, who arrived in Seward following a successful run as the lead assistant coach at NAIA power Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.). He’s only just begun to put his stamp on the Concordia program.
“It’s a good environment. I love the setup,” Bradbury said of the dual atmosphere at Friedrich Arena. “I think we had good fan support and I definitely want to build on it. It’s hard to ask that favor after a night like tonight. We have to get back to work and know this is part of the process. I think my biggest takeaway is – welcome to the big leagues. We have a lot of fresh faces out here that didn’t understand the level of intensity they needed to hit. We’ll work on it.”
There was finally something for the Bulldog faithful to cheer about when Mason Garcia took the mat at 197. Garcia and Concordia heavyweight Jacob Telles (ranked 19th in the NAIA at 285) were utterly dominant in their performances. Garcia moved to 6-0 this season (five pins) by earning a technical fall in the second period. Ten of his 18 points were produced via back points as Hastings’ Trent Nafzinger narrowly avoided the pin.
The reigning heavyweight GPAC champion, Telles got his second collegiate season started on Thursday and emerged with a second period fall of Henry Jones. Telles notched two takedowns prior to wiping out his opponent for the 14th pin of his career. The native of Albuquerque, N.M., serves as one of the team’s four captains.
Garcia’s start has been impressive, but he seems to understand there’s a lot of work left to do. Said Garcia, “I was just hitting my moves. I have a really good training partner with Jacob. After I wrestle with him, I come out here and it’s easy.” Garcia went on to joke that his improvement has come from lifting weights with strength coach Todd Berner.
At 165, captain Issiah Burks had his chances to pull an upset of sixth-ranked Taygen Smith. However, Smith came out on top with the help of a late takedown in the third period and held off Burks, 7-5. Smith was one of three nationally ranked wrestlers in the Bronco lineup. No. 7 Edrich Nortje (141) and No. 14 Thomas Stevenson (157) both collected pins. After it forfeited 125, Hastings went on to win the next seven matches and build a commanding 29-6 lead in the team score.
Without a doubt, Garcia and Telles were the bright spots. Said Bradbury, “They looked great. I was really happy to see Mason having fun. He was taking shots and scoring takedowns. He wasn’t just living on his top game, which is what I think he’s done in the past. I was happy to see him win the way he did.”
Returning All-American Mario Ybarra is still waiting to begin his 2021-22 season. In other words, the Bulldogs are still waiting to get back to full strength. Thursday’s dual lineup also featured Thomas Ivey (125), Isaac Agabin (133), Conner Burrus (141), Brandon Gonzalez (149), Anthony Perez (157), TJ Huber (174) and Hunter Weimer (184).
Select members of the team will be in action at the Dakota Wesleyan Open in Mitchell, S.D., on Saturday. Wrestling is set to begin at 9 a.m. CT. The next conference duals will take place on Dec. 1.
Agabin records two pins at DWU Open
Nov. 13, 2021
MITCHELL, S.D. – Two days after hosting its first dual of the 2021-22 season, the Concordia University Wrestling team took five competitors to the Dakota Wesleyan University Open in Mitchell, S.D., on Saturday (Nov. 13). The Bulldogs wound up with three wins, including two that came via pins by Isaac Agabin. Concordia is still biding its time for a return to full strength.
This marked the third tournament of the season for Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad, which also took part in the York College Open and the Dan Harris Open.
With a light field for the Bulldogs, there wasn’t a lot to take away from Saturday. Each of Agabin’s matches at 133 ended in falls. The Las Vegas native pinned Hector Holguin of York and Andy Rojas of Hastings. The other Concordia victory on the day was produced by Adam Roberts, who earned a 10-4 decision over Augustana University (S.D.)’s Thurman Christensen at 125.
Three Bulldogs went 0-2 at the Dakota Wesleyan Open: Jose Sanchez (165), Trenton Wills (174) and Isaac Renas (197). Agabin was the lone Concordia grappler to wrestle in both Thursday’s dual versus Hastings and Saturday’s tournament in Mitchell.
Next up will be the University of Nebraska-Kearney Open in one week (Nov. 20). Action from Kearney is scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m. CT.
Ybarra claims second place in season debut at UNK Open
Nov. 20, 2021
YOUNES HOSPITALITY OPEN RESULTS
KEARNEY, Neb. – At long last, returning All-American Mario Ybarra made his season debut as one of 18 Bulldogs to represent Concordia University Wrestling at the Younes Hospitality Open hosted by the University of Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday (Nov. 20). While Ybarra placed second in the 133-pound elite bracket, teammates Mason Garcia (197) and Thomas Ivey (125) also earned tournament place finishes. As a whole, the Bulldogs totaled 30 wins, including nine by fall.
This is the closest Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad has been to full strength so far this season. A week earlier, Concordia wrestled only five grapplers at the Dakota Wesleyan Open.
“Mario was exactly what you would expect – tough as nails,” Bradbury said. “He was leading by example, competing hard and staying focused. He really is a team captain in every sense. He has some things he can clean up, but he recovers immediately when he makes a mistake. He doesn’t take anything for granted in wrestles tough in every position. It’s November and this was a strong debut.”
Ybarra came up just short, 3-1 in sudden victory, at the hands of Air Force’s Nick Krug in the 133-pound championship match. The native of Scottsbluff, Neb., made his way to the title bout with close victories over Fort Hays State’s Gunnar Smith, Morningside’s Taylor Vasquez and Colorado Mesa’s Collin Metzgar. The latter opponent is currently ranked 14th in NCAA Division II at 133 pounds. This was just a start for Ybarra, who placed seventh at the NAIA national tournament last season.
In the amateur bracket at 125, Ivey (York, Neb.) advanced to the semifinals before finally suffering a defeat. Ivey claimed five wins on the day, including one over an opponent from Colorado State. He dropped to the consolation bracket and defeated a foe from host Nebraska-Kearney and claimed third place.
Said Bradbury, “Thomas wrestled smart like Mario. He contests every position and capitalizes when it’s time. He has some work to do to not put himself in such tight matches. He was focused for seven minutes at a time and that was really good to see.”
Garcia, who hails from Arroyo Grande, Calif., has been on a tear early this season. He placed sixth in the 197-pound amateur bracket in Kearney while going 5-1 with two more pins. He has run his season record to 11-1 with seven pins and a tech fall. Garcia was not able to fully place out after reaching the maximum number of matches wrestled for the day.
The Younes Hospitality Open also marked the first tournament outing for heavyweight and returning national qualifier Jacob Telles, who notched four wins (two pins) on Saturday. His two defeats came at the hands of NCAA Division II opponents. Meanwhile, two wins apiece were turned in by Adam Roberts (125) and Tavoris Smith (157).
The open hosted by Nebraska-Kearney features a strong field each season. Forty-seven different institutions, of various levels of collegiate competition, were represented at the Younes Hospitality Open. Of the 18 Bulldogs who entered the fray on Saturday, 15 emerged with at least one victory. There is still progress to be made. Said Bradbury, “We are still learning the sport. Some did better than others at applying what we’ve been working on.”
The Bulldogs will be off from competition during the week of Thanksgiving. Next up on the schedule will be a pair of GPAC duals at The Arena in Sioux City, Iowa, on Wednesday, Dec. 1. On that date, Concordia will go up against Dakota Wesleyan and Morningside.
Ybarra chosen as GPAC Wrestler of the Week
Nov. 24, 2021
SEWARD, Neb. – For his performances at the Younes Hospitality Open, Mario Ybarra has been chosen as the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Wrestler of the Week, as announced by the conference on Wednesday (Nov. 24). This marked the first weekly honor handed out this 2021-22 season by the GPAC. Ybarra has collected a GPAC Wrestler of the Week award for the first time in his career.
As part of the Younes Hospitality Open hosted by the University of Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 20, Ybarra placed as the 133-pound runner up in the elite bracket. The native of Scottsbluff, Neb., started his day with three-straight victories, including wins over NAIA 14th-ranked Taylor Vasquez of Morningside and NCAA Division II 14th-ranked Collin Metzgar of Colorado Mesa University. Ybarra then narrowly lost (sudden victory) in the championship match while up against Air Force’s Nick Krug. Ybarra is currently ranked eighth in the NAIA at 133.
Ybarra is coming off an All-America national tournament place finish of seventh at 133 pounds last season. A two-time national qualifier and the 2020 GPAC champion at 125, Ybarra owns a career record of 65-26. He’s also been named a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree and NWCA Scholar All-American.
Ybarra and the Bulldogs will return to action next Wednesday (Dec. 1) with a pair of duals in Sioux City, Iowa, where they will take on Dakota Wesleyan and Morningside.
Dual Preview: Concordia to battle DWU, Morningside on Wednesday
Nov. 29, 2021
SEWARD, Neb. – After a break from competition over the week of Thanksgiving, the Concordia University Wrestling team will return to action on Wednesday with a pair of GPAC duals in Sioux City, Iowa, where it will go head-to-head with Dakota Wesleyan and Morningside. Hosted by the Mustangs, the event will feature a total of eight GPAC duals (all nine conference teams in action) that will be contested inside The Arena Sports Academy, which will have four mats set up.
This Week
Wednesday, Dec. 1 – two GPAC duals
vs. Dakota Wesleyan, 5:30 p.m. / vs. Morningside 7 p.m.
The Arena | Sioux City, Iowa
--Live Webcast | Live Results
Saturday, Dec. 4 at Doane Open
--Live Results
Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad last competed at the Younes Hospitality Open hosted by the University of Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 20. On that date, three Bulldogs emerged with tournament place finishes: Mario Ybarra (second at 133), Thomas Ivey (third at 125) and Mason Garcia (sixth at 197). It marked the 2021-22 season debut for the returning All-American Ybarra. Thanks to wins over Morningside’s Taylor Vasquez (ranked 14th in NAIA) and Colorado Mesa’s Collin Metzgar (ranked 14th in NCAA Division II), Ybarra was named the GPAC Wrestler of the Week. In sum, 18 Concordia wrestlers combined for 30 wins, including nine via fall at the Younes Hospitality Open.
The following Bulldogs have collected at least five wins so far this season:
· Connor Burrus (141) – 6-3
· Mason Garcia (197) – 11-1
· Thomas Ivey (125) – 10-2
· Anthony Perez (157) – 5-4
· Jose Sanchez (165) – 7-8
· Tavoris Smith (157) – 6-6
· Jacob Telles (285) – 5-2
Due to a snafu in the ratings process, the NAIA has not released new conference or national rankings since the preseason. The next set of conference ratings are scheduled to be announced on Tuesday (Nov. 30). In the preseason, Ybarra (eighth at 133) and Jacob Telles (19th at 285) represented the Bulldogs with individual national rankings. In the dual with Morningside, Concordia could face as many as three nationally ranked competitors: 16th-ranked Evan Shell at 125, Vasquez at 133 and sixth-ranked John Diener at 149.
In recent years, Concordia has experienced plenty of success in GPAC duals. Dating back to the 2014-15 season, the Bulldogs have won or shared the GPAC regular season title in five of seven seasons. From 2014-15 through the start of 2017-18, the program won 22 consecutive GPAC duals. Concordia went 7-0 in GPAC duals each season from 2014-15 through 2016-17 and then went 8-0 in 2019-20. Since the start of the 2014-15 campaign, the Bulldogs are a combined 44-10 in conference duals. In the lone dual of this season, Concordia fell at home to Hastings, 29-17.
At 3-5 in GPAC duals last season, the Bulldogs finished fifth behind Doane (8-0), Morningside (7-1), Briar Cliff (6-2) and Jamestown (4-4). Jacob Telles is the reigning GPAC heavyweight champion while Ybarra won the 125-pound conference title in 2020.
Looking ahead to the weekend, Concordia will be at the Doane University Open on Saturday with action slated to begin at 9 a.m. CT from Crete, Neb. The Bulldogs will make their next home appearance on Dec. 9 when they are scheduled to host a dual versus Midland.
Bulldogs defeat DWU, fall to Morningside in GPAC duals
Dec. 2, 2021
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – It was one up and one down for the Concordia University Wrestling team, which joined the rest of the conference at The Arena Sports Academy on Wednesday (Dec. 1) for a showcase event in Sioux City, Iowa. The Bulldogs opened the night with a 32-13 win over Dakota Wesleyan before dropping a 26-8 decision at the hands of Morningside. Each of the nine GPAC wrestling programs competed in at least one dual.
Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad is now 1-2 in conference duals. Concordia also took on Hastings at home on Nov. 11.
“Overall, I think we improved our competitiveness,” Bradbury said. “I think they’re giving effort, and I think we have a lot of work to do. We lost a lot of matches in the last 30 seconds (against Morningside). We can’t let that slide.”
A highlight from the team win over Dakota Wesleyan was a 21-6 tech fall produced by Jeaven Scdoris at 149. Mario Ybarra also won by decision at 133 and the Bulldogs were aided by a series of forfeits.
Both teams filled all 10 weight classes in the second battle of the night. Morningside won eight of the 10 matches with Concordia victories coming via TJ Huber (decision) at 174 and Jacob Telles (pin) at 285. The margins were exceptionally slim in most cases as the Bulldogs lost separate individual matches by scores of 3-1, 1-0, 2-1, 14-12 and 5-4. In other words, the dual was much more competitive than the team scoring indicated. Only two Mustang wins came with bonus points (major decisions at 125 and 141).
Recently named GPAC Wrestler of the Week, NAIA ninth-ranked 133-pounder Mario Ybarra was upended by an opponent he had defeated at the Younes Hospitality Open. Morningside’s Taylor Vasquez (ranked 14th in the NAIA) clipped Ybarra, 3-1. Anthony Perez (157), Jose Sanchez (165), Huber (174), Jovon Howe (184) and Mason Garcia (197) also each lost by margins of either one or two points.
A select group of Bulldogs will be in action on Saturday at the Doane University Open, which will be staged inside Fuhrer Fieldhouse in Crete. Wrestling is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT. The next Concordia dual is slated for Dec. 9 with Midland set to be in Seward on that date.
Three Bulldogs record place finishes at Doane Open
Dec. 4, 2021
CRETE, Neb. – Eighteen competitors represented Concordia University Wrestling at the Doane Conner/Oppenheim Open on Saturday (Dec. 4) in Crete, Neb., where the Bulldogs emerged with a total of 30 victories. The event took place inside Fuhrer Field House and featured individuals from 34 different institutions. Place finishes were earned by Isaac Agabin (133), Jovon Howe (184) and Jacob Telles (285).
This marked the second outing of the week for Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad, which went 1-1 in conference dual action this past Wednesday. Concordia has also taken part in five tournaments.
“We’re finding a little more success and seeing our training start to pay off,” Bradbury said. “We still have a lot of ground to cover, but we’re wrestling better competition each week. We’re inching along.
“Jovon handled his first tournament well and it was good the way he was able to get out and wrestle. There are big plans for him moving forward. Coach (Tyree) Cox and I have been saying how Isaac has another level. He wrestled like he had a chip on his shoulder today.”
Prior to Saturday, Agabin’s best showing thus far had been a two-pin performance at the Dakota Wesleyan Open. He produced five wins (one pin) at the Doane Open and was credited with fifth place at 133 pounds. Agabin’s pin came over Doane’s Luke Davis. As for Howe, he returned from injury and won three matches in a row at point, before pulling out of the tournament. Howe triumphed over two competitors from Doane.
The best is yet to come from the heavyweight Telles, who got rolling after dropping his first match of the day. The native of Albuquerque, N.M., responded with three-consecutive pins, including two over foes from Friends University (Kan.). Telles finished with four wins on the day.
Three other Bulldogs collected two or more wins apiece: Carter Willis (4-2 at 133), Tavoris Smith (3-2 at 157), Adam Roberts (2-2 at 125) and Jose Sanchez (2-2 at 165). Fourteen of the 18 Concordia grapplers at the Doane Invite registered at least one win. One win each was earned by Issiah Burks (165), Josh Broyles (141), Jeaven Scdoris (149), Brandon Gonzalez (149), Tracy Allen (149), TJ Huber (174) and Jesse Guadarrama (285).
Concordia’s highest rated wrestler, Mario Ybarra (10th in the NAIA at 133), did not compete at the Doane Open. The Bulldogs entered the weekend ranked fifth in the official GPAC ratings thanks to six competitors who are ranked at the conference level in their respective weight classes.
Said Bradbury, “We’re focused on being competitors and competing hard. We have guys who are very coachable and very trainable. I think we’re just starting to get it.”
GPAC dual action will pick back up on Thursday when the Bulldogs (1-2 GPAC) host Midland inside Friedrich Arena. Wrestling is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. CT. Concordia will attempt to duplicate last season’s result when it pummeled the Warriors, 38-7, in Fremont.
Concordia-Midland to dual inside Friedrich Arena on Thursday
Dec. 7, 2021
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Wrestling program is getting set to host its second home dual of the 2021-22 season. The Bulldogs will welcome Midland to Friedrich Arena for a 7 p.m. CT battle on Thursday. Concordia also hosted Hastings on Nov. 11 in what resulted in a 29-17 loss. Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad will take a 1-2 record into Thursday’s matchup.
Concordia (1-2, 1-2 GPAC) vs. Midland (2-7, 0-3 GPAC)
Thursday, Dec. 9 | 7 p.m. | Friedrich Arena
Webcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/cun/
The Bulldogs resumed GPAC dual action last week as part of a conference event held last week at The Arena Sports Academy in Sioux City, Iowa. Concordia defeated Dakota Wesleyan, 32-13, before dropping a 26-8 decision at the hands of Morningside. Contested victories were earned versus DWU by Mario Ybarra (3-1 SV) at 133 and by Jeaven Scdoris (21-6 TF) at 149. Now ranked 10th in the NAIA at 133, Ybarra was upset by Morningside’s Taylor Vasquez, 3-1, in the proceeding dual. In winning performances versus Mustang opponents, TJ Huber claimed a decision in sudden victory at 174 and Jacob Telles pinned his heavyweight counterpart in 4:48. The dual was actually much closer than the team score indicated – the Bulldogs lost separate matches by scores of 3-1, 1-0, 2-1, 14-12 and 5-4.
In the official GPAC ratings released last week, Concordia landed at No. 5 behind Doane, Briar Cliff, Morningside and Hastings. On an individual level, the following Bulldogs are ranked in the conference: Thomas Ivey (fourth at 125), Mario Ybarra (first at 133), Issiah Burks (second at 165), TJ Huber (fifth at 174), Mason Garcia (fifth at 197) and Jacob Telles (third at 285).
As for Midland, two Warriors are ranked in the GPAC: Steven Aranda (sixth at 149) and Tyson Beauperthuy (first at 197). Beauperthuy is also ranked third nationally in his weight class. In conference duals this season, Midland has suffered defeats at the hands of Hastings, 33-15, Briar Cliff, 49-6, and Jamestown, 45-10. Open weights have contributed to the lopsided nature of those scores. The Warriors have a first-year head coach in Daviaire Dickerson, an alum of Arizona Christian University.
The following Bulldogs have earned at least five wins so far this season:
· Mason Garcia (197) – 12-2
· Thomas Ivey (125) – 11-3
· Jacob Telles (285) – 11-4
· Tavoris Smith (157) – 9-9
· Jose Sanchez (165) – 9-11
· Isaac Agabin (125/133) – 7-7
· Conner Burrus (141) – 6-3
· Adam Roberts (125) – 6-10
· Anthony Prez (157) – 5-7
· Josh Broyles (141) – 5-8
Concordia will have the weekend off from competition. The Bulldogs will be back home on Dec. 18 to host the Concordia Bulldog Duals.
Probable lineups
Concordia (1-2, 1-2 GPAC)
125 – Thomas Ivey (11-3)
133 – Mario Ybarra (4-2)
141 – Conner Burrus (6-3) / Josh Broyles (5-8)
149 – Tracy Allen (3-7)
157 – Anthony Perez (5-7)
165 – Jose Sanchez (9-11)
174 – TJ Huber (3-5) / Hunter Weimer (3-7)
184 – Jovon Howe (4-2)
197 – Mason Garcia (12-2)
285 – Jacob Telles (11-4)
Midland (2-7, 0-3 GPAC
125 – OPEN
133 – OPEN
141 – Prestin Vondra
149 – Steven Aranda
157 – Jabez Anderson
165 – OPEN
174 – Kody Hahn
184 – Connor Rinn
197 – Tyson Beauperthuy
285 – Matt Johnston
Perez dominates, Bulldogs defeat Midland, 32-18
Dec. 9, 2021
SEWARD, Neb. – In a quick-moving dual inside Friedrich Arena on Thursday (Dec. 9), Concordia University Wrestling emerged with its second GPAC victory of the 2021-22 season. While highlighting the evening, 157-pound Anthony Perez dominated his way to a technical fall as part of a 32-18 win over Midland. The Bulldogs won six of the 10 matches.
Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad moved to 2-2 in conference duals. The other win came over Dakota Wesleyan. Most importantly, Bradbury is seeing progress being made.
“Slowly but surely they’re coming,” Bradbury said. “They’re moving better and looking more offensive and they’re not looking so defeated when things aren’t initially going their way. We got off bottom fairly well. We did have some kids struggle with the pressure of a dual meet. Sometimes it can wear on you mentally when it’s kind of an intimate environment. We’ll talk about that. That’s probably the main thing that we should assess.”
The outcome from a team perspective was never in doubt after the Warriors surrendered the first three weights (125, 133 and 141) and 165. The first contested victory for Concordia was delivered by Perez (6-7), who never let Jabez Anderson get anything going. A native of Redondo Beach, Calif., Perez scored 10 near-fall points and three takedowns in a 17-1 triumph that concluded in the second period.
Said Perez, “My key to success was just thinking it was another practice. That’s where I’m most comfortable. Even though I’m a little jittery before matches, I try to keep calm and trust myself. Coach is always reminding me of that. It’s just something I’m working on.”
Two matches later, TJ Huber (4-5) put together a solid seven minutes that finished with him earning a 10-3 victory over Kody Hahn. Huber recorded three takedowns and tacked on a point via riding time. Elsewhere, the Bulldogs dropped close matches at 149 and 184. Midland’s Steven Aranda edged Brandon Gonzalez, 9-7, at 149 and the Warriors’ Connor Rim topped Jovon Howe, 7-4, at 184.
Wins were credited via forfeit to four Concordia grapplers: Thomas Ivey (125), Mario Ybarra (133), Conner Burrus (141) and Tavoris Smith (165). The lineup also included Mason Garcia at 197 and Jack Hedke at heavyweight. Garcia had the unenviable task of going up against Tyson Beauperthuy, who is ranked third in the NAIA at 197. Beauperthuy has been a bright spot for a Midland team that is now 0-4 in GPAC duals.
The Bulldogs will have the weekend off from competition while preparing to host the Concordia Bulldog Duals on Saturday, Dec. 18. The event will feature Concordia and six visiting teams: Doane, Central Baptist University (Ark.), Marian University (Ind.), Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Texas Wesleyan University.
Said Bradbury, “I’m really looking forward to some time to let our guys freshen up. We’ve been grinding and now we have nine days until our next event. They’ll catch a day off in their and they’ll get a mild day on top of that. We’re excited to get the team together and get some team cohesion. We’re very, very close to having our strongest lineup put together.”
Added Perez, “For me personally, the next step is working on my confidence, keeping calm and trusting my shots. For the team, I think it’s just keep doing what we’re doing and putting ourselves in those match scenarios and gut-check positions and keep grinding out the season.”
2021 Concordia Bulldog Duals scheduled altered
Dec. 15, 2021
Changes to the Concordia Bulldog Duals schedule were announced on Wednesday, Dec. 15.
SEWARD, Neb. – For the second season in a row, the Concordia University Wrestling program will welcome a large field of opposing squads to the Concordia Bulldog Duals. The 2021 event will feature five teams and a total of 12 duals with action held inside Friedrich Arena on Saturday (Dec. 18). Wrestling will unfold simultaneously on two separate mats beginning at 10 a.m. CT. Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad will go up against three nonconference NAIA opponents, all from out of state.
2021 Concordia Bulldog Duals
Full Schedule (PDF)
Saturday, Dec. 18 | 10 a.m. CT
Friedrich Arena | Seward, Neb.
Live Webcast: Concordia Sports Network
Live Results: Track Wrestling
Concordia Duals
--Times are approximate for rounds two through four.
RD1 – 10 a.m. vs. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
RD2 – Bye
RD3 – 1 p.m. vs. Marian University (Ind.)
RD4 – 2:30 p.m. vs. Central Baptist (Ark.)
The 2021 Concordia Bulldog Duals field includes representation from the states of Arkansas, Indiana, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Two visiting teams are back after also competing in the 2020 Concordia Bulldog Duals: Doane and Oklahoma Wesleyan. Based on the most recent NAIA coaches’ poll, two entrants own top 20 national rankings: No. 4 Doane and No. 13 Marian.
Bradbury’s Bulldogs will enter the weekend with a 2-2 dual record that resulted from wins over Dakota Wesleyan, 32-13, and Midland, 32-18, and losses at the hands of Hastings, 29-17, and Morningside, 26-8. Concordia has also competed in five tournaments. Highlights from last week’s home dual victory over Midland were wins by Anthony Perez (tech fall at 157) and TJ Huber (decision at 174). Since the start of the 2014-15 campaign, the Bulldogs are a combined 46-11 in conference duals.
The following Concordia grapplers have collected at least five wins on the season: Mason Garcia (12-3), Thomas Ivey (12-3), Jacob Telles (11-4), Tavoris Smith (10-9), Jose Sanchez (9-11), Conner Burrus (7-3), Isaac Agabin (7-7), Anthony Perez (6-7), Adam Roberts (6-10), Mario Ybarra (5-2) and Josh Broyles (5-8). Garcia and Telles are neck and neck for the team pins lead with seven apiece. Ivey has made a splash in tournaments by placing second at the York Open and third at the Nebraska-Kearney Open. Two Bulldogs have won a tournament this season: Burrus (141) and Garcia (197) at the York Open. Ybarra was ranked 10th nationally at 133 pounds in the most recent NAIA ratings.
The Concordia Bulldog Duals will be the final event of the calendar year 2021 for Concordia, which will return to action on Jan. 8 at the Hastings College Cusatis Open.
Concordia Bulldog Duals visiting field
Central Baptist College (Ark.)
2021-22 Dual Record: 1-5
Head Coach: Ken Prophete (10th season)
NAIA Team National Ranking: NR
NAIA Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: None.
Doane University (Neb.)
2021-22 Dual Record: 4-2
Head Coach: Dana Vote (3rd season)
NAIA Team National Ranking: 4th
NAIA Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: Daniel Vargas (3rd at 125); Baterdene Boldmaa (1st at 141); Tristan Zamilpa (9th at 149); Chinges Tsermaa (15th at 157); Michael Scarponi (10th at 174); Bradley Antesberger (9th at 197); Odgerel Batkhishig (4th at 285); Brandon Antesberger (10th at 285).
Marian University (Ind.)
2021-22 Dual Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Steven Bradley (6th season)
NAIA Team National Ranking: 13th
NAIA Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: Stephen Roberson (14th at 133); Bailey Moore (16th at 157); Elliott Rodgers (6th at 165); Sam Osho (5th at 184); Jack Servies (8th at 197).
Oklahoma Wesleyan University
2021-22 Dual Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Tom Carr (2nd season)
NAIA Team National Ranking: NR
NAIA Nationally Ranked Wrestlers: None.
Bulldogs win two of three behind dominant trio
Dec. 18, 2021
SEWARD, Neb. – While hosting a field of five teams at the 2021 Concordia Bulldog Duals on Saturday (Dec. 18), the Concordia University Wrestling team emerged with a pair of wins. The Bulldogs defeated Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 31-13, and blanked Central Baptist College (Ark.), 58-0. Sandwiched in between, Concordia dropped a 32-11 dual at the hands of 15th-ranked Marian University (Ind.). The Bulldog trio of Issiah Burks, Jacob Telles and Mario Ybarra combined to go 9-0 on the day.
This marked the first time this season that Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad has wrestled nonconference competition in duals. Concordia owns an overall record of 4-3 (2-2 GPAC).
“The wheels are turning,” Bradbury said. “Inch-by-inch and piece-by-piece we’re getting this thing. Today was a really good day with solid competition all the way around. We were tested in every position and we’re starting to figure it out. We’re starting to compete at the level we’re asking them to and they’re training consistently at the level we’re asking them to. They’re really getting it down.”
Some of the brightest Bulldog stars wrestled like stars on Saturday. In action that began in the morning versus Oklahoma Wesleyan, Concordia started out hot with wins at the top of the lineup by Thomas Ivey (decision at 125), Ybarra (major decision at 133) and Conner Burrus (pin at 141). Additional pins followed from Burks (165), TJ Huber (174) and Telles (285), who put an exclamation mark on the dual. Meanwhile, three of the four Eagles’ wins came by decision (two ended in 4-3 final scores). At 197, Mason Garcia just missed out on knocking off NAIA 20th-ranked Josh Cortez.
The 58-point margin in the win over Central Baptist is believed to be the largest in Concordia program history. The Mustangs surrendered forfeits at six weights and were dominated in the other four. Contested victories were claimed by Burrus (technical fall at 141), Burks (pin at 165), Jovon Howe (pin at 184) and Telles (technical fall at 285). The Bulldogs came within a hair of posting the maximum total of 60 points.
Said Telles, “The team had this good atmosphere going around, starting off with Ivey. He was going out there and having competitive, good matches. Every dual was competitive and I think it got everyone going and built momentum. We battled in every position. Bradbury was stressing just having tough seven-minute matches and I think that’s what a lot of us did up and down the lineup.”
Marian’s dual lineup against Concordia included three nationally ranked wrestlers in No. 15 Bailey Moore (157), No. 5 Sam Osho and No. 9 Jack Servies. The Knights won each of those matches by either pin or tech fall. The Bulldogs got on the board thanks to Ybarra (decision at 133), Burks (technical fall at 165) and Telles (decision at 285). An impressive day for Burks featured two pins and a tech fall.
This was more like the lineup Bradbury had envisioned in the preseason. Concordia still believes it has room to grow before it hits its peak in 2021-22. Said Bradbury, “They feed off each other. There’s a lot of energy that comes with that. We weighed in 16 guys and some of them got extra matches. That was a very big plus.”
Not only did Burks, Telles and Ybarra all go 3-0, the following Bulldogs each went 2-1: Burrus, Huber and Ivey. The lineup did not fluctuate much over the three duals as 11 Concordia grapplers saw action. Others also took part in exhibition matches.
While Concordia had a 2-1 day, the rest of the Bulldog Duals field went like this:
· Doane: 2-0
· Marian: 3-1
· Oklahoma Wesleyan: 1-2
· Central Baptist: 0-4
The season will resume after New Year’s Day with the Hastings College Cusatis Open coming up on Jan. 8. Another significant dual challenge is coming up on Jan. 14 when the Bulldogs will be at fifth-ranked Doane, the top-rated team in the GPAC. Concordia’s next home appearance will be Feb. 3 when York College is slated to visit Seward.
2021 Concordia Bulldog Duals
1 – Marian 53, Central Baptist 3
2 – Concordia 31, Oklahoma Wesleyan 13
3 – Doane 57, Central Baptist 0
4 – Marian 44, Oklahoma Wesleyan 9
5 – Oklahoma Wesleyan 42, Central Baptist 15
7 – Concordia 58, Central Baptist 0
Scdoris places fourth, Burks reaches semis at Hastings Open
Jan. 8, 2022
HASTINGS, Neb. – After three weeks between outings, the Concordia University Wrestling team knocked off some rust on Saturday (Jan. 8) as 14 Bulldogs represented the program at the Hastings Open in Hastings, Neb. The final yields included 13 wins and a trio of pins. Individually, Jeaven Scdoris placed fourth at 149 pounds and Issiah Burks reached the semifinals at 165.
Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad had been idle since hosting the Concordia Bulldog Duals on Dec. 18. The Hastings Open marked the sixth tournament of the 2021-22 season for Concordia.
“We’re learning just how youthful we are – and that’s not a bad thing,” Bradbury said. “They’re all amazing human beings and they work really, really hard. When you have an inexperienced team, you just have to keep getting out there. We’re progressing slowly but surely. We’re building good habits and competing harder. As the season goes on, the competition gets tougher. We had a lot of fun this week with training before classes start (for the second semester). We were able to keep training fresh and exciting.”
Scdoris (4-2), TJ Huber (3-2 at 174) and Burks (2-2) led the way for the Bulldogs in terms of matches won on Saturday. In the 165-pound bracket, Burks won by major decision, 10-1, over Avila University (Mo.)’s Blake Becker and by decision over Pratt Community College’s Scott Radke, 8-2. With a chance at advancing to the final, Burks was pinned by Northwestern’s Blake Pomajzl, the GPAC’s fourth-ranked 165-pounder.
As part of his run, Scdoris earned a pin of NCAA Division II Augustana University (S.D.)’s Kenneth Lenger. The Milford High School product picked up two contested wins, including one over Trey Fischbach of Dickinson State University (N.D.). Meanwhile, Huber collected a pin of Dickinson State’s Lance Kettering.
One win apiece was credited to Tracy Allen (149), Tavoris Smith (157), Jovon Howe (184) and Jack Hedke (285). Hedke’s victory came via fall over Avila’s Andrew Burnett. In sum, seven Bulldogs generated at least one win at the Hastings Open.
Said Bradbury, “Everyone is trying to help each other out. This weekend was a good way to see how things are improving against strong competition. We had fun with some intense training this week and I see us developing technique. We came out here and saw some tough guys.”
Dual action will resume next Friday (Jan. 14) when the Bulldogs (4-3, 2-2 GPAC) will be tasked with going up against No. 4 Doane (10-3, 4-0 GPAC) at 7 p.m. CT in Crete. Former Concordia Head Coach Dana Vote’s program captured the 2020-21 GPAC regular season title and is coming off a third-place finish at the National Duals.
Dual Preview: Concordia to meet No. 4 Doane
Jan. 11, 2022
SEWARD, Neb. – Fresh off its first tournament since the calendar flipped to 2022, the Concordia University Wrestling team preps for a major challenge coming up late in the week. The Bulldogs will go up against fourth-ranked Doane at 7 p.m. CT on Friday. Last time out within the conference, Concordia toppled Midland, 32-18, in action inside Friedrich Arena. Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad owns an overall dual mark of 4-3 (2-2 GPAC).
Dual Info
Friday, Jan. 14: Concordia (4-3, 2-2) at Doane (10-3, 4-0), 7 p.m.
Haddix Center (Crete, Neb.)
--Live Webcast | Live Results (Track Wrestling)
So far in GPAC dual meets, the Bulldogs have earned wins over Dakota Wesleyan, 32-13, and Midland, 32-18, while falling at the hands of Hastings, 29-17, and Morningside, 26-8. Back on Dec. 18, Concordia hosted its own set of duals and went 2-1 on the day with victories over Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 31-13, and Central Baptist College (Ark.), 58-0. Individually, Issiah Burks, Jacob Telles and Mario Ybarra each produced 3-0 records on the day. Burks was particularly dominant in claiming two pins and one victory via technical fall.
The most recent conference and NAIA national rankings were released on Dec. 30. As a team, the Bulldogs were ranked fourth in the GPAC on the strength of seven individual wrestlers ranked at the conference level. Those competitors are Thomas Ivey (fifth at 125), Mario Ybarra (second at 133), Issiah Burks (sixth at 165), TJ Huber (fourth at 174), Jovon Howe (fifth at 184), Mason Garcia (sixth at 197) and Jacob Telles (third at 285). Ybarra is the lone Concordia grappler to appear in the national rankings. He landed at No. 13 in the NAIA at 133. Telles had been ranked as the No. 20 heavyweight in the NAIA back on Dec. 16.
Head Coach Dana Vote’s Doane squad is coming off a third-place claim at the National Duals this past week. As part of the event, the Tigers collected wins over Baker University (Kan.), 21-16, No. 6 Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.), 31-6, and No. 5 Reinhardt University (Ga.), 17-16. Nine Doane wrestlers are ranked on the national level, including Baterdene Boldmaa (141), a two-time NAIA national champion. The Tigers are 10-3 overall in duals and are a perfect 4-0 within the GPAC. Doane has won 12-straight GPAC duals (went 8-0 in 2020-21). Vote served as head coach at Concordia from 2012-16 and led the Bulldogs to conference championships in each of his final two seasons in Seward.
In terms of rankings, the most anticipated matchup on Friday will come at 133 with No. 13 Ybarra slated to take on 17th-ranked Justin Ramirez of Doane. Another intriguing bout will take place at heavyweight with defending GPAC champion Jacob Telles of Concordia tasked with taking on NAIA third-ranked Odgerel Batkhishig. At 141, Conner Burrus will draw Boldmaa, who is the Tigers’ all-time record holder with 70 career wins. Meanwhile, Ybarra is the active wins leader among Bulldogs with 70 victories to his credit (sixth most in program history).
Concordia will have this Saturday off from competition while gearing up for the Missouri Valley College Invite (Jan. 21-22), the premier NAIA regular season tournament. Three more GPAC duals are slated for Jan. 29 in Sioux City, Iowa.
Probable Lineups
Concordia (4-3, 2-2)
125 – Isaac Agabin (9-9)
133 – Mario Ybarra (8-2)
141 – Conner Burrus (9-4)
149 – Jeaven Scdoris (7-7)
157 – Tavoris Smith (13-12)
165 – Issiah Burks (7-7)
174 – TJ Huber (9-8)
184 – Hunter Weimer (4-10)
197 – Jovon Howe (6-7)
285 – Jacob Telles (14-4)
Doane (10-3, 4-0)
125 – Daniel Vargas (7-3)
133 – Justin Ramirez (11-6)
141 – Baagii Boldmaa (13-0)
149 – Tristan Zamilpa (7-6)
157 – Chinges Tsermaa (11-6)
165 – Benjamin Dobler (11-12)
174 – Michael Scarponi (12-9)
184 – Garrett Cornwell (5-10)
197 – Bradley Antesberger (8-2)
285 – Odgerel Batkhishig (14-1)
Bulldogs fall in matchup with fourth-ranked Doane
Jan. 14, 2022
CRETE, Neb. – In terms of rankings, Concordia University Wrestling faced its most challenging dual of the season on Friday (Jan. 14) as it went up against fourth-ranked Doane, the GPAC’s defending regular season champion. The Tigers won the first six matches of the night on the way to a 39-3 victory in Crete. TJ Huber put the Bulldogs on the board with a victory by decision at 174.
This was the first GPAC dual for Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad since it defeated Midland at home, 32-18, on Dec. 9. Concordia stands at 2-3 in GPAC duals (4-4 overall). Though the results aren’t where Bradbury wants to see them in the future, he walked away encouraged with the development of several individuals.
“Even against a team as tough as Doane, you could see the progress we’re making,” Bradbury said. “Things really are clicking and they’re competing hard. What I told the team in the locker room – and I’m never going to do this again – is talk about some consolation victories. I’m proud to be their coach and I’m happy to see how things are progressing.
“Nobody puts in more time than TJ Huber, and it showed tonight. No one in program has his shoes on the mat more than him. It’s great to be able to use that as an example with the team. I also think we got the best version of Tavoris (Smith) that we’ve ever had.”
In the highlight of the night for the Bulldogs, Huber shut out Lahina Kane, 4-0, as the Gretna, Neb., native picked up his 10th victory of the season. Meanwhile, in close defeats, Isaac Agabin (125), Jeaven Scdordis (149), Issiah Burks (165) and Hunter Weimer (184) were clipped by decision. Unfortunately, Concordia had to scratch All-American Mario Ybarra from the lineup, wiping out a potential matchup between ranked combatants at 133.
Doane (11-3, 5-0 GPAC) flexed its muscles with pins at 133, 141 and 285 and by taking a technical fall at 197. Dominance has been the norm for two-time national champion Baterdene Boldmaa. He took out Conner Burrus in 2:29 in the 141-pound match. At heavyweight, the Bulldogs’ Jacob Telles (2021 GPAC champion) was finished off in 4:16 by NAIA third-ranked Odgerel Batkhishig. The Tigers will have an opportunity to clinch another conference title when they compete in three GPAC duals on Jan. 29.
This was the third time Dana Vote has gone up against Concordia as head coach at Doane. Vote presided over the Bulldog program for four seasons from 2012-16. The Tigers have won back-to-back duals over Concordia since the Bulldogs won the matchup during the 2019-20 season.
The Bulldogs will have the rest of the weekend off from competition while looking ahead to one of the premier tournaments prior to nationals – the Missouri Valley College Invite (Jan. 21-22). The event was canceled last season. In the most recent Missouri Valley Invite held in 2020, Concordia placed 16th out of 48 teams.
Said Bradbury, “I just want our guys to wrestle hard. Going into MO Valley, I’m just excited for another weekend with my team. We’ll see what we can get done.”
GPAC Duals Preview: Bulldogs to wrestle three conference foes
Jan. 25, 2022
SEWARD, Neb. – A second round of GPAC duals is coming up Saturday for the Concordia University Wrestling team, which has been idle since battling Doane on Jan. 14. This weekend’s event will be hosted by The Arena Sports Academy in Sioux City, Iowa, where all nine GPAC wrestling programs will convene. The same site also hosted all conference schools on Dec. 1. Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad owns a GPAC dual mark of 2-3 (4-4 overall).
Event Info – GPAC Duals
Saturday, Jan. 29 | The Arena Sports Academy (Sioux City, Iowa)
Live Webcast | Track Wrestling
· 11 a.m. – Concordia vs. Northwestern
· 12:30 p.m. – Concordia vs. Briar Cliff
· 2 p.m. – Concordia vs. Jamestown
In GPAC duals thus far, the Bulldogs have earned wins over Dakota Wesleyan, 32-13, and Midland, 32-18, while having been defeated by Hastings, 29-17, Morningside, 26-8, and No. 4 Doane, 39-3. In the official GPAC ratings released this week, Concordia landed fourth behind Doane, Briar Cliff and Morningside. The Bulldogs currently reside in seventh place in the league standings, which could shift dramatically upon Saturday’s results. Doane (5-0 GPAC) is aiming to defend its 2020-21 GPAC regular season title. Concordia swept GPAC dual and postseason championships as recently as the 2019-20 campaign.
On an individual level, the Bulldogs boast seven wrestlers who are ranked at the conference level (see complete list below). Most acclaimed among them is 133-pounder Mario Ybarra, a 2021 NAIA All-American and the 125-pound GPAC champion in 2020. At the heavyweight spot, defending GPAC champion Jacob Telles will be looking to bounce back after suffering a loss in the dual at Doane. On the season, the following Concordia wrestlers have claimed at least 10 wins: Thomas Ivey (14-4), Telles (14-5), Mason Garcia (13-5), Tavoris Smith (13-13) and TJ Huber (10-8).
On paper, Briar Cliff will be the strongest opponent that Concordia will see on Saturday. The Chargers are rated second in the GPAC and have 10 wrestlers who are ranked in the conference (including three who were 2021 national qualifiers). In the matchup with Jamestown, the Bulldogs may get a look at University of Northern Colorado transfer Theorius Robinson, who just claimed the 141-pound title at the Missouri Valley Invite this past weekend. Meanwhile, Northwestern is led by returning national qualifier Luke Jenness, who is ranked as the GPAC’s top wrestler at 184.
Following Saturday’s duals, Concordia will gear up to host York College (2-2) on Feb. 3. A senior day ceremony will precede the dual, which is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. CT.
Below is a list of Concordia wrestlers and weekend opponents who are ranked in the official GPAC ratings.
* = 2021 NAIA national qualifier
Concordia (4-4, 2-3 GPAC)
125 – Isaac Agabin (6th)
*133 – Mario Ybarra (2nd)
141 – Conner Burrus (6th)
165 – Issiah Burks (6th)
174 – TJ Huber (5th)
184 – Jovon Howe (5th)
*285 – Jacob Telles (3rd)
Briar Cliff (5-2, 4-2 GPAC)
*125 – CaRon Watson (2nd)
125 – Seth I’nama (5th)
133 – Gabriel Howard (4th)
149 – Andrew Shea (4th)
*149 – Ben Peters (5th)
174 – Christian Balmer (4th)
*184 – Jeremiah Glise (2nd)
197 – Matthew Montgomery (4th)
197 – Jonathan Garcia (5th)
285 – Alton Allen (5th)
Jamestown (6-3, 3-3 GPAC)
141 – Theorious Robinson (2nd)
141 – Tommy Beringer (5th)
165 – Park Beeler (3rd)
197 – Joshua Goeden (6th)
285 – Ramiro Varas Macias (4th)
285 – Ian Howell (6th)
Northwestern (4-4, 2-2 GPAC)
149 – Erik Rodriguez (3rd)
157 – Breckin Sperling (5th)
157 – Edward Punzalan (6th)
165 – Blake Pomajzl (4th)
174 – Jakob Francksen-Small (3rd)
*184 – Luke Jenness (1st)
Bulldogs conclude GPAC dual slate with 1-2 day in Sioux City
Jan. 29, 2022
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – All nine GPAC men’s wrestling programs convened upon The Arena Sports Academy in Sioux City, Iowa, for the big finish to the conference dual season. Over a trio of GPAC battles on Saturday (Jan. 29), the Concordia University Wrestling team came away with a victory over Jamestown, 27-17, that followed losses to Northwestern, 24-15, and Briar Cliff, 28-12. All conference teams participated in a similar event that was held back on Dec. 1.
This was the first run through the conference for Head Coach Myron Bradbury. The Bulldogs now stand at 3-5 in GPAC duals, putting them in a sixth-place finish. Concordia is 5-6 overall with one nonconference dual left to be contested.
“The No. 1 thing is that we got better every dual,” Bradbury said. “I wish we could start as well as we finished and as strong as we finished. Improvements are still happening and still getting made. We’re set up for a great postseason push. The first dual meet today we had some great effort and made some wild decisions. In the second dual, we cleaned things up with our focus. By the third dual, they were really going well. Each match they got better and better. Everybody has individual takeaways from today. We ran into some stylistic matchups – it gives us something to work on.”
There were no forfeits on Saturday as all 30 matches had to be earned by either side. Eleven different Bulldogs wrestled at least one match. Concordia shook off the two team defeats to begin the day and got on a roll against the Jimmies. As part of the victory, Isaac Agabin (125), Jeaven Scdoris (149) and Issiah Burks (165) each earned pins. Meanwhile wins by decision were turned in by Tavoris Smith (157), TJ Huber (174) and Hunter Weimer (184). Of the four Jamestown triumphs, two came with bonus points (tech fall at 141 and pin at 197).
In his first action since the calendar flipped to 2022, returning All-American Mario Ybarra went 2-0 on the day with decisions over Northwestern’s Manuel Jaramillo, 3-1, and Briar Cliff’s Gabriel Howard, 6-2. In the dual with Northwestern, Weimer (197) and Jacob Telles (285) emerged with a pin apiece to narrow a team score that had ballooned to 24-3 in favor of the Red Raiders. In the matchup with Briar Cliff, Burks (165) and Huber (174) won by decision and Telles (285) edged Alton Allen, 3-1, in sudden victory.
When the dust settled, five Bulldogs finished with two wins on Saturday: Burks, Huber, Telles, Weimer and Ybarra. One win each was seized by Agabin, Scdoris and Smith. As a team, Concordia tallied five pins on the day, each by different individuals.
Prior to Saturday, the Bulldogs had posted GPAC dual wins over Dakota Wesleyan, 32-13, and Midland, 32-18. Concordia entered Saturday with seven ranked competitors within the official GPAC ratings. In the individual bouts at the GPAC dual event, the Bulldogs saw three opposing returning national qualifiers, including two from Briar Cliff and one from Northwestern.
The Bulldogs will celebrate their senior class on Thursday (Feb. 3) when York College will be in town for a dual. A senior ceremony will precede the action, which is slated to get started at 7 p.m. CT inside Friedrich Arena. Concordia will be looking for a measure of revenge after dropping two duals to the Panthers last season.
Dual Preview: Concordia hosts York for senior night
Feb. 1, 2022
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Wrestling team will have one final opportunity to wrestle at home this season. The Bulldogs are readying to host York College for senior night on Thursday. The action is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. CT. Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad will also head to Sioux City, Iowa, for the Dave Edmonds Open on Saturday. That tournament will be the final one prior to the conference championships.
Event promotion: Concordia Wrestling will welcome the Seward Wrestling Club to Thursday's dual. Amission to the dual will be *FREE.*
This Week
Thursday, Feb. 3 vs. York (4-4), 7 p.m. | Senior Night
--Live Webcast | Live Results
Saturday, Feb. 5 at Sioux City Dave Edmonds Open, 9 a.m.
--Live Results
The GPAC dual slate is in the books. Concordia completed its run through the conference this past Saturday by going 1-2 in a trio of GPAC duals that took place at The Arena Sports Academy in Sioux City. The Bulldogs wrapped up the day with a 27-17 win over Jamestown, a result that followed losses to Northwestern, 24-15, and Briar Cliff, 28-12. Bradbury’s squad finished tied for sixth in the GPAC standings. Other conference victories this season came against Dakota Wesleyan and Midland.
As part of the day in Sioux City, five Bulldogs collected two wins apiece: Mario Ybarra (133), Issiah Burks (165), TJ Huber (174), Hunter Weimer (184/197) and Jacob Telles (285). With those two triumphs, Ybarra moved past Brandon Starkey (71 career wins) for fifth on the program’s all-time wins list with 72. The top four on that list are Ken Burkhardt Jr. (122), Ceron Francisco (100), Deandre Chery (90) and Kodie Cole (73). Ybarra is a two-time national qualifier, a 2021 NAIA All-American and was recognized last year as a CoSIDA Academic All-District and NWCA Scholar All-American.
Burks (Hemet, Calif.) and Ybarra (Scottsbluff, Neb.) will be the lone seniors honored prior to Thursday’s dual. Over four seasons, Burks has gone a combined 52-40 with two fifth-place claims at the GPAC tournament. Both Burks and Ybarra were key members of the 2019-20 team that swept GPAC regular season and postseason championships. Ybarra is a physics major while Burks is on track to earn his MBA.
In ratings released last week, seven Concordia wrestlers appeared amongst the top six of the GPAC in their respective weight classes. Ybarra is ranked second at 133 while Telles landed at No. 3 for heavyweights. Telles needs one more victory to reach 50 in his career. The native of Albuquerque, N.M., leads the team this season in both wins (16) and pins (nine). At 10-2 on the year, Ybarra is currently rated as the NAIA’s 15th best 133-pounder.
York boasts two nationally ranked competitions in No. 6 John Fox (149) and No. 19 Harley Williamson (125). The Panthers emerged with two dual wins last season over Concordia – 30-19 in York and 28-14 in Seward. During the 2021-22 campaign, York has earned wins over Avila University (Mo.), 31-9, Hannibal-LaGrange University (Mo.), 46-10, Bethany College (Kan.), 45-4, and Baker University (Kan.), 34-15. The Panthers are also scheduled to wrestle two home duals on Tuesday. Head Coach Chad Mattox (third season) has announced that he will step down at the conclusion of this season.
The Bulldogs will have next week off from competition while preparing for the 2022 GPAC Wrestling Championships in Mitchell, S.D., Feb. 18-19. The 2022 NAIA National Championships will be staged in Park City, Kan., March 4-5.
Probable Lineups
Concordia (5-6, 3-5 GPAC)
125 – Isaac Agabin (10-12)
133 – Mario Ybarra (10-2)
141 – Conner Burrus (9-7)
149 – Jeaven Scdoris (8-10)
157 – Tavoris Smith (14-15)
165 – Issiah Burks (9-9)
174 – TJ Huber (12-9)
184 – Hunter Weimer (6-12)
197 – Isaac Renas (0-13)
285 – Jacob Telles (16-6)
York (4-4)
125 – Harley Williamson
133 – Jon Jon Halk
141 – Ely Youngdell
149 – John Fox
157 – Tommy Wentz
165 – Keegan Miller-Page
174 – Lennorise Echols
184 – Isaiah Santana
197 – Garrett Moser
285 – Marce Vasquez
Burks, Ybarra go out winners as Bulldogs dominate on senior night
Feb. 3, 2022
SEWARD, Neb. – This was the type of sendoff Issiah Burks and Mario Ybarra hoped for in their final home appearances as members of the Concordia University Wrestling program. In a dual that wound up being a runaway, Isaac Agabin got the Bulldogs started with a pin and it snowballed from there in a 31-9 victory over York College on Thursday (Feb. 3). Concordia won seven matches, including four that came with bonus points.
Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad put on a good show for a strong crowd that included the Seward Wrestling Club. The win moved the Bulldogs to 6-6 overall this season as the dual schedule concludes.
“It meant a lot,” Bradbury said. “I’m just really glad for (Issiah and Mario). I’m very grateful for the progress we’ve made and the leadership we’ve had. I’m so incredibly happy for them to go out this way. They both had good, nice-looking wins. It means a lot.”
On paper, the dual looked like it might go either way. To be fair, there were key guys missing from the lineup on both sides, but Concordia was the one that capitalized. While piggybacking on Agabin’s pin, Ybarra took the mat at 133 and won a 9-3 decision over Jon Jon Halk. The All-American Ybarra did not surrender an offensive point in a match he controlled. The victory marked the 73rd of Ybarra’s career. That number puts him in a tie for No. 4 on the program’s all-time list.
The Scottsbluff, Neb., native came through with his family in attendance. Said Ybarra, “Family has been a big driving force for me throughout my wrestling career. They’ve always been there to support me – aunts, uncles and cousins, and obviously my parents. I just love that they’re there for the big moments. Tonight was a big moment for me – awesome that we got a win for the home crowd as well. It was a picture perfect night for my last dual in Friedrich Arena.”
Burks waited until the 165-pound match for his opportunity to shine. He came within an eyelash of pin while scoring 10 near-fall points and three takedowns in what finished as a 17-1 tech fall over Tommy Wentz. At that point, the Bulldogs had gained a rather commanding 19-6 lead in the team scoring.
Other dominant wins were delivered by the likes of Conner Burrus (tech fall at 141) and Hunter Weimer (pin at 184). Similar to Burks, Burrus collected 10 near-fall points and struck for four takedowns, ending his match in the second period. At 184, Weimer clinched the team victory with his pin that occurred in the latter stages of the third period. It all started with Agabin, who was the aggressor from the start in the night’s first bout.
In addition, Bulldogs TJ Huber (174) and Jacob Telles (285) helped round out the win with triumphs by decision. Telles (team high 17 wins this season) made it dramatic by finally emerging with a takedown in the final seconds to pull out a 4-3 win over Marce Vasquez. The result marked the 50th career win for Telles, a native of Albuquerque, N.M. Meanwhile, the Panthers (6-6) got their wins from John Fox (149), Brayden Smith (157) and Garret Moser (197).
Said Bradbury, “If I’m going to be critical, both matches in the middle – 149 and 157 – we can get those back. It’s a really good chance for growth. I’m proud of everybody. Everyone really seized the moment. They made the right calls and positions. They were reading the situations right and making the right assessments. I’m just happy we had a chance to display our growth for everyone to see.”
The final tournament prior to the conference championships will take place on Saturday. A select group of Bulldogs will be at the Sioux City Dave Edmonds Open hosted by Morningside. The first action is set to get started at 9 a.m. CT.
Perez claims sixth place, Bulldogs combine for seven wins
Feb. 5, 2022
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – A small group of six Bulldogs competed in what was the final tournament of the regular season for the Concordia University Wrestling team. At 157 pounds, Anthony Perez advanced to the semifinals and settled for sixth place at the Dave Edmonds Sioux City Invitational hosted by Morningside on Saturday (Feb. 5). Perez and company combined for seven wins and four pins on the day.
Two days prior, Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad wrapped up the dual schedule with a 31-9 win over York College. It’s now all about getting ready for the conference tournament.
Said Bradbury, “I was happy to be out with these guys. We started slow and got better as the day went on. We’re working on how to start better and maintain that same energy throughout the day.”
A junior from Redondo Beach, Calif., Perez advanced through the winner’s bracket by taking an 8-4 decision over Briar Cliff’s Felix Saunders and then a 5-2 victory over Cody Booth of Dickinson State University (N.D.). The sledding got more difficult from there as Perez dropped three matches, all by decision. He was clipped, 1-0, by Morningside’s Caleb Connor with a spot in the 157-pound championship match on the line.
In addition, two wins were also claimed by Adam Roberts (133) and Jack Hedke (285). Hedke earned both of his wins via fall while Roberts also picked up a pin. At 141, Josh Broyles collected a pin over a conference foe. Meanwhile, Henry Gaertner (133) and Trenton Wills (174) also competed at the Edmonds Invitational.
That’s it for the regular season. The 2021-22 campaign will continue for 12 Concordia wrestlers who are selected to compete at the 2022 GPAC Wrestling Championships on Feb. 18-19. This year’s conference tournament will be hosted by Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell, S.D. The action is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. CT on day one and then resume at 10 a.m. on day two.
Preview: 2022 GPAC Wrestling Championships
Feb. 15, 2022
SEWARD, Neb. – Postseason action has arrived across the NAIA wrestling landscape. The Concordia University Wrestling team hopes to build upon a strong dual showing back on Feb. 3 as 12 Bulldogs test their mettle at this weekend’s 2022 GPAC Wrestling Championships. Dakota Wesleyan will serve as the host of the event, which will include a first session on Friday and a second session on Saturday. Concordia placed sixth at the 2021 conference tournament.
2022 GPAC Wrestling Championships
Session I – Friday, Feb. 18, 2 p.m.
Session II – Saturday, Feb. 19, 10 a.m.
DWU/Avera Sports and Wellness Complex | Mitchell, S.D. (DWU campus)
--Live Streaming: www.team1sports.com (pay-per-view)
--Live Results: Track Wrestling
--Tickets: Buy on site
The 2022 GPAC championship roster for the Bulldogs includes returning national qualifiers in Mario Ybarra at 133 and Jacob Telles at 285. Ybarra won the 2020 GPAC title at 125 pounds while Telles captured the 2021 GPAC heavyweight championship. Of Concordia’s 12 conference competitors, six also wrestled at the 2021 GPAC tournament hosted by Midland. Ybarra sat out due to injury. Meanwhile, place finishes were turned in by Telles (first at 285), Gabe Crawford (second at 165), Mason Garcia (fifth at 197), Brandon Gonzalez (fifth at 149) and Issiah Burks (sixth at 157).
Bulldogs who will get their first taste of the conference tournament are Isaac Agabin (125), Conner Burrus (141), Anthony Perez (157), Hunter Weimer (174) and Jovon Howe (184). On the season, the following Concordia wrestlers have claimed at least 10 wins: Jacob Telles (17-6), Thomas Ivey (14-4), Tavoris Smith (14-16), Mason Garcia (13-5), TJ Huber (13-9), Mario Ybarra (11-2), Isaac Agabin (11-12), Conner Burrus (10-7) and Issiah Burks (10-9).
Entering the weekend, six Bulldogs are ranked in the conference within their respective weight classes: Ybarra (No. 2 at 133), Jeaven Scdoris (No. 6 at 149), Burks (No. 6 at 165), Huber (No. 4 at 174), Jovon Howe (No. 6 at 184) and Telles (No. 4 at 285). Ybarra, a returning All-American, is ranked 15th nationally at 133. Based on the national rankings, the GPAC was rewarded an allocation of 20 automatic berths to the national tournament. The complete breakdown by conference can be found HERE.
Since the beginning of the 2014-15 season, the Concordia Wrestling program has captured a total of nine conference/regional championships, including five in the regular season and four in the postseason. Concordia won GPAC/regional postseason titles in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020. Four different head coaches presided over those championships, including Levi Calhoun and current Doane head coach Dana Vote.
During the 2021-22 regular season, the Bulldogs went 6-6 overall in duals. At 3-5 in GPAC duals, Concordia placed in a tie for sixth. Conference wins were earned over Dakota Wesleyan, 32-13, Midland, 32-18, and Jamestown, 27-17.
The 65th annual NAIA Wrestling National Championship is slated to play out March 4-5 at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan., where the event was first held in 2020. Automatic qualifiers for the national championships will be known at the conclusion of the conference tournaments. Concordia traveled three wrestlers to Park City last year.
2022 GPAC Championship Roster
125 – Isaac Agabin (11-12)
Has notched six pins this season … placed fifth at the Doane Open.
133 – Mario Ybarra (11-2)
Ranked No. 2 in the GPAC and No. 15 in the NAIA at 133 … placed seventh in the NAIA at 133 in 2021 and garnered All-America honors … two-time NAIA national qualifier … ranks in a tie for fourth in school history with 73 career wins … this season, placed second at the University of Nebraska-Kearney Open.
141 – Conner Burrus (10-7)
Earned the 141-pound title at the York Open … has collected three pins and two victories via technical fall.
149 – Jeaven Scdoris (8-11)
Placed fourth at the Hastings Open … has recorded three pins this season … 28 career wins.
157 – Anthony Perez (9-14)
Placed second at the York Open and sixth at the Edmonds Open.
157 – Tavoris Smith (14-16)
Placed third at the York Open … has collected two pins … has earned 28 wins over two seasons as a Bulldog.
165 – Issiah Burks (10-9)
Ranked No. 6 in the GPAC at 165 … placed fifth in the GPAC at 165 in 2020 and sixth in the GPAC at 157 in 2021 … has notched four pins this season … owns 53 career wins.
165 – Jose Sanchez (9-11)
Placed third at the York Open … has produced five pins this season … has 23 career wins.
174 – TJ Huber (13-9)
Ranked No. 4 in the GPAC at 174 … owns a dual record of 8-3 and has posted two pins … has collected 29 career wins.
174 – Hunter Weimer (7-12)
Placed fourth at the York Open … has registered four pins this season.
184 – Jovon Howe (6-8)
Placed sixth at the Doane Open … has produced two pins this season.
285 – Jacob Telles (17-6)
Ranked No. 4 in the GPAC at 285 … reigning GPAC heavyweight champion … 2021 NAIA national qualifier … leads the team in wins for the second season in a row … owns 50 career wins and 22 career pins (team high nine this season) … ranks fifth on the program’s all-time pins list.
Four Bulldogs reach semis, nine remain in bracket at GPAC tournament
Feb. 18, 2022
MITCHELL, S.D. – Four Bulldogs remain in the hunt for individual conference titles at the conclusion of day one of the 2022 GPAC Wrestling Championships. Twelve competitors represented Concordia University Wrestling in Mitchell, S.D., on Friday (Feb. 18). Nine Bulldogs continue to have life within their respective brackets, which will be played out to completion on Saturday on the Dakota Wesleyan campus.
Concordia sits in sixth place with 28 points. The top five after one day are Doane (70), Morningside (50), Hastings (44), Briar Cliff (38.5) and Northwestern (36.5). The Bulldogs will attempt to outperform last year’s sixth place GPAC finish.
Both Mario Ybarra and Jacob Telles have previously won individual GPAC titles. Ybarra (133) and Telles (285) have made their way to the conference semifinals along with the likes of Issiah Burks (165) and TJ Huber (174). A 2021 All-American, Ybarra is on a mission to return to the national tournament for the third season in a row. In his only match on Friday, NAIA 15th-ranked Ybarra (12-2) claimed an 8-4 decision over Northwestern’s Manuel Jaramillo. A 2020 GPAC champion at 125 pounds, Ybarra sat out last year’s conference tournament due to injury.
At heavyweight, Telles is also aiming for a return to the national stage. The native of Albuquerque, N.M., is the fourth seed in the bracket after winning the GPAC title a year ago. Telles (18-6) took a 2-0 decision over Ian Howell of Jamestown in Friday’s quarterfinal bout. He pushed his team high season win total to 18.
Seeded sixth in the GPAC at 165, Burks (11-9) pulled off the upset of the GPAC’s No. 2 seed, Doane’s Benjamin Dobler. Burks managed to pin Dobler after just 1:08 had elapsed. A senior from Hemet, Calif., Burks has aspirations of getting to nationals for the first time in his career. The same can be said for Huber (14-9), who picked up a 12-5 decision over Jamestown’s Tryston Rogers. Huber has been on a nice roll with four-straight victories heading into Saturday.
The five additional Bulldogs who survived day one and will wrestle on Saturday on the backside of the brackets include Isaac Agabin (125), Conner Burrus (141), Tavoris Smith (157), Jose Sanchez (165) and Hunter Weimer (174). Weimer rebounded from a loss in his first match to earn a pair of victories by decision. In addition, Sanchez produced a win in the first round before being defeated in the quarterfinals. On the down side, Jeaven Scdoris (149), Anthony Perez (157) and Jovon Howe (184) have been eliminated from the tournament.
The action will resume at 10 a.m. CT on Saturday from the DWU/Avera Sports and Wellness Complex in Mitchell. For details on how to follow the action live, click HERE.
Telles, Ybarra earn trips to nationals; Bulldogs place sixth in GPAC
Feb. 19, 2022
MITCHELL, S.D. – One of the program’s all-time greats, Mario Ybarra came up just short of a GPAC title. On the plus side, Ybarra has sewn up a spot at the NAIA national tournament for the third-straight year. His runner-up finish at 133 pounds highlighted the weekend for the Concordia University Wrestling team at the 2022 GPAC Wrestling Championships (Feb. 18-19). The Bulldogs wound up with six individual place finishers and placed sixth overall with 63 points.
Concordia had also placed in a tie for sixth in the conference during the regular season. There were ups and downs throughout the weekend in Mitchell, S.D., site of the 2022 conference tournament. Both Ybarra and Jacob Telles (wild card selection) will be headed to the national tournament.
“We are super proud of the way the guys competed this weekend,” said Coach Tyree Cox. “We had some tough losses but we also had some really big wins. The guys were able to handle adversity and put their best foot forward. We are excited to have Mario and Jacob headed to nationals. Mario wrestled a great match in the championship. We will make sure he is ready to go at nationals.
“Jacob wrestled very tough this weekend and avenged his close loss to the Jamestown guy and had a close match with No. 2 in the NAIA from Doane. TJ (Huber) and Issiah (Burks) both had tough, competitive losses where they had a chance.”
Ybarra, Issiah Burks (165), TJ Huber (174) and Jacob Telles (285) each began the day in the semifinals after collecting wins on Friday. Ybarra was the only one of the four to advance to the GPAC finals. The Scottsbluff, Neb., native made his way to the title bout by taking decisions over Northwestern’s Manuel Jaramillo and Morningside’s Logan Stumpf. Unfortunately, Ybarra was unable to avenge one of his two losses during the regular season. He lost in the tiebreaker, 6-1, to Taylor Vasquez of Morningside. Both Ybarra and Vasquez receive auto bids to the national tournament.
The team’s final place finishes looked like this:
· Mario Ybarra – 2nd (133)
· Jacob Telles – 3rd (285)
· Issiah Burks – 4th (165)
· TJ Huber – 4th (174)
· Jose Sanchez – 5th (165)
· Isaac Agabin – 6th (125)
The 2021 GPAC heavyweight champion, Telles gave it a good run on Saturday. He lost a 4-3 GPAC semifinal decision in a near upset of Doane’s Odgerel Batkhishig, ranked as the NAIA’s No. 2 heavyweight. Telles finished the tournament with three victories, including two on Saturday, which came over Jamestown’s Ramiro Varas Macias and Ian Howell. A native of Albuquerque, N.M., Telles leads the team with 20 wins.
Each of the Concordia losses in the semifinals were tight. Burks was edged in the semis, 6-5, by Dakota Wesleyan’s Kaleb Bigelow (rated fifth in the GPAC at 165). After the defeat, Burks toppled teammate Jose Sanchez by major decision, 12-0, and then closed his day with a 6-3 loss to Jamestown’s Park Beeler in the third-place match. On day one, Burks claimed a pin over Doane’s Benjamin Dobler, the GPAC’s No. 2-rated 165-pounder. Meanwhile, Huber battled the GPAC’s No. 1-ranked 174-pounder in the semis, Trenton Munoz of Hastings, and fell, 4-0. Huber then defeated Dakota Wesleyan’s Cole Halouska, 3-1, before dropping the third-place bout.
Seven of the 12 Bulldogs at the conference tournament registered at least one win. Sanchez notched three victories, including one on Saturday over Midland’s Kody Hahn, 5-3. After beginning the tournament in the quarterfinals, it took only one win on the weekend for Isaac Agabin to be able to place sixth at 125 pounds. At 174, Hunter Weimer won two matches by decision before being eliminated. The other five wrestlers to represent Concordia in Mitchell were Conner Burrus (141), Jeaven Scdoris (149), Anthony Perez (157), Tavoris Smith (157) and Jovon Howe (184).
Telles and Ybarra will be two of the 280 wrestlers nationally to compete at the 65th annual NAIA Wrestling National Championships. The 2022 event will take place inside Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan., March 4-5. A year ago, Ybarra took seventh place and garnered his first career NAIA All-America award.
Ybarra earns fourth All-GPAC honor; Telles, Burks also recognized
Feb. 23, 2022
2021-22 GPAC Wrestling All-Conference Team
SEWARD, Neb. – A trio of Bulldogs represented Concordia University Wrestling with 2021-22 all-conference accolades, as announced by the GPAC on Wednesday (Feb. 23). Both Mario Ybarra and Jacob Telles landed on the All-GPAC Second Team while Issiah Burks garnered honorable mention recognition. A total of 34 wrestlers throughout the GPAC received all-conference mention.
A native of Scottsbluff, Neb., Ybarra has been tabbed with an All-GPAC award for the fourth time in his career. He earned first team accolades in 2020 and has twice been named Honorable Mention All-GPAC, in addition to this season’s second team honor. At last week’s conference tournament, Ybarra placed second at 133 pounds and locked up his third-straight national tournament bid. One of the program’s most accomplished wrestlers, Ybarra collected a seventh-place All-America plaque in 2021, won the 2020 GPAC title at 125 pounds and ranks No. 4 on the school’s all-time wins list with 75. Ybarra has also been recognized as CoSIDA Academic All-District recipient and NCWCA Scholar All-American.
The 2021 GPAC heavyweight champion, Telles has now garnered one first team and one second team all-conference award in his first two collegiate seasons. The native of Albuquerque, N.M., placed third in GPAC heavyweight bracket at last week’s conference tournament and was chosen as a national qualifier for the second year in a row. Through two seasons as a Bulldog, Telles has piled up 53 wins and 22 pins. In 2021-22, Telles (20-7) leads the team in wins and owns a record of 9-2 in duals.
The veteran Burks is a three-time GPAC tournament place finisher. The native of Hemet, Calif., placed fourth in the GPAC at 165 pounds last week and finished this season with a 12-11 overall record. Throughout his career, Burks has accumulated 55 career wins. In 2020-21, Burks went 23-10 and notched 12 pins.
Ybarra and Telles were officially named national qualifiers by the NAIA on Tuesday. For more details on next week’s NAIA Wrestling National Championships, click HERE.
Nationals preview: Ybarra, Telles to make pushes for podium
Mar. 1, 2022
Live Coverage: Track Wrestling (Video & Results)
SEWARD, Neb. – Bulldogs Mario Ybarra and Jacob Telles are gearing up for a return to Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan., location of the NAIA Wrestling National Championships for the third-straight season. The 65th annual NAIA wrestling tournament will take place Friday and Saturday (March 4-5). The first session on Friday is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. CT with session II slated for a 6 p.m. start. Action will then resume at 10 a.m. on Saturday. A total of 280 wrestlers makes up this year’s field.
Ybarra is a three-time national qualifier while Telles is headed to the national stage for the second time. Entering the 2022 national tournament, the Concordia University Wrestling program has placed at least one individual on the podium in eight-straight years. A native of Scottsbluff, Neb., Ybarra extended the streak last year by placing seventh at 133 pounds for his first career All-America award. Ybarra owns a career national tournament record of 5-4. He was one victory away from also earning an All-America plaque at 125 in 2020. Meanwhile, the heavyweight Telles (Albuquerque, N.M.) has his sights set on collecting his first career national tournament win.
The NAIA attaches seed rankings to the top 12 qualifiers in each weight class. Both Ybarra and Telles were unseeded in the brackets released on Feb. 25. In the history of the program, 12 different individuals have combined for a total of 18 All-America awards. Ken Burkhardt Jr. is the only Bulldog to achieve All-America status three times while Andrew Schulte (2016) is the program’s first and only national champion. Both Ceron Francisco (2017) and Tanner Farmer (2020) were national runners up as heavyweights.
Concordia’s school record for national qualifiers in a season is 10, achieved by the 2014-15 and 2015-16 squads. From 2014 through 2018, the Bulldogs placed in the top 25 at the NAIA National Championships each year: 22nd in 2014, 12th in 2015, eighth in 2016, 15th in 2017 and 22nd in 2018. After finishing 26th in 2019, Concordia jumped back up to 15th in 2020. The eighth-place claim in 2016 remains the program’s highest ever finish at nationals. That particular team put three individuals on the podium.
Brackets were verified and approved by the NAIA-Wrestling Coaches Association Bracketing Committee on Feb. 25. Previously, the 18-member committee consisting of conference raters and oversight members met to select the remaining at-large qualifiers. Next, the 18-member committee along with three new oversight members determined the ranking order of each weight class. This was used as the basis for the Bracketing Committee and later verified. The championship matches of each class will be viewable via ESPN3.com.
2022 Concordia National Qualifiers
NOTE: Class listing reflects remaining athletic eligibility
Mario Ybarra, Jr. | 133 | Scottsbluff, Neb.
*Third nationals appearance (5-4 record at nationals)
2021-22 Record: 13-3
NAIA National Seed: Unseeded
First match: vs. (12) Joel Avila, Providence (Mont.)
Jacob Telles, Fr. | 285 | Albuquerque, N.M.
*Second nationals appearance (0-2 record at nationals)
2021-22 Record: 20-7
NAIA National Seed: Unseeded
First match: vs. (3) Tommy Mommer, Grand View (Iowa)
Concordia All-Time All-Americans
Ken Burkhardt Jr. (2015, 2016, 2017)
Giovanni Castillo (2018)
Kodie Cole (2015, 2016)
Tanner Farmer (2020)
Ceron Francisco (2015, 2017)
Alberto Garcia (2019, 2020)
Adam Joseph (2012)
Austin Mogg (2014)
Andrew Schulte (2015, *2016)
Julian Silva (2012)
Jacob Williams (2012)
Mario Ybarra (2021)
*NAIA National Champion
Telles, Ybarra collect one win apiece before elimination from national tournament
Mar. 4, 2022
PARK CITY, Kan. – The 2022 season is in the books for the Concordia University Wrestling team. National qualifiers Jacob Telles and Mario Ybarra both claimed one win on Friday (March 4) at the 2022 NAIA Wrestling National Championships held at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan. Ybarra made his third career appearance on the national stage while Telles made the journey for a second season in a row.
The journey concluded in session I on Friday. It wasn’t the ending Coach Tyree Cox and company had hoped for, but there’s a lot of pride in what Ybarra and Telles have accomplished as Bulldogs.
“Both guys had really tough draws, but we thought we had a good chance,” Cox said. “They had very close matches out of the gate. I’m really proud of the effort both guys showed. They continued to fight until the whistle. That’s what we love about them and that’s why they’re leaders on this team.”
Unseeded at 133 pounds, Ybarra hoped to reach the podium like he did in 2021 when earned a seventh place All-America finish. The margins were razor thin on Friday. The Scottsbluff, Neb., native drew University of Providence (Mont.)’s 12th-ranked Joel Avila and fell by a 3-1 decision. Ybarra proceeded to beat Reinhardt University (Ga.)’s Michael Land in sudden victory, 6-4. Ultimately, Ybarra’s career came to a close with a 6-4 loss at the hands of Dominick Arellano of Baker University (Kan.). Ybarra will graduate from the program with the fourth most wins (76) in school history.
In the heavyweight bracket, Jacob Telles had the task of going up against third-seeded Tommy Mommer of Grand View University (Iowa). Telles competed hard in a 6-3 defeat. He then rebounded with a pin of Bethany College (Kan.)’s William Mason. With his season on the line, Telles met a familiar foe and was edged by Doane’s Brandon Antesberger. A Second Team All-GPAC honoree, Telles has produced 54 career victories. The win over Mason marked Telles’ first ever on the national stage.
A staple of the program, Ybarra will go down as one of the greats – and not just for what he’s achieved on the mat. He’s served as an exemplary leader and has been recognized in the past as an NWCA Scholar All-American and a CoSIDA Academic All-District award winner.
“It was kind of surreal when it happened,” said Cox of Ybarra’s elimination from the tournament. “I just gave him a hug and told him how much he means to this program. There’s not going to be another Mario to come around. Both guys showed a lot of commitment. Jacob has a lot of promise. The future’s bright for him. We’re making progress and we’re making strides.”
Between Ybarra and Telles, Concordia generated three team points. Its final team placement in the NAIA will be determined after Saturday’s results at the national tournament. Looking ahead to the 2022-23 campaign, the Bulldogs will have a new head coach leading the program.
Season-In-Review: 2021-22 Concordia Wrestling
Mar. 25, 2022
For Concordia University Wrestling, the past couple of seasons have been about following the lead of standouts Mario Ybarra and Jacob Telles and building towards a return to conference supremacy. It was another year of growth in 2021-22 as the Bulldogs placed sixth in the conference with a decidedly youthful roster. The senior day celebration in early February featured only two seniors – Ybarra and Issiah Burks.
While there have been growing pains, members of the program are anticipating that some of the struggles will lead to a payoff starting next season. The program’s new head coach (to be announced) will have a more experienced room to work with.
Said Coach Tyree Cox, “We are very excited about the progress these guys have made this year. A lot of guys got better at understanding the sport and being able to celebrate the little victories. Having Mario be a part of this program was huge, especially for the freshmen we had. They got to see how much hard work and dedication it takes to be successful at the national level. We are very excited for the future of this program with the guys we have and the guys we are bringing in. Our guys want to get better, and they are making the changes now.”
As a major highlight of the season, Ybarra and Telles represented the Bulldogs at the national tournament after top-three GPAC place finishes within their respective weight classes. Ybarra claimed 133-pound conference runner-up status at the GPAC Championships on his way to a third national tournament appearance in a row. As a team, Concordia went 6-6 overall in duals (3-5 GPAC) and competed in seven regular season tournaments.
Ybarra may have come up short in his bid to earn All-America honors for the second year in a row (placed seventh at 133 in 2021), he will graduate and depart as one of the most accomplished – and most respected – wrestlers in program history. In his career, Ybarra has been recognized as an NWCA Scholar All-American and a CoSIDA Academic All-District award winner. He also won the 125-pound GPAC title in 2020 and his 76 career wins rank as the fourth most in school history.
In the aftermath of a senior night victory, Ybarra said the following, “Family has been a big driving force for me throughout my wrestling career. They’ve always been there to support me – aunts, uncles and cousins, and obviously my parents. I just love that they’re there for the big moments. Tonight was a big moment for me – awesome that we got a win for the home crowd as well. It was a picture perfect night for my last dual in Friedrich Arena.”
At the close of the national tournament, former Head Wrestling Coach and current Assistant Athletic Director Levi Calhoun tweeted, “An unforgettable four years in this young man’s corner. Sad to see it come to an end, but so thankful for the hard work and dedication you gave every day for your team. One of the greats!” Teammate TJ Huber added, “Such an amazing teammate, wrestler, role model and just all-around amazing person. Love ya, Mario. Thanks for everything!”
The Scottsbluff, Neb., native Ybarra earned a 9-3 victory in the final home match of his career as part of senior night on Feb. 3. That date marked the most thrilling day of the season in terms of overall team success. The Bulldogs dominated York College, 31-9, while winning four matches with bonus points. Isaac Agabin (125) and Hunter Weimer (184) collected pins and Conner Burrus (141) and Burks (165) triumphed via technical fall. All that happened in front of a strong crowd bolstered by the presence of the Seward Wrestling Club.
Telles, who hails from Albuquerque, N.M., has already racked up 54 career victories, including a team high 21 wins in 2021-22. Telles was named Second Team All-GPAC this past season after landing on the first team as a freshman. It was also a solid season for Gretna, Neb., native TJ Huber, one of the team’s hardest workers. He finished with a record of 15-11 and placed fourth in the GPAC at 174 pounds. Below is a summary of the conference place finishes earned by Bulldogs in 2022:
· Mario Ybarra – 2nd (133)
· Jacob Telles – 3rd (285)
· Issiah Burks – 4th (165)
· TJ Huber – 4th (174)
· Jose Sanchez – 5th (165)
· Isaac Agabin – 6th (125)
Throughout the season, Concordia wrestlers combined for 28 tournament place finishes. The following Bulldogs won at least 10 matches: Jacob Telles (21-9), TJ Huber (15-11), Thomas Ivey (14-4), Mario Ybarra (14-5), Tavoris Smith (14-18), Mason Garcia (13-5), Isaac Agabin (12-15), Issiah Burks (12-11), Jose Sanchez (12-13) and Conner Burrus (10-9). Telles led the way with 10 pins.
Work is underway as the Bulldogs attempt to ascend back up the GPAC standings and send larger numbers to the national tournament. The blueprint is already in place for a program that celebrated GPAC championships in five out of six seasons from 2014 through 2020. Concordia just needs the right leader to help bring it back to prominence.