2023-24 Wrestling Schedule/Results

8-7 overall | 3-5 GPAC (6th) | Season Stats | Roster

Date	Event/Opponent	Location	Time/Result	Dual Record
Nov. 1	*Midland University Dual	Seward, Neb.	W, 45-6	1-0, 1-0
Nov. 4	Simpson University Luther Hill Invite	Indianola, Iowa	Results
Nov. 11	Grand View University Open	Des Moines, Iowa	Results
Nov. 17	*Hastings College Dual	Seward, Neb.	W, 41-9	2-0, 2-0
Nov. 18	University of Nebraska-Kearney Open	Kearney, Nowa	Results
	GPAC Day of Duals #1: Nov. 21
Nov. 21	*Dakota Wesleyan University	Sioux City, Iowa	L, 16-24	2-1, 2-1
Nov. 21	*(5) Morningside University	Sioux City, Iowa	L, 18-29	2-2, 2-2
Dec. 1	Bethany College (Kan.) Dual	Seward, Neb.	W, 55-0	3-2
Dec. 2	Doane University Open	Crete, Neb.	Results
	Avila Eagle Duals: Dec. 16
Dec. 16	Central Methodist University (Mo.)	Kansas City, Mo.	L, 15-33	3-3
Dec. 16	(11) Missouri Valley College	Kansas City, Mo.	L, 15-36	3-4
Dec. 16	Avila University (Mo.)	Kansas City, Mo.	W, 34-12	4-4
Dec. 16	(18) Baker University (Kan.)	Kansas City, Mo.	W, 28-23	5-4
Dec. 16	Waldorf University (Iowa)	Kansas City, Mo.	W, 56-0	6-4
Jan. 6	Hastings College Cusatis Open	Hastings, Neb.	Results
	GPAC Day of Duals #2: Jan. 27
Jan. 27	*Northwestern College	Sioux City, Iowa	W, 33-11	7-4, 3-2
Jan. 27	*Briar Cliff University	Sioux City, Iowa	L, 20-22	7-5, 3-3
Jan. 27	*University of Jamestown	Sioux City, Iowa	L, 21-29	7-6, 3-4
Feb. 2	Colby Community College (Kan.)	Seward, Neb.	W, 48-6	8-6
Feb. 3	*(7) Doane University Dual	Crete, Neb.	L, 8-44	8-7, 3-5
Feb. 16-17	GPAC Wrestling Championships	Seward, Neb.	5th of 9
Feb. 29-March 2	NAIA National Wrestling Championships	Park City, Kan.	T-35th

2023-24 Roster

Weight Class	Name	Yr.	Hometown	Previous School
149	Tracy Allen	Jr.	Lakeland, Fla.	George Jenkins HS
141	Creighton Baughman	Sr.	Papillion, Neb.	Papillion La Vista HS / IA Western CC
165	Barret Brandt	Fr.	Syracuse, Neb.	Syracuse HS
125	Bryson Bussinger	Fr.	Cozad, Neb.	Cozad HS
197	Sean Duffy	Fr.	Kenesaw, Neb.	Kenesaw HS
184	Stephen Duffy	Sr.	Kenesaw, Neb.	Kenesaw HS / Barton County CC
149	Dominick Flynn	So.	Fountain Hills, Ariz.	Fountain Hills HS / Scottsdale CC
141	Henry Gaertner	Jr.	Royal Oak, Mich.	Lutheran HS Northwest
197	Mason Garcia	Jr.	Arroyo Grande, Calif.	Arroyo Grande HS
141	Bryce Karlin	So.	Beatrice, Neb.	Beatrice HS
174	Torrance Keehn	So.	Beatrice, Neb.	Beatrice HS
197	Clayton Laabs	Sr.	Orange, Calif.	Villa Park HS
165	Francisco Mendez	So.	Norfolk, Neb.	Norfolk Catholis HS / Iowa Wesleyan
174	Garret Moser	Jr.	Fremont, Neb.	Fremont HS / York College
141	Dontario Norwood	Jr.	St. Petersburg, Fla.	Northeast HS / Iowa Lakes CC
157	Anthony Perez	Sr.	Redondo Beach, Calif.	South HS / Cerritos College
285	Cy Renney	So.	Adams City, Colo.	Adams City HS
157	Jeaven Scdoris	Jr.	Milford, Neb.	Milford HS
133	Jeremiah Sistek	Jr.	Parker, Colo.	Chaparral HS
125	Cervando Tapia	Fr.	Oxnard, Calif.	Oxnard HS
125	Aidan Trowbridge	Fr.	Geneva, Neb.	Fillmore Central HS
174	Teegan Tschampel	Jr.	Merrill, Iowa	Hinton HS / Ellsworth CC
285	Jeremiah Vasquez	Jr.	Edwards, Colo.	Battle Mountain HS
157	Brent Ward	Jr.	Tucson, Ariz.	Iowa Wesleyan University
184	Hunter Weimer	Jr.	Porterville, Calif.	Monache HS
133	Grant Wells	So.	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln Lutheran HS
165	Tommy Wentz	Jr.	Fremont, Neb.	Fremont HS / York College
174	Trenton Wills	Jr.	Valley Center, Kan.	Trinity Academy

STAFF

Chase Clasen, Head Coach

Tyree Cox, Assistant Coach

Season Preview: 2023-24 Concordia Wrestling

October 24, 2023

2022-23 Dual Record: 13-2 overall, 6-2 GPAC (3rd); 3rd at GPAC tournament
2023 NAIA National Championships finish: T-39th
Head Coach: Chase Clasen (2nd year)
Key Returners: 141 Creighton Baughman; 184 Stephen Duffy; 125 Bryce Karlin; 174 Garret Moser; 285 Cy Renney; 149 Jeaven Scdoris; 125 Grant Wells; 165 Tommy Wentz.
Key Newcomers: 165 Barret Brandt; 125 Bryson Bussinger; 197 Sean Duffy; 157 Dominick Flynn; 125 Martim Moniz; 133 Cervando Tapia II; 125 Aidan Trowbridge; 157 Brent Ward.
Key Losses: 165 Issiah Burks; 184 Logan Davidson; 174 Jose Sanchez; 157 Tavoris Smith.
2023 GPAC All-Conference: Issiah Burks (First Team); Creighton Baughman (Second Team); Logan Davidson (Honorable Mention); Tavoris Smith (Honorable Mention).

Outlook

It won’t be difficult for Concordia University Wrestling to find that chip on its shoulder. A season after outperforming prognostications, the Bulldogs will enter 2023-24 ranked sixth in the GPAC. Underestimate Concordia at your own peril. Sure, three of the team’s four 2023 national qualifiers have departed, but the bulk of the dual lineup returns for a program that Head Coach Chase Clasen is convinced has worked its way into a better position than it found itself in this time a year ago.

Clasen has fortified his roster with seven freshmen and a pair of transfers as the Bulldogs look to build upon a 2022-23 campaign that may have surprised some outsiders. Last season’s squad equaled a program record for dual wins and placed third in the GPAC in both the regular season and tournament. Clasen and company are comfortable remaining in the underdog role.

“We’re getting better,” Clasen said. “I think a lot of teams are overlooking us, which is a great thing for us. We got ranked sixth in the GPAC again, same as last year. I know our team felt a bit disrespected by that. It’s a good thing for us. In terms of us, we know where we’re at. We’re legitimate conference contenders and I think we’re nationally relevant. We had a rough-go last year with the seeds at nationals, but I think, on any given day, our guys can compete for All-American spots. Keep overlooking us and keep not thinking about us, and we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing.”

It may sound cliché, but Concordia’s underdog status provides an extra jolt for a program already motivated and hungry for bigger and better. There’s no denying that Clasen did a fine job in year one. Still young in the profession, Clasen arrived at Concordia via North Idaho College and is a former NCAA Division II All-American. In his current role, Clasen is all about helping Bulldogs reach the All-America podium. Last season was simply a start as Concordia doubled its number of national qualifiers compared to 2022.

The headlining individual returner is 141-pound senior Creighton Baughman, the program’s lone returning national qualifier. Baughman earned two All-America awards at Iowa Western Community College before transferring to Concordia. Heading into the season, Baughman is ranked second in the GPAC and 10th nationally in his weight class. He finished 2022-23 with a 25-10 record and won a pair of matches at the national tournament. It was a strong Bulldog debut, but Baughman feels burned by the fact that he came up short of All-America status.

“It was a great introduction to NAIA and wrestling at this level,” Baughman said. “I did a lot of good things and a lot to build from. The feeling of going to nationals and falling short of your goals sticks with you. With wrestling, you can earn it every single day, and I feel like I did earn it in the wrestling room. Ultimately, you have to be able to take it when the moment is there. I fell short of that goal. I’m more motivated than ever for this upcoming season.”

Naturally, Baughman will hold down the 141-pound slot in the dual lineup when November hits. Clasen says the depth of the roster will make for difficult decisions at most of the other weight classes. Below is a listing of Concordia grapplers who appeared among the top six of the GPAC within their respective weights. A fourth-place GPAC finisher last season at 149 pounds, Milford High School alum Jeaven Scdoris is ranked third at 157. Though not ranked at the conference level, Stephen Duffy placed fourth in the GPAC at 184 and just missed a spot at the national tournament.

Concordia wrestlers with GPAC rankings

125 – Aidan Trowbridge: 6th
141 – Creighton Baughman: 2nd
157 – Jeaven Scdoris: 3rd
157 – Brent Ward: 4th
165 – Tommy Wentz: 5th
174 – Sean Duffy: 6th
184 – Garret Moser: 5th
285 – Cy Renney: 6th

Other returners who were regulars in the lineup (and not listed above) are Bryce Karlin (141) and Grant Wells (125). The newcomers who quickly found their way into the GPAC rankings are freshmen Aidan Trowbridge (125) of Geneva, Neb., and Iowa Wesleyan University transfer Brent Ward (157) of Tucson, Ariz. Their additions help make up for the losses of 2023 national qualifiers Issiah Burks (165-pound GPAC champ), Logan Davidson and Tavoris Smith. Clasen likes the competition he sees in the practice room.

“We had our first round of challenge matches during preseason,” Clasen said. “On the bad side, I don’t know who our starters are. On the good side, it means we have a lot of depth. The team’s a lot better. It’s one of those situations where one guy would beat one guy and the next thing you know, that guy is losing to someone else. It’s a good problem to have. It speaks volumes of the guys we brought in and the development that we’ve had so far.”

As a twist to the college rules this season, takedowns will now be worth three points (threeeeee!). Clasen says the rule change won’t alter the approach, which had already been about aggression and scoring as many points as possible. For the dominant performers, the added point could lead to additional majors and technical falls. The rule change has been applied across all levels of collegiate wrestling starting in 2023-24.

The aim is for Concordia to take advantage of those three-pointers rather than their opponents. Diving deeper from a statistical standpoint, there are seven returning Bulldogs who notched at least 10 victories last season: Baughman (25-10), Duffy (15-10), Karlin (14-10), Scdoris (14-15), Moser (13-14), Wells (11-15) and Wentz (20-12). From a dual perspective, Concordia ended last season with a bang as it celebrated senior night with blowout wins over Colby Community College, 49-6, and York University, 44-6. Those triumphs pushed the team’s season victory count to 13.

That type of success wasn’t expected in year one of Clasen’s tenure. Allow Baughman to explain what occurred. Said Baughman, “We were going to do things the right way. If you weren’t going to do things the right way, then this program wouldn’t be suited for you. I also think about some of our senior leaders last year, guys like Issiah Burks, Jose Sanchez and Tavoris Smith. They helped a lot of the younger guys. If you want to be successful at this level, some days are going to be rough and some practices you’re going to get beat up on. That’s part of the sport. That is what’s going to make us better and what will make it worth it in the end. We’re proving the doubters wrong and accomplishing these things we weren’t supposed to accomplish.”

What exactly would make 2023-24 a success? Clasen isn’t laying it out in specific terms, but he surely would like to compete for the conference title, increase the number of national qualifiers and get the navy and white singlet back on the podium. During the eight seasons from 2013-14 through 2020-21, Concordia had at least one All-American each year. The most recent All-American was Mario Ybarra in 2021.

If Clasen and assistant coach Tyree Cox can simply inspire each of their wrestlers to perform to their potential, Clasen will consider this season a success. Said Clasen, “I’m not going to say we have to get this many dual wins or this many national qualifiers because I don’t think that’s the way it goes. The biggest success for me as a coach would be for every single guy on our team to say they did the best they could do. If they do those things and they feel like we prepared them as best as possible, that’s a success for me.”

Based on recent seasons, and the GPAC preseason poll, the rest of the league continues to chase the likes of Morningside and Doane. The Mustangs managed to unseat the 2023 conference favorite Tigers in both the regular season and at the conference tournament. After the GPAC tournament was held at Doane last season, it will move to Concordia’s own Friedrich Arena in 2024. It will mark the first time the Bulldogs have hosted the conference tournament since 2016.

The season will also get started inside Friedrich Arena, where Concordia will host Midland for a GPAC dual on Nov. 1. The Bulldogs will host a total of five duals in 2023-24. The complete schedule can be found HERE.

'SAVED': high achieving Baughman put faith in Concordia

October 26, 2024

Tattooed just above Creighton Baughman’s right knee is the word “SAVED” in all caps. Get to know Baughman and it makes a whole lot of sense. That one word helps the Papillion, Neb., native keep everything in proper perspective, even during times of uncertainty. There clearly have been those moments for Baughman, who first found himself at Northern State University (S.D.) while beginning his collegiate wrestling career.

The path ahead was unknown roughly a year-and-a-half ago after Baughman had completed two years at Iowa Western Community College. Baughman just knew he wanted to stay somewhere close to home.

“I wasn’t really sure what my next step was going to be,” Baughman said. “The coach at Iowa Western reached out and said, ‘Hey, one of my old wrestlers, Chase Clasen, is taking over at Concordia.’ I knew I wanted to be close to home in Omaha. That’s where I’ve always lived and that’s where all my family lives. He linked us up and I met with Coach Clasen. I took a visit here and really fell in love with the faith-based atmosphere. I saw the vision that Coach Clasen had, and I ended up choosing Concordia.”

The decision has worked out nicely for both sides as Baughman thrived in his first year as a Bulldog. He posted a 25-10 overall record and qualified for the 2023 NAIA National Championships at 141 pounds. His influence within the program was felt in obvious ways as Concordia moved up to third in the GPAC (from sixth the previous year) and equaled a program record for dual wins in a single season. Baughman’s campaign ended at the national tournament with a pair of wins on that stage. He fell short of the All-America podium, something that has him intensely motivated for this season.

The signing of Baughman was a big deal for Concordia Wrestling. Baughman made his next destination official in May of 2022 after he took home two All-America awards as a member of the Reivers program. Not only was Clasen adding a potential All-American wrestler, he was getting an all-around quality person who also excels in the classroom (as evidenced by his 2023 NWCA Scholar All-America award). Like Baughman, Clasen had wrestled at Iowa Western for Coach Josh Watts. The fit for Baughman has been a natural one.

“He’s a model representative of what this program’s looking for,” Clasen said. “He’s a great guy off the mat, great student, great socially and a great wrestler. He’s one of those guys who doesn’t have a lot of words to say, but he walks the walk. Having a guy like that in the room – if a guy looks over and we’re in the trenches and he’s going hard – that’s inspiring. We’re super blessed to have him on the team.”

As a born and raised Nebraskan, Baughman says he put on wrestling shoes by the age of three. As Baughman states, “For the most part, it’s all I’ve ever known.” Winters have always been about wrestling, and eventually, the sport became a year-round endeavor as Baughman trained in freestyle and Greco prior to his college days. He was influenced in the sport by the likes of his father, uncle and grandparents.

Baughman says it’s been more recent that faith became a larger part of his life. What he has learned over the past year was that Concordia was the perfect place for him to grow in that aspect while also furthering his wrestling career. Baughman also remembered Concordia from attending a Fargo camp and thought highly of the facilities and the layout of the campus.

“First and foremost, it’s a faith-based atmosphere,” Baughman said. “While I’ve always known that God loves me, I’m still fairly new to religion. These last four or five years, my family and I really went all in on seeing what God has in store for us and doing our best to love Him. Coming to Concordia and taking some of the basic Old Testament, New Testament and theology classes has completely opened my eyes and really see who God is, what He has planned for me and how much He loves us.”

God-willing, Baughman expects to see himself ascend to the podium in early March of 2024. From the outside looking in, Baughman’s first Concordia season appeared to be a resounding success. While Baughman has enjoyed the experience, his exit from the 2023 national tournament left him hungry for more. He also will tell you that he expected to win a national title at the junior college level (where he placed fifth and third, respectfully). With this potentially being Baughman’s final season of collegiate wrestling, he’s determined not to leave anything on the table.

“I can earn it every single day and I’ll continue to do my absolute best to do that,” Baughman said. “When I get to that national tournament, no matter who they put in front of me, I have to take it. It doesn’t matter who it is in front of me, they breathe the same air I do. You wrestle hard for seven minutes and just remember that it’s the same wrestling as in the practice room as it would be in the national finals or whatever it may be. It’s the exact same sport. Don’t overcomplicate it. Just enjoy the process. I’m so thankful for what the sport has given me. Go out with no regrets.”

Clasen may describe Baughman as someone who “doesn’t have a lot of words to say,” but the words he does speak carry a lot of weight within the Concordia Wrestling room. Baughman admits that “I’m not a very vocal leader.” At the same time, he sets an example that his teammates would be wise to follow. Baughman is all about doing the right thing on the mat, off the mat and in the classroom.

Says Baughman, “It’s not complicated. It’s about doing the simple things the right way – showing up on time, not missing practice and being disciplined with your diet. Whatever it takes. As lucky as we are to compete in college, we only get four or five years. We have the rest of our lives to slack off or do whatever we want to do after that. While I get these four or five years in college wrestling, I want to make the absolute most of them. That way, ten years down the road, I’m not saying, ‘I wish I was more disciplined or would have done that better.’”

Whatever result occurs this winter, it won’t be for lack of effort. Even Baughman himself says that wrestling isn’t a sport you compete in because you want the glory. Those who succeed at a high level do so because of all the unglamorous hours logged behind the scenes. Baughman, a biology major, is so focused on the day-to-day grind that he can’t even really tell people what will come next after he finishes his education. Since wrestling is all he’s ever known, he wants to continue to be around the sport in some fashion.

Baughman understands that God will guide him to the places he’s supposed to go. It was his sophomore year of high school when a light bulb moment occurred for Baughman. His wrestling coach invited him to his church and suddenly Baughman realized he had been missing something in his life. Baughman felt ‘saved.’ Thus, the ink that appears on Baughman’s right leg.

That word is clearly visible when Baughman dons the Concordia singlet and puts his heart and soul into competition for seven minutes. Baughman understands his ‘why.’

“Seeing the change that new faith has made in my family’s and my own life has been nothing short of a miracle,” Baughman said. “In that time, I learned who God was, what He’s done for me and the other worldly plan He has given me. ‘Saved’ was always the word that came to mind when I think of the transformation that finding new faith has done for me.”

More thoughts from Creighton Baughman:

On the most inspiring person in his life: “Outside of God, I would say probably my mom. She had me at a very young age and she went on and got her degree and was able to provide for me and provide for our whole family. A lot of times I took it for granted, but as I’ve gotten older and have seen what my parents sacrificed for me and the time they committed so that I could live out my dreams of wrestling and help me get to this point, I’m so, so thankful for them.”

On rewards of wrestling: “Wrestling is one sport you don’t do for glory. You do it because you know how hard you’ve worked. Every single match, you can’t take it for granted. You have to make the most of it and be proud of what you accomplished and the hours of practice that went into a seven-minute match. That’s always something to take pride in. Going onto the real world, mentally, it prepares you for just about anything. I’m so thankful for the sport of wrestling.”

Bulldogs take six matches via bonus points, rout Midland

November 1, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – In front of a strong home opening crowd, the Concordia University Wrestling team entertained the audience with six match victories via bonus points on Wednesday (Nov. 1). The dual marked the second year in a row that the Bulldogs have opened a season against GPAC rival Midland. The result in this instance was a 45-6 rout for Concordia. Picked sixth in the GPAC in the preseason, the Bulldogs are out to prove they are far better than the prognostications.

Head Coach Chase Clasen has begun his second year leading the Concordia program. He was pleased overall with Wednesday’s results but believes his squad has more left in the tank.

A Kenesaw, Neb., native, Stephen Duffy got his campaign started with a 17-5 major decision at 174 pounds. Said Duffy, “We were really excited coming in. We feel like we have a really neat group of people who are talented and hardworking, so we were really excited for the first competition. We really wanted to come out here and put on a show. We knew a lot of people were going to show up, and they did. We wanted to put some points on the board. We knew we were better than what we were ranked, and we wanted to show that.”

As one of two competitors to make their Bulldog debuts, 125-pound freshman Martim Moniz (East Providence, R.I.) set the tone for the evening with a pin just before the close of the first period. Moniz had jumped out to a 7-0 lead before wiping out Midland’s Janson Pilkington. The dominoes fell from there as Creighton Baughman won by tech fall at 141, Barret Brandt (Syracuse, Neb.) pinned his opponent at 165, Duffy and Hunter Weimer (184) triumphed by major decision and Mason Garcia throttled his foe by technical fall at 197. A native of Arroyo Grande, Calif., Garcia made a long-awaited return to the mat and took advantage of the opportunity. Like Moniz, Brandt is a freshman that got his first collegiate match under his belt.

Wins with bonus points:

·        125 – Martim Moniz (Fall 2:49)

·        141 – Creighton Baughman (TF 15-0)

·        165 – Barret Brandt (Fall 2:02)

·        174 – Stephen Duffy (MD 17-5)

·        184 – Hunter Weimer (MD 15-4)

·        197 – Mason Garcia (TF 21-6)

Other winners for Concordia were Grant Wells (133) and Jeaven Scdoris (157) by forfeit and Tracey Allen (149) by decision. The lone victory for the Warriors came at the very end of the evening when Ryan Kocovsky pinned Cy Renney late in the third period. It was the one highlight for Midland, which has a first-year head coach in Doyle Trout.

Due to the dominance of the Bulldogs, the dual lasted just over an hour. Midland (2-6 in the GPAC last season) managed only three takedowns (now worth three points) for the entire dual. It was an impressive start for the returning national qualifier Baughman, who recorded a takedown and 12 near fall points while ending his match in the first period. As for Brandt, he went on the offensive in producing a takedown and eight near fall points before emerging with the pin.

Duffy went 15-10 last season and is considered one of the team’s leaders in the room. Said Duffy in assessing his first match of 2023-24, “I was pleased. I felt like I went and wrestled hard. That’s really what it’s about. We get focused on wins and losses too much and don’t focus on what’s really important – and that’s wrestling and glorifying God. That’s what’s awesome about this sport – it’s individual and you can go out there and compete as you want to.”

The season’s first tournament will take place this Saturday as the Bulldogs compete at the Luther Hill Invite hosted by NCAA Division III Simpson University. The action is slated to get underway at 9 a.m. CT from Indianola, Iowa. Clasen expects to travel roughly 20 wrestlers to Indianola. Concordia will make its next home appearance on Nov. 17 for a dual versus Hastings.

Baughman, Weimer win titles, 11 Bulldogs place at Luther Hill Invite

November 5, 2023

INDIANOLA, Iowa – A strong start to the 2023-24 season continued on Saturday (Nov. 5) as 19 Bulldogs represented the Concordia University Wrestling program at the Luther Hill Invite in Indianola, Iowa. Creighton Baughman (141) and Hunter Weimer (184) both came away with tournament championships in highlighting an action-packed day. Eleven Bulldogs emerged with top-five place finishes within their respective weight classes.

Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad opened the campaign three days earlier with a 45-6 dual win over Midland. The Luther Hill Invite marked the season’s first tournament. This event featured wrestlers from 16 institutions, including many from the NAIA and NCAA Division III levels.

“Our guys followed their training, looked for bonus points each match, and if they lost, they fought to get the next best place while staying aggressive the whole time,” Clasen said. “It was a great start to the season and has the team excited for what is to come.”

Ranked No. 10 nationally at 141, Baughman has pushed his season record to 4-0. On his way to a championship at the Luther Hill Invite, Baughman dominated with wins by technical fall and major decision before meeting up with ninth-ranked Jackson Wenberg of Graceland University (Iowa). Baughman edged Wenberg, 7-6. At 184 pounds, Weimer went up against teammate Garret Moser in the title bout. Weimer completed his 3-0 day with an 8-3 decision over Moser. Weimer reached the championship with a pin over Graceland’s Kohlter Mariscal.

Each of Concordia’s place finishers are listed below. Bulldog competitors combined for a total of 41 wins and took home seven place finishes in the “Open Division” and another four place finishes in the “Freshman/Sophomore Division.” Additional place winners in the Open Division included Jeaven Scdoris (157), Tommy Wentz (165), Stephen Duffy (174) and Teegan Tschampel (197). Place finishes were claimed in the Freshman/Sophomore Division by Grant Wells (133), Barret Brandt (165), Torrance Keehn (174) and Cervando Tapia II (133).

In terms of sheer number of wins, Brandt led the Bulldogs with five victories on the day. Four of those triumphs came via pin. Brant completed his day with a fall of Nebraska Wesleyan’s Seth Littrell. Both Scdoris and Tschampel collected four wins and three victories apiece were turned in by Baughman, Weimer, Wells and Wentz.

Luther Hill place finishers:

Open Division

·        Creighton Baughman (141) – 1st

·        Hunter Weimer (184) – 1st

·        Garret Moser (184) – 2nd

·        Jeaven Scdoris (157) – 3rd

·        Tommy Wentz (165) – 3rd

·        Stephen Duffy (174) – 5th

·        Teegan Tschampel (197) – 5th

Freshman/Sophomore Division

·        Grant Wells (133) – 2nd

·        Barret Brandt (165) – 3rd

·        Torrance Keehn (174) – 3rd

·        Cervando Tapia II (133) – 5th

The season will resume next Saturday (Nov. 11) when the Bulldogs will take part in the Grand View University Open in Des Moines, Iowa. The next dual on the schedule is slated for Nov. 17 with Hastings set to visit Friedrich Arena.

Brandt racks up five pins; 11 Bulldogs earn multiple wins at GVU Open

November 12, 2023

GRIMES, Iowa – Eighteen Bulldogs represented the Concordia University Wrestling program at the 2023 Grand View University Open held in Grimes, Iowa, on Saturday (Nov. 11). Freshman Barret Brandt continued to stack pins while placing fifth in the freshman/sophomore division within his 165-pound weight class. Brandt was one of 11 Bulldogs with multiple wins on the day and one of 13 Concordia competitors with at least one victory at the tournament.

This was the second tournament of the season for Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad, which also owns one dual victory. Said Clasen, “Our guys battled tough, and we know what we need to work on. Highlights of the day were Grant Wells and Barret Brandt both placing. We won a lot more matches at this tournament compared to a year ago.”

The Syracuse, Neb., native Brandt pushed his overall season record to 11-2 with each of the 11 wins having come via fall. In Saturday’s action, Brandt wiped out three NAIA foes and a pair of junior college opponents. As for Wells, a Lincoln Lutheran High School alum, he came away with four contested wins, one of which was a technical fall over St. Ambrose University (Iowa)’s Jacob Alexander. Wells placed sixth in the freshman/sophomore division of the tournament.

Ten Bulldogs tested themselves in the ultra-competitive open division of the Grand View Open. Tommy Wentz (165) and Stephen Duffy (174) reached the quarterfinals in their weight classes. Ranked 10th nationally at 141 pounds, Creighton Baughman went 2-2. His losses came at the hands of an opponent from Iowa State University and from a Grand View foe.

Below is the list of Concordia grapplers who turned in multiple wins at the Grand View Open. Following the five wins for Brandt and the four for Wells, Jeaven Scdoris (157) claimed a trio of victories. Eight Bulldogs notched exactly two wins. Concordia wrestlers combined for a total of 30 wins throughout the long day in central Iowa.

Multiple wins at Grand View Open:

·        125 – Martim Moniz (2-2)

·        133 – Grant Wells (4-2); sixth place in fresh/soph division

·        141 – Creighton Baughman (2-2)

·        141 – Bryce Karlin (2-2)

·        157 – Jeaven Scdoris (3-2)

·        165 – Barret Brandt (5-1); fifth place in fresh/soph division

·        165 – Tommy Wentz (2-2)

·        174 – Torrance Keehn (2-1)

·        184 – Sean Duffy (2-2)

·        197 – Mason Garcia (2-2)

·        285 – Cy Renney (2-2)

The Bulldogs will be in action again next Friday and Saturday. In resuming GPAC dual action, Concordia will host Hastings (0-0) at 7 p.m. CT on Nov. 17. The Bulldogs are 1-0 after having blown out Midland, 45-6, in the season opener on Nov. 1. In last season's meeting with the Broncos, Concordia earned a 36-10 win in Hastings.

Bulldogs flatten Broncos in five-pin outburst

November 17, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – The second home GPAC dual of the season’s opening month resulted in another dominant victory for the Concordia University Wrestling team. The Bulldogs thrilled the Friedrich Arena crowd with five pins on Friday (Nov. 17) as they demolished visiting Hastings, 41-9. Concordia won eight matches in a dual in which all 10 weight classes were contested. Creighton Baughman got the dominoes started with a pin at 141 pounds.

Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad also defeated Midland, 45-6, in the 2023-24 season opener. The early returns show a Bulldog squad that has improved from the one that placed third in the GPAC last season.

“We started out a little slow,” Clasen said. “I wish I would have seen our guys get to a few more leg attacks. I’d love to see what our takedown percentage was when we actually got to a leg. We know when we get to a leg we can score. That’s something we have to put more emphasis on. Overall, it was pretty good. I think we got a little motivated there after 157. All of the sudden, pins started flying. That was awesome. Competition is good.”

Halfway through the dual, the Broncos cut Concordia’s team score advantage to 14-9 via a pin by Jack Patterson at 157 pounds. That Hastings victory came just after the Bulldogs’ TJ Allen eked out a 5-4 win over Jack Morton. From 165 on, Concordia stepped on the throttle. Pins were put on the board by Tommy Wentz (4:05) at 165, Hunter Weimer (3:16) at 184, Mason Garcia (2:34) at 197 and Cy Renney (1:17) at 285. The final whistle inspired the evening’s loudest cheers and sparked an uproar from the entire Bulldog volleyball team, which sat behind the Concordia bench.

A junior from Porterville, Calif., Weimer clinched the team victory at 184. He was leading 11-2 in the second period when he nailed Cannon O’Connor to the mat. Weimer pushed his season record to 5-2 as part of a mark that includes a win by technical fall in the dual win over Midland.

Said Weimer, “I started the season off pretty solid. I just wasn’t getting too many shots and the coaches pulled me aside and went over some film. We talked about being more aggressive. Coming out tonight, it was just letting it all fly. I took my shots and was able to finish a lot more of them. I felt pretty good tonight.”

A sophomore out of Lincoln Lutheran High School, Grant Wells picked up the Bulldogs’ first win of the evening when he took care of Creel Weber by technical fall, 20-4, in the third period. Wells racked up four takedowns and six near-fall points and did not surrender an offensive point. Ranked 10th in the NAIA at 141, Baughman (7-2) quickly followed with a pin that followed a takedown. For the entire night, the Broncos (0-1) mustered only four takedowns and four near-fall points. Their two wins came from Patterson and Justin Rodriguez (125).

An additional win for Concordia was delivered by Stephen Duffy, who shut out Naim Abualjubain, 4-0, at 174. Over the dual’s final five matches, Hastings posted a combined three points – all from escapes. The results were a byproduct of the Bulldogs’ depth. Clasen would have felt confident rolling out many other individuals who were not part of Friday’s lineup. Freshman Barret Brandt, currently 11-2 with 11 pins this season, was one of those who did not compete versus Hastings.

Said Clasen of the lineup options, “It’s a completely different feeling than I’ve ever had as a coach. It’s a great problem to have. Our guys are all ready to go. Realistically, I don’t think the dual score would have changed much depending on who we threw out there. All our guys are neck-and-neck with each other. They just keep improving. There are a lot of tough dudes here. We just keep getting better.”

Now in his second season as head coach of the Broncos, Trey Heckadon has a much larger roster as compared to a year ago. Hastings went 2-12 (0-8 GPAC) in duals in 2022-23. Concordia won last season’s meeting over the Broncos by a count of 36-10.

Select Bulldogs will be in action on Saturday at the Younes Hospitality Open hosted by the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Action from Kearney, Neb., is slated to get underway at 9 a.m. CT. The event will mark the third tournament of the season for Concordia.

Brandt, Duffy, Karlin post wins at Younes Hospitality Open

November 18, 2023

KEARNEY, Neb. – A day after thumping GPAC rival Hastings in a conference dual, Concordia University Wrestling traveled eight competitors to the Younes Hospitality Open hosted by the University of Nebraska-Kearney. The tournament on Saturday (Nov. 18) allowed for the small group of Bulldogs to gain experience against a strong field in Kearney, Neb. The trio of Barret Brandt, Sean Duffy and Bryce Karlin combined for each of the eight Concordia victories on the day.

This was the third tournament of the season for Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad. Clasen rested the 10 Bulldogs who competed in Friday night’s home dual.

A freshman from Syracuse, Neb., Brandt continues to impress with his pinning prowess. Entering the tournament, he had ended each of his 11 victories this season by fall. Brandt went 4-2 on Saturday with three more pins (to bring his season total to 14). Brandt finally did win a full seven-minute match when he earned a 14-12 decision over Charles Severance of Mary. Brandt was credited with sixth place in the 165-pound amateur division.

Karlin (141) and Duffy (184) also competed in the amateur division (as opposed to the “elite division”). The sophomore Karlin (Beatrice, Neb.) started his day at 2-0 with a pair of wins over NCAA Division II foes (one via fall). He was knocked out of the bracket with the two defeats that followed. In his bracket, Duffy picked up a pin and win via major decision before bowing out of the tournament in round four of the consolation.

Other wrestlers who represented Concordia at the Younes Hospitality Open were Dontario Norwood (149) and Teegan Tschampel (184) in the elite division and Aidan Trowbridge (125), Bryson Bussinger (125) and Cervando Tapia II (133) in the amateur division. There were wrestlers from 57 different institutions present in Kearney.

A pivotal day of conference dual action is coming up Tuesday when the Bulldogs will go head-to-head with Dakota Wesleyan and Morningside. The duals are slated to begin at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, and will be held at Long Lines Family Rec Center in Sioux City, Iowa, as part of a series of GPAC matchups.

Bulldogs drop two at GPAC Duals Day No. 1 in Sioux City

November 21, 2023

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – In a critical day of pre-Thanksgiving conference action, the Concordia University Wrestling team hoped to prove itself a worthy contender for the GPAC regular season crown. Though the Bulldogs won eight individual matches on Tuesday (Nov. 21), they fell twice, enduring defeat at the hands of Dakota Wesleyan, 24-16, and No. 5 Morningside, 29-18. Concordia competed in those two duals as part of GPAC Duals Day No. 1 hosted at the Long Lines Family Recreation Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad will use the outing as a learning experience heading into the holiday weekend. The Bulldogs stand at 2-2 with the wins having come at home over Midland and Hastings. Clasen’s program placed third in the 2022-23 GPAC standings.

After being toppled by reigning GPAC champion Morningside, 35-6, in last season’s dual meeting, Concordia still had a shot at a team victory all the way down to the heavyweight battle. That’s where the Mustangs’ seventh-ranked Hunter DeJong dashed hopes of an upset with a pin early in the second period. Morningside effectively rallied back from a 15-0 deficit after the first three matches. The Bulldogs still held an 18-9 advantage after Tommy Wentz earned a 6-3 victory at 165 pounds.

The clash with the Mustangs began in rousing fashion when Concordia freshman Bryson Bussinger wiped out a deficit and pinned Caelan Oakes Sudhish at the 6:43 mark. It was the first career dual experience for Bussinger, a native of Cozad, Neb. After Morningside forfeited 133 pounds, No. 10 Creighton Baughman and No. 12 Taylor Vazquez took center stage. The difference was a third-period takedown for Baughman as he won, 4-1. At 184 pounds, Hunter Weimer put up a strong fight against 11th-ranked Alex Vandyke. His Mustang competitor took him down and pinned him in the closing seconds of the third period in what had been a 1-1 tie.

A much-improved Dakota Wesleyan team that’s now 3-0 in GPAC duals got the best of the Bulldogs in Tuesday’s first round of action. Concordia never held a lead in the dual after conceding 125 pounds by technical fall and 133 pounds by decision. The Bulldog wins were delivered by Baughman (decision at 141), Brent Ward (decision at 157), Weimer (forfeit at 184) and Mason Garcia (major decision at 197). The Tigers managed to pull out the victory courtesy of Cole Hennings’ pin at heavyweight. The wins by Garcia and Weimer had gotten Concordia within 18-16 in the team score.

The Papillion, Neb., native Baughman continues to go about his business. He pushed his season record to 9-2, including a 4-0 dual mark. Now in his second season as a Bulldog, Baughman has gone 34-12 since first donning the navy and white singlet.

The Bulldogs will have the remainder of Thanksgiving week off while looking ahead to hosting Bethany College (Kan.) on Friday, Dec. 1. The dual is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. CT from Friedrich Arena. Concordia manhandled the Swedes, 36-9, in last season’s matchup in Seward.

Five falls lead to snappy 55-0 blanking of Bethany

December 1, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – If you blinked, you missed this one. The Concordia University Wrestling team needed roughly 40 minutes to polish off visiting Bethany College (Kan.) in a dual inside Friedrich Arena on Friday (Dec. 1). The Bulldogs won with bonus points in all but one match and racked up five pins while throttling the Swedes, 55-0, in one of the most lopsided duals in program history.

This was the first outing for Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad (3-2, 2-2 GPAC) since it dropped two duals to conference foes on Nov. 21. Concordia got that bad taste out of its mouth and treated the home crowd to a blowout on Friday. The Bulldogs have won their three home duals by a combined score of 141-15.

“Our guys went out and wrestled and didn’t overthink things,” Clasen said. “They opened up and they got to leg attacks. Flat out – they wrestled. A lot of them wrestled their match. That’s one of the hardest things to do in this sport – to wrestle your best match. I’m super happy about that. There’s still some improvement to be made. You can’t be too displeased but ultimately there are some things we’ve got to work on. It feels good to get back into the win column and show that last Tuesday wasn’t who we are.”

The 55 team points put on the board were the most for the program since it defeated Dakota Wesleyan, 58-0, in November of 2018. Pins were delivered by Creighton Baughman (141) in 1:38, TJ Allen (149) in 4:11, Barret Brandt (165) in 1:29, Stephen Duffy (174) in 1:40 and Teegan Tschampel (197) in 0:35. This has been a theme for the Syracuse, Neb., native Brandt (16-4), who has already piled up 15 pins on the season. As for Baughman, ranked 10th nationally at 141 pounds, he’s now 5-0 in duals this 2023-24 campaign.

From a ratings perspective, Porterville, Calif., native Hunter Weimer (184) and Arroyo Grande, Calif., native Mason Garcia (285) picked up notable victories. Weimer erased Triston Vande Velde (preseason NAIA No. 25 at 184) by technical fall, 15-0, in 3:34. Normally a 197-pounder, Garcia moved to heavyweight on Friday and took a 7-1 decision over Rocky Whitehead, who was ranked 21st nationally at 285 to begin this season. Tschampel also moved up a weight class as Clasen tinkered with the dual lineup.

Said Clasen, “It’s good to find out which guys can perform under the lights. It’s one thing to win in a practice room. It’s another thing to win out here in front of the public. Teegan stepped in at 197 and got a fall in the first period. That’s awesome. Mason bumped up to heavyweight and got a win over a ranked wrestler – that’s awesome. Sometimes there are some growing pains. I think we’re figuring it out and getting better.”

Other not previously mentioned wins were turned in by Bryson Bussinger (forfeit at 125), Grant Wells (technical fall at 133) and Jeaven Scdoris (forfeit at 157). A late takedown for the Lincoln Lutheran alum Wells pushed him over the threshold for the tech fall. As a team, the Bulldogs amassed 17 takedowns and five four-point nearfalls. The Swedes (0-3), a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, did not record a single takedown or any nearfall points. Bethany has also dropped duals this season to Ottawa University (Kan.) and Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

Said Tschampel, “The mindset going into tonight was just to grind and outwork our opponent. We wanted to put pressure on them and score points. That’s what we worked on all week and that’s what we did. On Saturday I was told I was getting bumped up. Me being so light, I was like, ‘I’m going to start eating now.’ I was able to reassess things and how I wanted to attack things. Coming into tonight, I felt really free.”

Select Bulldogs will be back at it on Saturday (Dec. 2) with a short trip to Crete, Neb., for the Doane University Open. First whistle is set for 9 a.m. CT. The only other remaining event on the schedule prior to Christmas is the Avila University Duals set for Saturday, Dec. 16.

Baughman, Weimer capture fourth-place finishes at Conner/Oppenheim Open

December 2, 2023

CRETE, Neb. – Thirteen Bulldogs represented the Concordia University Wrestling program on Saturday (Dec. 2) in action at the Conner/Oppenheim Open hosted by Doane. The yields for the Bulldogs included 15 combined wins and fourth-place finishes for both Creighton Baughman and Hunter Weimer. Competitors from 31 institutions made up the large field at Fuhrer Field House in Crete, Neb.

The event marked the fourth tournament this season for Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad. Concordia was fresh off a 55-0 home dual win over Bethany College (Kan.) on Friday night. As Clasen remarked, “For the most part, we all wrestled tough.”

A senior from Papillion, Neb., Baughman continues to set the pace in the room for the Bulldogs. He was one of four Concordia grapplers to appear in the quarterfinals of their respective brackets at the Conner/Oppenheim Open. Baughman (12-4) claimed three wins in the tournament (one pin) and both of his defeats came against NCAA Division I opponents. Most notably, Baughman earned a 10-1 major decision over Graceland University (Iowa)’s Jackson Wenberg, ranked No. 11 nationally at 141 pounds.

Weimer (184) and Garret Moser (184) both appeared in the quarterfinals of the open brackets while Bryson Bussinger did the same in the 125-pound amateur bracket of the tournament. Weimer actually defeated Moser, 7-0, in a quarterfinal bout. Weimer also picked up a pin over Jackson King of Dickinson State (N.D.) before falling in the third-place match. Moser went 2-2 with a pin of his own on the day while Bussinger dominated (pin and major decision) over his first two rounds.

Two additional Bulldogs seized multiple wins in Crete: Jeremiah Vasquez (open 285) and Grant Wells (amateur 133). After a loss in his first match, the Lincoln Lutheran alum Wells rebounded with three-straight victories, the last one coming via fall over Benedictine College (Kan.)’s Charles Easterling. As for Vasquez, he collected two pins, including a fall of Bethany’s Rocky Whitehead, a preseason nationally ranked heavyweight.

Lastly, two Concordia competitors notched one win apiece at Doane: Aidan Trowbridge (125) and Cervando Tapia II (133). Other Bulldogs in action on Saturday were TJ Allen (149), Mason Garcia (197), Dontario Norwood (149) and Teegan Tschampel (197).

The Bulldogs will take next week off from competition while gearing up for the Avila University Duals on Saturday, Dec. 16. That particular duals event is slated to take place at Mabee Fieldhouse in Kansas City, Mo. The schedule of duals for that date is expected to be announced soon and will be publicized on the Concordia Wrestling schedule page.

Baughman, Wells lead the way as Dawgs go 3-2 at Eagle Duals, upset No. 18 Baker

December 16, 2023

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Based upon the rankings, the Concordia University Wrestling team knew it would get tested significantly at the Eagle Duals hosted by Avila University on Saturday (Dec. 16). When the dust settled from Kansas City, Mo., the Bulldogs emerged with a trio of dual wins, including a 28-23 upset of 18th-ranked Baker University (Kan.). The day got started with losses to Central Methodist University (Mo.), 33-15, and No. 11 Missouri Valley College, 36-15, before Concordia rebounded with victories over host Avila, 34-12, Baker and Waldorf University (Iowa), 56-0.

Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad improved to 6-4 overall this season in duals. In highlighting the Eagle Duals, Creighton Baughman and Grant Wells combined for nine contested wins.

“Overall, it was a team collective effort,” Clasen said. “We started to really click with that team aspect of wrestling. This sport is very personal and it’s one-on-one when you’re out there on the mat, but there’s a dual score. We wanted to emphasize that you are going out there to score bonus points for your team. As the day went on, I think our guys really bought into that idea and started wrestling for the team. We had some outstanding individual performances.

“I think Grant Wells had one of his best days of wrestling. He took the No. 10 guy from Missouri Valley to the brink. I keep telling him that he’s capable of being an All-American. He’s realizing how good he can be. Creighton beat another ranked wrestler, a super tough kid from Missouri Valley. Then you had CJ (Laabs) locking up the dual victory versus Baker – that was huge.”

Indeed, the win for Laabs marked a high point for the day. In dual No. 4 for the Bulldogs, Laabs pinned Baker’s Elijah Eslinger in 2:17 in a match that decided the team winner. Concordia had entered the heavyweight match trailing the Heart of America Athletic Conference member Wildcats, 23-22. The Bulldogs were in position to claim a team win thanks to a string of wins in the 165 through 184 weight classes: Barret Brandt (pin at 165), Stephen Duffy (major decision at 174) and Garret Moser (major decision at 184). Once Baker’s Kevin Lund triumphed with a pin at 197, it all came down to Laabs, the native of Orange, Calif.

All day long, Wells (133) and Baughman (141) set Concordia up for success near the top of the lineup. Ranked eighth in the NAIA at 141, Baughman (18-4) still has been defeated only once all season by an NAIA opponent. The Papillion, Neb., native’s most notable win on Saturday was a 3-2 squeaker over No. 19 Donavan Parn of Missouri Valley. Baughman also collected two pins as part of his 5-0 day. Meanwhile, the Lincoln Lutheran High School alum Wells went 4-1 with two pins of his own. The only defeat was a 4-1 setback at the hands of Missouri Valley’s 10th-ranked Haden Hernandez.

The victory over Baker was sandwiched between the wins over Avila and Waldorf. In the decision over Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member Avila, the Bulldogs won seven matches while getting pins from Baughman and Mason Garcia (197) and a 19-4 technical fall from Stephen Duffy (174). In putting an exclamation point on the day, Concordia swept all 10 matches from Waldorf with pins put on the board by Wells (133), Baughman (141), TJ Allen (149) and Brent Ward (157) and wins via technical fall coming from Hunter Weimer (184) and Teegan Tschampel (197). The 56-0 team score was the most lopsided for the program since pummeling Dakota Wesleyan, 58-0, in November of 2018.

Collectively, the 15 Bulldogs who made appearances on the mat combined for 30 wins and 10 pins at the Eagle Duals, which action on four mats simultaneously over six total rounds. Concordia went up against 11 nationally ranked individual wrestlers throughout the day. Of the 15 Bulldogs who competed, 13 claimed at least one win. Multiple victories were delivered by Baughman (5-0), Brandt (4-0), Wells (4-1), Duffy (3-1), Laabs (2-1), Garcia (2-2), Allen (2-3), Bryson Bussinger (2-3) and Ward (2-3).

Clasen appreciated how his team got better as the day wore on. Opposition like Missouri Valley (4-0 at the Eagle Duals) will be tough on any NAIA combatants. The Vikings rolled out five nationally ranked wrestlers versus Concordia. The key is that the Bulldogs learn from those experiences. Clasen is also emphasizing with his team the need to return from the Christmas break in proper form and ready for battle.

Said Clasen, “Right now the emphasis is to stay focused on the goal. This is the perfect opportunity to see who has both feet in, not just with our team, but around the country too. Our first dual back from break last year was not pretty and our upperclassmen made sure to chime in that we don’t want that to happen this time. We have to be disciplined over break as we’re enjoying time with family. There is a job to do.”

The Bulldogs will wait until the calendar flips to 2024 before resuming the season. Next up is the Cusatis Open hosted by Hastings on Saturday, Jan. 6. The next dual on the slate is set for Friday, Jan. 12 when Concordia will be headed to Crete, Neb., to take on fifth-ranked Doane.

Baughman named GPAC Wrestler of the Week

December 19, 2023

SEWARD, Neb. – For his performances at the Avila Eagle Duals, Concordia University’s Creighton Baughman has been recognized as the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Wrestler of the Week. The announcement was made by the conference on Tuesday (Dec. 19). Baughman has received this award for the first time in his career.

As part of last week’s dual event in Kansas City, Mo., the 141-pound Baughman enjoyed a 5-0 day. His most notable victory was a 3-2 decision over No. 19 Donavan Parn of Missouri Valley College. Each of Baughman’s final three victories at the Eagle Duals came with bonus points as he notched two pins and took care of an opponent from Baker University (Kan.) by technical fall, 18-1. Baughman’s efforts helped the Bulldogs win three of their five duals as a team. The most significant victory was a 28-23 triumph over No. 18 Baker.

Baughman has pushed his overall 2023-24 season record to 18-4. He’s also 10-0 in duals and has dropped only one match all season to an NAIA opponent. Baughman is currently ranked first in the GPAC and eighth in the NAIA at 141 pounds. In two seasons as a Bulldog, Baughman owns a combined record of 43-14. He is a returning NAIA national qualifier and former junior college All-American at Iowa Western Community College.

Next up on the Concordia Wrestling schedule is the Cusatis Open slated for Jan. 6. GPAC dual action will resume on Jan. 12 with a visit to fifth-ranked Doane.

Garcia pins way to runner-up claim; four Bulldogs place at Hastings Open

January 6, 2024

HASTINGS, Neb. – The first public appearance for Concordia University Wrestling since mid-December came on Saturday (Jan. 6) at the Hastings Open hosted by Hastings College. Nineteen Bulldogs took to the mat and combined for 28 wins (11 via pin) in taking on a field of competitors from 17 different institutions (seven NAIA programs). Concordia junior Mason Garcia made waves at 197 pounds while advancing to the championship match. He was one of four Bulldogs to record place finishes at the Hastings Open.

Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad had been idle since going 3-2 at the Avila Eagle Duals on Dec. 16. This particular event marked the fifth tournament of the 2023-24 season for Concordia.

“For the most part, all of our guys battled,” Clasen said. “That was awesome to see, coming into a tournament with a lot of D-2 competition. Right now, our freshmen and sophomores are really starting to figure it out. A few things that stood out – Grant Wells got an opportunity to wrestle a four-time Nebraska state finalist and beat him. Creighton (Baughman) lost to an NAIA qualifier from Dickinson State first round and then battled all the way back and pinned him for third. Guys are getting better every single match. Mason beating No. 22 in the country and punching his ticket into the finals was amazing.”

In addition to Garcia placing as the runner up at 197, Baughman (third at 141), Barret Brandt (fourth at 165) and Garret Moser (fourth at 184) represented the Bulldogs with place finishes. The Arroyo Grande, Calif., native Garcia put together one of his finest days in the navy singlet. He pulverized the competition with three-straight first-period pins, including one in 2:51 over 22nd-ranked Kaleb Lind of Northwestern. Then in the finals, Garcia battled Missouri Valley College’s No. 8 Elijah Hynes in what finished in a 1-0 defeat.

Baughman (23-5) finally fell at the hands of an NAIA opponent (20-2 against NAIA foes this season) when he was taken down, 10-6, by No. 25 Edrich Nortje of Dickinson State in his opening match of the day. Baughman responded with a flurry of victories – three by pin and two by technical fall. Ranked fifth in the NAIA at 141, Baughman closed his day by earning revenge thanks to a pin (4:24) of Nortje.

A freshman from Syracuse, Neb., Brandt collected his 18th and 19th pins of the season while going 3-2 at 165 pounds. He also responded to a loss to begin the day and went on to triumph in three-straight matches by bonus points. As for Moser, he won twice and reached the semifinals of the Hastings Open 184-pound bracket before eventually falling in the third-place bout.

There were 13 Bulldogs to notch at least one win at the Hastings Open. The Lincoln Lutheran alum Wells made his way to the semifinals at 133 in a day highlighted by his 8-2 decision over Augustana University (S.D.)’s Braiden Kort. Wells went 2-2 on Saturday. Other Concordia grapplers with multiple wins at the open were Hunter Weimer (3-2 at 184), Sean Duffy (2-2 at 197), Torrance Keehn (2-2 at 174) and Francisco Mendez (2-2 at 157). One win apiece was delivered by Bryson Bussinger (125), Dontario Norwood (149), Jeaven Scdoris (157) and Teegan Tschampel (197).

Said Clasen, “This team is bought in, and they want to win. They came back in shape. Guys want to be able to compete against Doane. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a fun dual. Our guys took things seriously over the break, and it’s working out.”

Up next on the slate is Friday (Jan. 12)’s clash with fifth-ranked Doane (5-3, 3-0 GPAC). The action is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m. CT from the Haddix Center in Crete, Neb. The Bulldogs hope to close the gap as compared to last season’s meeting in Seward. The Tigers have spent this weekend at the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where they went 2-3.

GPAC duals day #2: Concordia prepares for triple header versus Northwestern, Briar Cliff & Jamestown

January 23, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – With the Doane dual postponed due to snowy weather, the Bulldogs have yet to wrestle in a dual since the new year. GPAC Day of Duals, on Saturday, will change the lack of team competition, with three consecutive duals in the span of around four and a half hours. Concordia is scheduled to compete at Long Lines Family Recreation Center, which also hosted the first day of duals. The Dawgs will unleash their hunger for a victory in Sioux City and look to redeem themselves from the previous 0-2 trip. CUNE has an overall dual record of 6-4 (2-2 GPAC).

GPAC Duals Day – Saturday, Jan. 27
--Location: Long Lines Family Recreation Center (Sioux City, Iowa)
--Live Webcast ($) | Live Results

11 a.m. – Concordia (2-2 GPAC) vs. Northwestern (0-3 GPAC)

12:30 p.m. – Concordia (2-2 GPAC) vs. Briar Cliff (2-1 GPAC)

2 p.m. – Concordia (2-2 GPAC) vs. Jamestown (2-3 GPAC)

Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad continues to improve after a strong showing at the Hastings Open. Four Bulldogs placed in the event, starting with a coming out party for a then-unranked unranked Mason Garcia. The Arroyo Grande, Calif., native finished second after three straight pins in the first round, including a fall over 2nd-ranked Kaleb Lind of Northwestern. In the finals, Garcia battled Missouri Valley College’s No. 8 Elijah Hynes, which finished in a 1-0 tightly contested defeat. Grant Wells was able to go 2-2 at the Bronco event, with his highlight coming from a decision win over D-2 Augustana University (S.D.)’s Braiden Kort. Baughman fell to No. 25 Edrich Nortje of Dickinson State in his opening match of the day. The Papillion, Neb., product answered with six straight wins, rematching with Nortje for third place in his pinfall (4:24) victory. Other Concordia grapplers with multiple wins at the open were Hunter Weimer (3-2 at 184), Sean Duffy (2-2 at 197), Torrance Keehn (2-2 at 174) and Francisco Mendez (2-2 at 157).

Baughman was Named GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday (Dec. 19) for his five win day at the Avila Eagle Duals. He is ranked No.1 in the conference at 141 and ranked eighth nationally, with an unbeaten 10-0 dual record. Barret Brandt continues to take pins and has totaled 19, two shy of the school single season record (21).

Concordia is ranked No. 6 in the conference, as of Tuesday (Jan. 23). They will take on tough competition with a big chance to prove themselves over conference ranked No. 5 Northwestern, No. 3 Briar Cliff, and No. 7 Jamestown.

Concordia ranked wrestlers
141 – Creighton Baughman: GPAC – 1st | NAIA – 8^th
149 – Tracey Allen: GPAC – 6th
165 – Tommy Wentz: GPAC – 3rd
165 – Barret Brandt: GPAC – 4th
174 – Stephen Duffy: GPAC – 6^th
197 – Mason Garcia: GPAC – 4th

Northwestern ranked wrestlers
125 – Sean Heeney: GPAC – 5th
133 – Johnny Burnette: GPAC – 5th
141 – Trey Schuck: GPAC – 4th
141 – Noah Parmelee: GPAC – 5th
184 – Luke Jenness: GPAC – 3rd | NAIA – 12th
184 – Jakob Francksen‐Small: GPAC – 4th
197 – Kaleb Lind: GPAC – 5th
197 – Jose Sanchez: GPAC – 6th

The Red Raiders have faced tough competition in the last month, totaling their overall dual record to 3-10 and are winless (0-4) in the GPAC. Don’t let the record fool you, NWC has faced the top four teams in the conference, almost taking Dakota Wesleyan in a 21-26 loss. National Championship qualifying returners during last year’s tournament are 12th-ranked Luke Jenness (three time qualifier) and Kaleb Lind. The Red Raiders also have collected eight in-conference rankings for individual wrestlers.  

Briar Cliff ranked wrestlers
125 – Seth I`nama: GPAC – 2nd | NAIA – 14th
125 – Dante Rigal: GPAC – 3rd
133 – CaRon Watson: GPAC – 1st | NAIA – 20th
133 – Jarrod Gilliam: GPAC – 3rd
149 – Ethan Krey: GPAC – 3rd
157 – Ben Peters: GPAC – 3rd | NAIA – 22nd
165 – Brandon Harris: GPAC – 5th
165 – Christian Balmer: GPAC – 6th
285 – Alton Allen: GPAC – 3rd | NAIA – 9th

The Chargers are 2-1 in the conference, with wins over Jamestown (33-12) and Northwestern (33-12). Briar Cliff will face Dakota Wesleyan on Tuesday (Jan. 23) night, before going to the GPAC Day of Duals. The Chargers are just outside the top-20 wrestling teams in the country and Thursday’s NAIA coaches’ poll could see them slip in, totaling three in the conference. BCU boasts four nationally ranked wrestlers listed above; I`nama (125), Watson (133), Peters (157) and Allen (285). Returning National Championship qualifiers are I’nama, Watson and Allen. Briar Cliff has nine wrestlers ranked in the conference with only 10 divisions.  

Jamestown ranked wrestlers
133 – Isaiah Miller: GPAC – 4th | NAIA – 24th
149 – Tommy Beringer: GPAC – 4th
197 – Jake Rau: GPAC – 3rd | NAIA – 24th
285 – Chance Robinson: GPAC – 6th

The Jimmies' overall dual record of 3-6 and 2-3 in the conference. Their conference wins came back to back, defeating Hastings (42-12) and Midland (39-6). Isaiah Miller is Jamestown’s single nationally ranked (24th) wrestler at 133. They have four conference ranked wrestlers listed above.

Concordia will have two more duals following Saturday (Jan. 27), before the GPAC Championships in Seward. The Bulldogs will host Colby Community College on Friday (Feb. 2) in Friedrich Arena at 6 p.m.

Dawgs acquire one win at GPAC duals

January 27, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – The Bulldogs traveled to Sioux City, Iowa for the GPAC Duals #2, facing three separate conference opponents on Saturday (Jan. 27). Concordia started with a victory against Northwestern, 33-11, then dropped two back to back heartbreakers versus Briar Cliff, 22-20, and Jamestown, 29-21. With two pinfall wins, against Northwestern and Jamestown, Barrett Brandt ties the Concordia all-time single season record for pins with 21. No. 8 Creighton Baughman extended his dual undefeated streak (13-0), winning all three matches at the Long Lines Recreation Center.

With a 1-2 day, the Dawgs have an overall dual record of 7-6 and a 3-4 conference record. Head Coach Chase Clasen commented on the different duals and how bonus wins matter down the stretch.

“We wrestled good in the dual against Northwestern. We had a lot of really close matches. Hunter (Weimer) took a ranked wrestler into overtime. For the most part, during that duel we battled. In both of the last two duels, it comes down to one match. We stressed all week that, it’s going to come down to bonus. The teams we faced did a little better job getting that (bonus), but we got to bounce back and wrestle hard.”

Concordia ran out to an early lead over the Red Raiders with a Bryson Bussinger (125) pin. The Dawgs continued the run with Baughman (Major Decision-141), Tracey Allen (Decision-149), Jeaven Scdoris (Open-157), Brandt (Pin-165) and Duffy (Major Decision-174). After Weimer battled with No. 12 Luke Jenness, Jeremiah Vasquez (285) won by major decision (12-4) over NWC.

CUNE fell behind, 9-0, after two matches against Briar Cliff, but relied on 8th-ranked Baughman to score a pin, putting them right back in the dual. Every point mattered, as Coach Clasen alluded to and the middle of the lineup, stepped up and delivered wins. Scdoris and Duffy garnered wins by major decision, while Brandt and Weimer collected wins by decision. Duffy went an unbeaten 2-0 on the day. Now up 20-15, the Chargers finish with two wins (Decision and Major Decision) taking the two point lead in the final bout.

After falling out of the gate (10-0) against Jamestown, Baughman took control once again, taking bonus points with a pin and completing a 3-0 day at the GPAC Duals. After two more falters, Brandt would not be denied. His 21st pin of the year over Jahn Williams was to tie the record of Alex Stepanek (2011-12). The Syracuse, Neb., native would clamp down at the 2:49 mark in the bout, completing an unbeaten (3-0) day in Sioux City.

Clasen said, “It’s fantastic to have a freshman (Brandt) go out and tie the pin record. He wants to break it and we are hoping it happens. We want pinners. We want guys who go out and get bonus. The biggest thing about him, is the mentality. He is always looking to pin. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first second of the first period or the last second of the third period.”

Duffy (174) would have an open, as Weimer earned a decision, putting the Dawgs up 21-19. With Mason Garcia out with injury, Teegan Schampel (197) would give it his all, but fell short. Concordia wouldn’t be able to make up ground in the final match.

The Bulldogs will have two duals left before the all important GPAC tournament. They will host Colby Community College (Kan.) in Friedrich Arena on Feb. 2. First match is set for 6 p.m. CT.

Seniors celebrated as Bulldogs dominate, Brandt breaks pins record

February 2, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – This dual moved like it had a flight to catch at 7 p.m. sharp. Every single match was decided with bonus points as the Concordia University Wrestling program celebrated its seniors with a 48-6 home smashing of visiting Colby Community College (Kan.) on Friday (Feb. 2). The Bulldogs got a pin apiece from Barret Brandt and Jeaven Scdoris and racked up four victories by technical fall as part of the festivities. It took just 38 minutes for the dual to be grappled to completion.

Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad has wrestled its final home dual of the 2023-24 campaign and stands at 8-6 overall. The Bulldogs won their four home duals this season by a combined score of 189-21.

“Each and every one of those guys has done a tremendous job for this program,” said Clasen of the seven seniors. “With me coming in last year having some guys like that to step up and be vocal leaders and help this program has been absolutely amazing. I just thank them for everything. They’re great teammates and they’re great mentors. Having those guys around has been amazing for me. They’re going to be hard to replace and sorely missed. I think all those guys have bright futures ahead of them.”

The fireworks began soon after the senior day ceremony was held. Some of the loudest cheers of the evening rang out when Brandt nailed Kyan Ensign to his back for a fall in 51 seconds. The 165-pound freshman from Syracuse, Neb., earned his 22nd pin of the season for a new program record. Brandt’s pin came as part of a string that saw Concordia as the beneficiary of either a pin, tech fall or forfeit through each of the first eight matches of the night.

Clasen gave the starting nod to five seniors in Friday’s dual lineup, and each one responded affirmatively. At 141 pounds, senior Creighton Baughman (27-5 overall) kept his perfect dual record (14-0) intact with a 15-0 technical fall that wrapped up early in the second period. Baughman earned a takedown and 10 near-fall points as part of his senor sendoff. His fellow classmates followed suit as TJ Allen (16-1 tech fall at 149), Scdoris (pin in 0:39 at 157), Stephen Duffy (15-0 tech fall at 174) and Clayton “CJ” Laabs (12-3 major decision at 285) each manhandled their opponents. Not a single one of those seniors gave up an offensive point to their counterparts from Colby Community College.

For Laabs, this is his fifth in final season with the Bulldogs. Said the Orange, Calif., native afterwards, “Emotions are high. I’ve been here for five years, and I’ve loved every single bit of it. It’s something special to come out here and get a win in front of an amazing crowd.”

Astonishingly, 22 of Brandt’s 27 wins (27-8 record) have come by pin. His reaction following his latest fall was one of humility with an ‘thumbs up’ acknowledgement of the Bulldog volleyball team that brought the noise on Friday night. Brandt speaks loudly with how he goes about his business. Said Brandt of his new school record, “That’s just kind of how I wrestle. It didn’t really faze me. I never set out to go break the pin record. It’s cool that it happened – I’m proud of myself and proud of this team.”

At the top of the lineup, Concordia’s Aidan Trowbridge won by forfeit at 125. Freshman Bryson Bussinger then followed at 133 and took a 16-1 technical fall (5:23). The lone victory for the Trojans of Colby, Kan., was delivered by Ethan Anderson via pin at 197. Anderson emerged as the only Colby wrestler to notch offensive points on the evening.

In addition to the five seniors who were part of the lineup, Dontario Norwood and Anthony Perez were also recognized prior to the dual. The senior class is made up of individuals from near and far. Baughman (Papillion), Duffy (Kenesaw) and Scdoris (Milford) wound up close to home while two seniors hail from California and two are Florida natives.

One more dual remains on the weekend for Clasen’s squad. The main focus is centered on steady improvement and peaking at the conference tournament in two weeks. Said Clasen, “Right now it’s about getting prepped for conference. We want our guys having fun and enjoying the process and kind of sharpening everything up. I think everybody’s ready to go. We want to go out there and feel good for conference.”

The final dual of the 2023-24 season will take place on Saturday as the Bulldogs are set to square off with seventh-ranked Doane (9-3, 7-0 GPAC). The action is slated to get started at 7 p.m. CT from the Haddix Center in Crete. The Tigers remained unbeaten this season in GPAC duals with victories last weekend over Jamestown, Dakota Wesleyan and Morningside.

Baughman, Wells notch wins as Concordia finishes dual slate with loss at No. 7 Doane

February 3, 2024

CRETE, Neb. – There were continued signs of progress for the Concordia University Wrestling program even as GPAC champion Doane won eight of 10 matches in Saturday (Feb. 3)’s dual in Crete, Neb. The Bulldogs took home wins at 133 and 141 and had a tight match at 157 in what amounted to a 44-8 victory for the rival Tigers. The clash marked the final dual of the 2023-24 season for both sides. Doane won the GPAC regular season title outright with an 8-0 league record.

Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad celebrated its seniors on Friday with a 48-6 home rout of Colby Community College. Concordia’s final dual record rests at 8-7 (3-5 GPAC).

“There are definitely some positives,” Clasen said. “We don’t want to go into that dual just looking to win more matches than we did last year (versus Doane). We did chip away. I think we matched their intensity well at the beginning, but we have to do a better job of maintaining that intensity throughout the dual. That’s a small adjustment. Now we have a feel for them. We have to go out and wrestle hard for seven minutes. Once we do that, the results can be a little bit different. For the most part, it was a much better dual (than last year). We have to keep chipping away at it.”

In a major individual highlight, NAIA eighth-ranked 141-pounder Creighton Baughman (28-5 overall record) completed a perfect 15-0 season dual record as he took care of Doane’s Tristen Brown by major decision, 11-1. Counting tournaments, the Papillion, Neb., native Baughman has gone 10-0 this season against GPAC opponents. He will enter the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed in his weight class.

It’s also been a stellar sophomore season for Lincoln Lutheran High School alum Grant Wells. He picked up his 20th win of the season thanks to his 8-0 major decision over Doane’s Russell Nickerson. After Wells and Baughman went back-to-back with victories, the Bulldogs owned an early 8-6 lead.

At 157 pounds, Concordia senior Jeaven Scdoris of Milford, Neb., took his best shot at the GPAC’s top-ranked competitor at that weight. Ben Miller managed to hold off Scdoris by a count of 15-11. The Tigers widened the spread from there as they posted four pins and a technical fall over the final five bouts. Doane also got pins at 125 and 149. The Tiger lineup on Saturday included seven NAIA nationally ranked wrestlers. Doane is led by former Bulldog head coach Dana Vote.

Concordia will get back to the wrestling room to prepare for the GPAC tournament. A year ago, the Bulldogs surprised some observers when they placed third at conference. Clasen believes his guys can make some noise once again.

Said Clasen, “From a technique standpoint, we have to keep working on the fundamentals and sharpening things up. We want to be feeling as healthy and as good as possible going into conference.”

The 2024 GPAC Wrestling Championships (Feb. 16-17) are up next. Concordia will have the honor of hosting the conference tournament, which serves as a qualifier for the 2024 NAIA Wrestling National Championships (Feb. 29 – March 2). This will mark the first time the program has hosted the GPAC Championships since 2016.

Baughman garners second GPAC weekly award of season

February 6, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – After wrapping up a perfect run through the dual schedule, senior Creighton Baughman received recognition from the GPAC. On Tuesday (Feb. 6), the league announced Baughman as the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Wrestler of the Week. Baughman pulled in the same award back on Dec. 19. The latest honor came as a result of his efforts in the Concordia University Wrestling duals with Colby Community College and No. 7 Doane.

The 141-pound Baughman defeated both of his opponents last week with bonus points. The Papillion, Neb., native was a 15-0 winner by technical fall (3:26) over Colby’s Xzavier Martinez on senior night inside Friedrich Arena. The Bulldogs dominated the Trojans, 48-6, in the team scoring. The next day, Baughman picked up an 11-1 major decision over Doane’s Tristen Brown. Baughman will enter the GPAC tournament with an overall record of 28-5. He went a spotless 15-0 in duals this season.

A national qualifier in 2023, Baughman owns a two-year record of 53-15 during his time as a Bulldog. He is currently rated as the No. 1 wrestler in the GPAC and No. 8 competitor in the NAIA in his weight class.

Up next, Head Coach Chase Clasen and the Concordia Wrestling program will host the 2024 GPAC Wrestling Championships on Feb. 16-17.

Four Bulldogs advance to semifinals on GPAC Championships Day 1

February 16, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – For the second time since the GPAC began sponsoring a conference wrestling tournament in 2007, the Concordia University Wrestling program has the honor of hosting the event. While competing inside the friendly confines of Friedrich Arena, four Bulldogs secured spots in the semifinals as part of the 2024 GPAC Wrestling Championships. Day one of two of the tournament saw 10 Concordia wrestlers remain alive in their respective brackets.

Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad will enter day two situated in fourth place in the conference team race with 42 points. The top three are Doane (81), Morningside (73.5) and Dakota Wesleyan (51).

“Obviously we’d like to have all 12 on the front side of the bracket, but that’s not the way it works,” Clasen said. “So far, I’ve been very pleased with the effort. Our guys who maybe didn’t achieve their goals and aren’t on the front side, they’re coming back and scoring bonus points for us. I’m very pleased with the guys who made it to the semifinals. Our guys are wrestling well right now. That’s all you can really ask.”

The GPAC semifinalists wearing the navy and white singlets will be Creighton Baughman (141), Barret Brandt (165), Tommy Wentz (165) and Mason Garcia (197). Ranked eighth nationally at 141, Baughman breezed into the conference semis with two first-period pins as he wiped out Hastings’ Sebastian Macedo and Jamestown’s Pedro Corona. Those results pushed Baughman’s season win count to 30 and likely assures him of returning to nationals, auto bid or not. Baughman will draw Aric Williams of Dakota Wesleyan in Saturday’s semifinals.

At 165 pounds, the freshman Brandt continues to star as a pinning machine. The Syracuse, Neb., native received a bye in the first round and then took out Briar Cliff’s Jackson Balmer in 4:17 for his 23rd pin (school record) of the season. Meanwhile, Wentz and Garcia needed to win twice on Friday in order to reach the semis. Wentz (Fremont, Neb.) earned victories by technical fall, 16-0 (6:31), over Midland’s Trey McDougald and by decision, 7-2, over Morningside’s Caden Eggleston. Brandt and Wentz are on opposite sides of the 165-pound bracket. The Arroyo Grande, Calif., native Garcia claimed wins by major decision, 15-1, over Dakota Wesleyan’s Colten Hink and by pin (5:00) over Northwestern’s Kaleb Lind. Brandt, Wentz and Garcia are each hopeful of qualifying for nationals for the first time.

Concordia wrestlers combined for 11 wins on day one. Six of those victories came via pin, two came by major decision, two came by decision and one came by technical fall. Beyond the semifinalists, four Bulldogs earned exactly one win on Friday: Bryson Bussinger (125), TJ Allen (149), Hunter Weimer (184) and Clayton “CJ” Laabs (285). Laabs put the finishing touches on the day with a pin of Hastings’ Matheson Rodriquez in 2:13. Unfortunately, Bussinger and Garret Moser (184) saw their seasons come to an end. Grant Wells (133) and Jeaven Scdoris (157) both went 0-1 on Friday and will return to the mat on Saturday. There will be six Concordia grapplers in action on the back side of the brackets on Saturday.

Said Clasen, “This tournament is about winning the matches you’re supposed to win and then upsetting a few guys along the way. We knew that was going to be the case when we saw the seeds and where our guys ended up. Ultimately, if you’re in this tournament, your goal should be to win it. Nothing changed in terms of our prep or the way we talked to our guys.”

Automatic bids to the national tournament are awarded based on the allocations announced by the NAIA on Feb. 8. Those allocations can be found HERE. The GPAC has 28 total auto bids (the number at 157 was dropped to two). Last season, the Bulldogs traveled four wrestlers to the national stage in Park City, Kan.

Session II of the GPAC tournament will get underway at 10 a.m. CT from Friedrich Arena. Results can be followed live via Track Wrestling. The Concordia Sports Network will continue to stream all mats with Aaron Swayze calling the action.

GPAC Semifinal Matchups

141 – No. 8 Creighton Baughman (Concordia) vs. Aric Williams (Dakota Wesleyan)

165 – Barret Brandt (Concordia) vs. No. 20 Kaleb Bigelow (Dakota Wesleyan)

165 – Tommy Wentz (Concordia) vs. No. 17 Zander Ernst (Morningside)

197 – Mason Garcia (Concordia) vs. No. 1 Bradley Antesberger (Doane)

Three Bulldogs earn auto bids to nationals; team places fifth in GPAC

February 17, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – By the time the dust settled on the 2024 GPAC Wrestling Championships hosted in Friedrich Arena, the Concordia University Wrestling program had claimed three individual automatic bids to the national tournament. Creighton Baughman (141), Mason Garcia (197) and Tommy Wentz (165) booked their trips to Park City, Kan., while helping the Bulldogs place fifth in the conference as a team. The 2024 conference tournament played out Friday and Saturday (Feb. 16-17) in Seward and featured the GPAC’s nine programs that sponsor men’s wrestling.

GPAC Championships Place Finishes:

·        *Creighton Baughman – 2nd (141)

·        *Tommy Wentz – 2nd (165)

·        *Mason Garcia – 3rd (197)

·        Barret Brandt – 4th (165)

*Automatic national qualifier

Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad tallied 73 team points over the two days. Four Concordia competitors wound up placing inside the top four of their respective weight classes, including GPAC runners up Baughman and Wentz.

“It’s always good to get a few guys to nationals,” Clasen said. “I’m devastated for our guys who had heartbreaking matches today. There were a number of matches we were winning and ended up getting caught. My heart breaks for them, but they’ve done a tremendous amount of work for this program. I really can’t thank them enough. My thoughts are with the seniors. It’s great to have some qualifiers, and you always wish you had a few more.”

While Baughman was an expected national qualifier for the Bulldogs, Garcia and Wentz needed to outperform the conference seedings if they were to earn spots at the national tournament. The Fremont, Neb., native Wentz had not appeared in a match since December prior to the start of the GPAC tournament. His path to the 165-pound title match included wins over Midland’s Trey McDouglad (technical fall), Morningside’s Caden Eggleston (decision) and NAIA No. 17 Zander Ernst (pin) of Morningside. Wentz then dropped a tight decision, 4-2, to 20th-ranked Kaleb Bigelow of Dakota Wesleyan for the title.

The pin of the GPAC’s top seed Ernst will be an achievement Wentz will never forget. “I had to deal with a lot of adversity this season,” Wentz said. “I hadn’t wrestled since before Christmas break. I came out here knowing some people may be tired. I looked at it as an advantage as opposed to a disadvantage. It means a lot (to go to the national tournament), but I’d like to do something at the national tournament, not just go.”

The road for Garcia to get to this point has had twists and turns, but the talent has been there for the Arroyo Grande, Calif., native. He put it together this weekend while defeating DWU’s Colten Hink (major decision), Northwestern’s Kaleb Lind (pin), Briar Cliff’s Christian Balmer (pin) and Jamestown’s NAIA 22nd-ranked Jake Rau (pin). The lone defeat came at the hands of 197-pound GPAC champion Bradley Antesberger of Doane. In a weight class featuring three auto bids to nationals, Garcia secured his spot with the pin of Rau in 1:54.

“I was pretty stoked,” Garcia said. “It’s been a long journey and I’ve finally made it to nationals. It was really special. My whole family came out from California to see that moment. I’m really thankful to my coaches and teammates.”

The Papillion, Neb., senior Baughman reached the GPAC’s 141-pound championship match for the second-straight season. Baughman (31-6) collected two pins on Friday and then edged DWU’s Aric Williams, 5-4, in the semifinals. That result set up a showdown between No. 8 Baughman and No. 19 Taylor Vasquez of Morningside. One takedown was the difference as Vazquez earned the title, 4-2. Baughman came up short of one of his goals, but he’ll regroup and resolve to go deep into the national tournament.

“Silver wasn’t the plan, but ultimately I punched my ticket,” Baughman said. “That’s all that matters. I’ll sharpen some things up and really dial in these next couple of weeks and take advantage of everything I can to make the most of nationals.”

Concordia started Saturday morning with four semifinalists and another six competitors still alive on the back side of their brackets. A semifinalist on the opposite side of the 165-pound bracket as Wentz, freshman Barret Brandt very nearly made it an all-Concordia final in that weight class. In the semis, Brandt trailed Bigelow by a 9-2 score before rallying to knot it while coming within an eyelash of yet another pin. He ultimately dropped a 12-9 decision and wound up in fourth place. Brandt recorded two pins at the GPAC tournament and pushed his school record total to 24.

Other Bulldogs who appeared at the GPAC tournament on Saturday were Grant Wells (133), TJ Allen (149), Jeaven Scdoris (157), Stephen Duffy (174), Hunter Weimer (184) and Clayton Laabs (285). Among them, Allen, Weimer and Laabs claimed one GPAC tournament win apiece. The seniors who finished their careers this weekend included Allen, Duffy, Laabs and Scdoris. Clasen expressed gratitude for the seniors following the tournament.

Wild card selections from the GPAC are pending as Baughman, Garcia and Wentz now gear up for trips to the national stage. Their performances supplied the biggest weekend thrills as Concordia got one last opportunity this season to compete inside Friedrich Arena.

Said Clasen, “With Tommy pinning the No. 1 seed, that was awesome. That’s huge for him. He’s one of those guys who last year lost to his teammate to be able to go to nationals and didn’t get a wild card. It feels right that he gets this chance now. Mason is a guy who has an impressive body of work throughout the course of this season. He’s beaten two ranked guys. We were pretty shocked that he didn’t have a ranking, so him qualifying shows where he’s at. We’re not surprised he’s going to nationals.”

Official national qualifiers will be announced by the NAIA next week. The qualifiers will be headed to Park City, Kan., for the 2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships Feb. 29 – March 2. For more details on the event, visit NAIA.org.

Three Bulldogs officially named to wrestling national qualifying field

February 20, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – The wrestling national qualifying field was officially announced on Tuesday (Feb. 20) by the NAIA. The Concordia University Wrestling program will send three qualifiers to the NAIA Wrestling National Championships to be held in Park City, Kan., Feb. 29 – March 2. The following Bulldogs earned their way to nationals thanks to automatic bids: Creighton Baughman (141), Tommy Wentz (165) and Mason Garcia (197).

The program has now qualified a combined seven competitors for the national tournament over Head Coach Chase Clasen’s first two seasons at the helm. The Papillion, Neb., native Baughman will be headed to the NAIA national stage for the second year in a row. He was also a two-time JUCO All-American during his time at Iowa Western Community College. Baughman went 2-2 at the 2023 NAIA National Championships. Meanwhile, Garcia and Wentz will both make their debuts on the national stage.

Each conference tournament was awarded automatic bids per weight class based on the final regular-season poll, which can be seen HERE. Each conference was awarded automatic berths based on the amount of wrestlers ranked in each weight class. Each conference was awarded a minimum of one automatic bid per weight class, which went to the tournament individual champions, even if the conference did not have any wrestlers ranked in the final regular-season rating.

After the conference tournaments concluded, a 16-member committee consisting of conference raters and oversight members met to select the remaining national at-large qualifiers. In total, 36 student-athletes were selected by at-large classification. The seeding and preliminary brackets will be announced on NAIA.org by 5 p.m. (CST) on Friday, February 23.

For additional information on the 2023 NAIA Men's Wrestling National Championships, click HERE.

Concordia’s 2024 National Qualifiers

141 – Creighton Baughman, Senior
--Season record: 31-6 (12 pins)
--Two-time GPAC runner up
--Two-time NAIA national qualifier
--Two-time JUCO All-American

165 – Tommy Wentz, Junior
--Season record: 12-6 (3 pins)
--2024 GPAC runner up
--First-time NAIA national qualifier

197 – Mason, Garcia, Junior
--Season record: 15-9 (9 pins)
--2024 GPAC third-place finisher
--First-time NAIA national qualifier

Concordia's three national qualifiers honored with All-GPAC awards

February 21, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – The three Bulldogs who were officially named 2024 NAIA Wrestling National Championships qualifiers have also been recognized by the GPAC. On Wednesday (Feb. 21), the conference announced the 2023-24 All-GPAC Wrestling Team that included Conordia’s Creighton Baughman, Mason Garcia and Tommy Wentz. The all-conference teams are made up of 12 first-teamers, 12 second-teamers and six honorable mention choices.

A native of Papillion, Neb., Baughman has been named Second Team All-GPAC for the second-straight year. Now a two-time NAIA national qualifier, Baughman has also placed as the GPAC’s 141-pound runner up in back-to-back years. He will enter the national tournament carrying an overall record of 31-6. Twelve of those wins have ended with a pin. Baughman went a spotless 15-0 in duals this season. Over two years as a Bulldog, Baughman has compiled a record of 56-16. Prior to transferring to Concordia, Baughman earned two JUCO All-America awards at Iowa Western Community College.

A native of Fremont, Neb., Wentz made a splash at this past week’s GPAC Championships as he outperformed his seed in the 165-pound weight class. Wentz advanced to the championship match with three-straight tournament wins, including a pin (1:05) of top-seeded (No. 17 NAIA) Zander Ernst of Morningside. A former York College wrestler, Wentz owns a record of 12-6 on the season and has gone 32-18 over two seasons as a Bulldog. He will make his first career appearance at the national tournament.

Garcia returned to the mat this season with a vengeance and earned his bid to nationals thanks to a third-place GPAC tournament placement at 197 pounds. At the GPAC tournament, Garcia went 4-1 and earned a pin of Jamestown’s 22nd-ranked Jake Rau with third place on the line. Garcia has posted a 15-9 record (6-3 duals) this season and has claimed 46 victories in his collegiate career. The native of Arroyo Grande, Calif., also placed second at this season’s Hastings Open. Like Wentz, Garcia will be a first time national tournament competitor.

Head Coach Chase Clasen will lead Baughman, Garica and Wentz into NAIA Wrestling National Championships action Feb. 29 – March 2. The venue will be Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan. More details about the championships can be found HERE.

Four Bulldogs named to NAIA wrestling Scholar-Athlete list

February 28, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – A group of four Bulldogs represented the Concordia University Wrestling program on the list of 2023-24 NAIA men’s wrestling Scholar-Athletes released on Wednesday (Feb. 28) by the NAIA. Concordia award winners include Creighton Baughman, Stephen Duffy, Henry Gaertner and Anthony Perez. Gaertner and Perez are repeat Scholar-Athlete honorees.

The 2023-24 list of men’s wrestling honorees nationally includes 253 student-athletes. In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, must appear on the eligibility certificate for the sport and have attended one full year at said institution.

Baughman is preparing to take the mat at the 2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships on Thursday. He has qualified for nationals at 141 pounds for the second-straight year. Baughman is studying Biology at Concordia. In addition, Duffy is majoring in Psychology, Gaertner is majoring in Secondary Education and Perez is a Social Science Secondary Education major.

Concordia University ranks as the NAIA’s all-time leader in number of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes with 2,322 entering the 2023-24 academic year. The school record for number of Scholar-Athletes in one academic year is 226 achieved in 2019-20. Concordia has been a regular national leader for both Scholar-Athletes and Scholar-Teams.

2023-24 Concordia Wrestling Scholar-Athletes

·        Creighton Baughman (Papillion, Neb.)

·        Stephen Duffy (Kenesaw, Neb.)

·        Henry Gaertner (Royal Oak, Mich.)

·        Anthony Perez (Redondo Beach, Calif.)

Baughman extends season, three Bulldogs take NAIA national stage

February 29, 2024

PARK CITY, Kan. – Three Bulldogs made their way onto the national stage on Thursday (Feb. 29) as part of the 2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships. At 141 pounds, Creighton Baughman kept his season alive by going 2-1. Meanwhile, first-time qualifiers Tommy Wentz and Mason Garcia saw their tournament runs conclude on the opening day of action at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan.

The three Concordia qualifiers earned their way to nationals via automatic berths. The program has qualified seven individuals for the national tournament over Head Coach Chase Clasen’s first two seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs.

A two-time JUCO All-American, the Papillion, Neb., native Baughman is hoping to reach the podium in his second trip to the NAIA national tournament. Seeded 10th in his weight class, Baughman (33-7) started his day by dominating Elijah Griffin of Cumberland University (Tenn.) in a major decision, 14-1. In round two, Baughman fell by a 5-1 decision at the hands of seventh-seeded Cade Manion of Oklahoma City University. The loss put Baughman in a must-win bout that evening, and he came through by quickly pinning Carson Coy of Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) in 1:33. The pin marked the 13th of the season for Baughman, who owns 98 career collegiate wins between his time at Concordia and Iowa Western.

In their first tastes of the NAIA national tournament, Wentz and Garcia faced especially stiff competition. At 165 pounds, Wentz was defeated by technical fall and by fall while up against the eighth and seventh seeds, respectively, in the 165-pound weight class. At 197, Garcia found himself on his back as he went head-to-head against the NAIA’s Nos. 5 and 11 seeds in his class. Both Garcia and Wentz are juniors who will look to learn from their experiences as they look ahead to 2024-25. Wentz placed as the GPAC’s runner up at 165 while Garcia placed third in the conference at 197.

Baughman will continue to fight for his tournament life when the action resumes on Friday morning. Two more wins would make Baughman an All-American. First up on Friday, Baughman will draw No. 2 seed Logan Wagner of Marian University (Ind.).

For information on how to follow live coverage of the NAIA Wrestling National Championships, check out the tournament preview linked HERE.

Concordia wrestlers at NAIA National Championships

141 – Creighton Baughman

·        Won by major decision over Elijah Griffin (Cumberland), 14-1

·        Lost by decision to No. 7 Cade Manion (Oklahoma City), 5-1

·        Won by fall over Carson Coy (Embry-Riddle), 1:33

165 – Tommy Wentz

·        Lost by tech fall to No. 8 Matt Jenkins (Reinhardt), 15-0

·        Lost by fall to No. 7 Braeden Baller (Texas Wesleyan), 2:06

197 – Mason Garcia

·        Lost by fall to No. 5 Sawyer Hobbs (Providence), 1:53

·        Lost by fall to No. 11 Curtis Thomas (Reinhardt), 2:02

Baughman national tournament run wraps up on day two

March 1, 2024

PARK CITY, Kan. – It’s been a fine two-year run as a Bulldog for Creighton Baughman, who added to his resume with two wins at the 2024 NAIA Wrestling National Championships. The second day (March 1) of the national tournament marked the end of the season for the Concordia University Wrestling program, which was represented by three individuals at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan.

The 2023-24 campaign for Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad included eight dual wins and conference place finishes of fifth in the tournament and sixth in the regular season. Growth was shown as the Bulldogs now look towards the future while also expressing gratitude towards the seniors.

“Of course there’s some disappointment when you’re coming home empty-handed,” Clasen said. “But at the end of the day, I’m super proud of each and every one of those guys. Making it to nationals is a very, very big deal. I don’t want any of them walking away from this tournament thinking any less of themselves. Within the community, we know what kind of people they are. They should walk away feeling happy and satisfied with what they have accomplished.”

The Papillion, Neb., native Baughman entered the day needing two more wins in order to claim a spot on the podium at 141 pounds. The immediate roadblock was second-seeded Logan Wagner of Marian University (Ind.), who met Baughman in consolation round three of the bracket. Wagner walked away with a 15-2 major decision in eliminating Baughman. An exemplary member of the program, Baughman will be missed for his ability on the mat in addition to his leadership.

Baughman won 98 matches between his exploits at Concordia and Iowa Western Community College. He finished the 2023-24 season at 33-8 overall after posting two wins at the 2024 NAIA Championships. Baughman twice placed as the GPAC runner up at 141 and twice reached the NAIA national tournament. Said Clasen, “I thank Creighton for everything he’s done for this program. Having him here has made everyone in our program better. We all know he’s going to be great in his future endeavors.”

Tommy Wentz (165) and Mason Garcia (197) appeared at the national tournament on Thursday. Their results are listed below. Both juniors, Garcia and Wentz now have a taste for what the atmosphere is like on the national stage. Both will be counted upon as leaders in the room in 2024-25.

“It’ll be nice to have two guys coming back who were national qualifiers,” Clasen said. “We just have to continue to get better and develop and get more guys to nationals. Hopefully they can all accomplish their goals next season.”

Concordia wrestlers at 2024 NAIA National Championships

141 – Creighton Baughman

·        Won by major decision over Elijah Griffin (Cumberland), 14-1

·        Lost by decision to No. 7 Cade Manion (Oklahoma City), 5-1

·        Won by fall over Carson Coy (Embry-Riddle), 1:33

·        Lost by major decision to No. 2 Logan Wagner (Marian), 15-2

165 – Tommy Wentz

·        Lost by tech fall to No. 8 Matt Jenkins (Reinhardt), 15-0

·        Lost by fall to No. 7 Braeden Baller (Texas Wesleyan), 2:06

197 – Mason Garcia

·        Lost by fall to No. 5 Sawyer Hobbs (Providence), 1:53

·        Lost by fall to No. 11 Curtis Thomas (Reinhardt), 2:02

Three Bulldogs recognized by NWCA as 2024 Scholar All-Americans

March 19, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – Three Bulldogs represented the Concordia University Wrestling program on the honor roll released on Tuesday (March 19) by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). The organization recognized Creighton Baughman, Bryson Bussinger and Stephen Duffy as 2024 NAIA Scholar All-Americans. Baughman has earned the distinction for the second-straight year while Bussinger and Duffy have earned the academic award for the first time.

In order to receive the NWCA Scholar All-American award, student-athletes must meet one of the following criteria:

·        Must have a 3.0 GPA and be a 2023 NAIA All-American

·        Must have a 3.25 GPA and be a 2023 NAIA Qualifier

·        Must have a 3.5 GPA if they did not qualify for NAIA Nationals. MUST also have competed in at least 5 contests or the National Qualifying Conference Tournament.

A native of Papillion, Neb., Baughman has enjoyed an impressive two-year run in the Concordia singlet. He went 33-8 overall this past season, placed as the GPAC 141-pound runner up and qualified for the NAIA national tournament for a second-consecutive season. Furthermore, Baughman went a spotless 15-0 in duals and recorded a combined 98 college wins between his experiences at Concordia and Iowa Western Community College. Baughman is a two-time NAIA national qualifier and two-time GPAC All-Conference award winner. Creighton is a Biology major and a Master of Healthcare Administration student.

Bussinger and Duffy were also regulars in the Bulldog lineup in 2023-24. A freshman from Cozad, Neb., Bussinger went 10-14 in his first collegiate season. Bussinger competed at 125 pounds at the GPAC tournament. He is a Secondary Education (History) major. One of seven seniors in the program, Duffy went 13-11 on the mat this season. He competed at 174 pounds at the conference tournament while wrapping his career as a Bulldog. Duffy also went 15-10 during the 2022-23 season. He is a Psychology major.

Head Coach Chase Clasen’s program also landed four individuals on the 2024 NAIA Scholar-Athlete list: Baughman, Duffy, Henry Gaertner and Anthony Perez.

Season-In-Review: 2023-24 Concordia Wrestling

March 20, 2024

When peeling back the layers that made up the 2023-24 Concordia University Wrestling season, the program’s progress becomes more evident. Led by the example of senior Creighton Baughman, the Bulldogs made incremental gains while helping lay the foundation for future success under Head Coach Chase Clasen. There’s a hunger and a thirst for me in the aftermath of a national tournament featuring three Concordia competitors.

Clasen has completed two seasons at the helm of the program. As part of the vision for the future, Clasen expects to see Bulldogs ascending to the All-America podium. Important steps towards that vision were made this winter.

Says Clasen of the signs of progress, “A big one is our total amount of wins as a team. It was significantly higher. Our win rate was higher. Our bonus point percentage from major decisions, tech falls and pins was significantly higher. We preach in our program to go out there and get bonus points and score as many points as possible. That was really good to see. It means that guys are competing at a higher level. There were a lot of tournaments where we took 15 or more guys, and that was a rare thing for us the previous year. In every category, we moved in the right direction.”

When the dust settled, Concordia turned in 2023-24 conference place finishes of sixth in the regular season and fifth at the GPAC tournament. In addition, the Bulldogs went 8-7 overall in duals and placed 35th at the NAIA National Championships. Concordia was represented at the national tournament in Park City, Kan., by Baughman (141), Mason Garcia (197) and Tommy Wentz (165). A former JUCO All-American at Iowa Western Community College, Baughman completed an impressive two-year run as a Bulldog with a 33-8 record in 2023-24 and freshman Barret Brandt raised eyebrows with a school record 24 pins.

The addition of Baughman as a transfer (prior to the 2022-23 season) was a major jolt to the program in ways that will likely continue to be felt even as the Papillion, Neb., native moves on to the next chapter of his life. Baughman qualified for nationals in both of his seasons in the Bulldog singlet and captured 98 combined wins between his stays at Concordia and Iowa Western. Beyond the results on the mat, Baughman showed what an exemplary student-athlete looks like.

“He’s a very softspoken dude. It’s hard not to listen to him when he does talk,” Clasen said. “There were times this year when he spoke up, and that was huge for our team. One time that sticks out to me was at the Avila Duals. We had lost our first two duals and he ended up speaking up to the team. The message was to forget it and go out and wrestle your matches. It inspired our team, and we went on a three-match winning streak. It’s one thing to hear it from the coaches, but it’s different when it comes from that type of guy. Everyone really respects Creighton. He’s just a perfect representation of the type of athlete we want to mold our guys into. He shows up to class, does all of his homework and does all his work off the mat. He works hard and never has a gripe about what we’re doing. He’s a perfect representation of the characteristics we’re looking for.”

A rookie out of Syracuse, Neb., Brandt became the program’s new record holder for pins in a single season (previous standard of 21 by Alex Stepanek) on the same night that the Bulldogs celebrated their senior class. The 165-pounder Brandt came within an eyelash of earning an automatic bid to the national tournament. He nailed down pin Nos. 23 and 24 as part of a fourth-place finish at the conference tournament. There’s a bright future ahead for Brandt.

“You’re always hopeful that something like that will happen,” Clasen said. “To do that at such a young age – I don’t think any of us thought that would be the case. We were hoping. He’s a unique wrestler where he’s always seeking a fall, which is amazing. It makes my job a lot easier as a coach. I wish everybody wrestled like that. I think he needs to work on holding his position a little bit better, but he’s always looking for the fall. I can’t say that when we recruited him, we thought he would go out there and get 24 pins this season. I can’t say that.”

The national tournament appearances for Garcia (Arroyo Grande, Calif.) and Wentz (Fremont, Neb.) were feel-good stories as both reached the national stage for the first time in their careers. Meanwhile, Concordia celebrated the careers of seven seniors: TJ Allen, Baughman, Stephen Duffy, CJ Laabs, Dontario Norwood, Anthony Perez and Jeaven Scdoris. The likes of Allen, Baughman, Duffy and Scdoris were regulars in the dual lineup throughout the season.

From a dual perspective, one of the season’s more thrilling moments occurred at the Avila Duals in December when the Bulldogs knocked off 18th-ranked Baker University (Kan.), 28-23. The outcome came down to the heavyweight bout where Laabs pinned his counterpart. Other winners in that dual for Concordia were Grant Wells at 133, Baughman at 141, Brandt at 165, Duffy at 174 and Garret Moser at 184.

Among season highlights, it was hard to top the memorable wins for Garcia and Wentz inside Friedrich Arena at the GPAC tournament. While hosting the conference championships for the first time since 2016, Concordia Athletics put on a first-class event. The fireworks came when Wentz pinned the GPAC’s top seed at 165, Morningside’s 17th-ranked Zander Ernst, and Garcia wiped out Jamestown’s 22nd-ranked Jake Rau via fall.

“Qualifying for nationals is a big deal,” Clasen said. “We don’t get free walks to nationals. That’s how we like it. You should have to earn it. They went out and did it. We’re developing guys. They’re not just getting to nationals because they have a number next to their name. Our guys earn it the hard way. It’s a testament to their hard work. Both of those guys were upset with how they did at nationals, but they can’t hang their heads. To be a national qualifier puts you in the one percent. Now they want to be All-Americans. They’re working their butts off to make it happen.”

Another individual hoping to reach lofty heights next March is the Lincoln Lutheran product Grant Wells. He posted 20 wins as a sophomore this past season and will step into a larger leadership role in the room in 2024-25. Said Clasen of Wells, “He’s a guy I’m going to be relying on as a leader like what Creighton was doing. That’s going to be his role from now on. I’m going to be relying on him to be a little more vocal. That’s something we’re missing right now. We have a lot of guys who walk the walk, but we also need some who talk the talk. He’s going to be in a position to be a mentor for younger guys next season.”

The program began its offseason in early March and will continue to emphasize time in the weight room through the spring semester. The Bulldogs have been coming in regularly at 6 a.m. for workouts since the end of the season. Clasen and assistant coach Tyree Cox continue to put the finishing touches on next season’s roster while working to wrap up the incoming recruiting class. Clasen likes the combination of state qualifiers, state place finishers and transfers that will join the program.

April through October are the behind-the-scenes months for collegiate wrestling. It’s a time when the best wrestlers can separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

“If you want to be the best, you have to be doing what the best are doing and the best are training year-round,” Clasen said. “This isn’t a thing where you punch a clock once the season starts. It’s something we’ve been talking about since the season ended. It’s a championship lifestyle and that involves doing the right things off the mat. Don’t do anything that’s going to get you in trouble or reflect poorly on the program. You have to show up, do your lifts and all those things. Focusing on academics is a huge part of it. You have to go out there and actually live that championship style. It’s one thing to say, but you have to live it.”

Baughman honored by CSC as Academic All-District award winner

June 25, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – In a release made public on Tuesday (June 25) by College Sports Communicators (CSC), Concordia University Wrestling student-athlete Creighton Baughman was named as a selection to the 2023-24 Academic All-District® At-Large Team. The at-large category includes standout student-athletes in various intercollegiate sports, including men’s wrestling. Baughman has garnered this particular distinction for the first time in his career.

The 2023-24 Academic All-District® At-Large Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Student-athletes must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher in order to be nominated for this award. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA — for each gender.

A native of Papillion, Neb., Baughman graduated from Concordia this past May with a degree in Biology. He starred on the mat as a two-year Bulldog and twice reached the NAIA National Championships. In addition, Baughman twice earned Second Team All-GPAC awards, twice placed as the GPAC 141-pound runner up and compiled a record of 58-18 with 18 pins while wearing the Concordia singlet. Academically, Baughman has also been lauded as a Scholar All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and an NAIA Scholar-Athlete. Prior to transferring to Concordia, Baughman was a two-time All-American at Iowa Western Community College.

At-Large Academic All-America® honorees will be announced by CSC on July 16-17. The women’s honorees will be revealed on July 16 with men’s award winners to be unveiled the following day.

Baughman selected as 2023-24 Academic All-American by CSC

July 17, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – One final award for the 2023-24 season came the way of Concordia University Wrestling standout Creighton Baughman. The recent graduate was named a 2023-24 Second Team Academic All-America® At-Large Team award winner on Wednesday (July 17) by College Sports Communicators. Baughman was upgraded to All-America status after having been named Academic All-District on June 25.

The 2023-24 Academic All-America® At-Large Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Student-athletes must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher in order to be nominated for this award. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA — for each gender.

A native of Papillion, Neb., Baughman graduated from Concordia this past May with a degree in Biology. He starred on the mat as a two-year Bulldog and twice reached the NAIA National Championships. In addition, Baughman twice earned Second Team All-GPAC awards, twice placed as the GPAC 141-pound runner up and compiled a record of 58-18 with 18 pins while wearing the Concordia singlet. Academically, Baughman has also been lauded as a Scholar All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and an NAIA Scholar-Athlete. Prior to transferring to Concordia, Baughman was a two-time All-American at Iowa Western Community College.

Baughman awards in 2023-24:

·        CSC Academic All-District / Second Team Academic All-America

·        NAIA National Qualifier

·        GPAC 141-pound runner up / Second Team All-GPAC

·        NWCA Scholar All-American

·        NAIA Scholar-Athlete