With day one in the books, the 16th-ranked Bulldogs have ownership of first place at the GPAC Wrestling Championship. Nine Concordia grapplers have advanced to the conference semifinals.
With one trophy in hand, the Bulldogs hope to carry over their dual success into the postseason. Concordia will take 12 wrestlers to the GPAC championships hosted by Morningside on Friday and Saturday.
Head Coach Levi Calhoun wanted his guys to have some fun on Thursday (Feb. 6) evening. They did just that. The Bulldogs recorded four pins and blanked Bethany, 50-0, on senior night.
The final dual of the 2019-20 season will take place Thursday when the Bulldogs host Bethany College. Concordia is 5-0 at home this season. With one more win, Levi Calhoun's squad would tie a program record for dual wins in a season.
For the third time this season, Tanner Farmer has been named the GPAC Wrestler of the Week. He earned the award after winning the 285-pound title at the Sioux City Dave Edmonds Open with a 5-0 mark.
A group of 12 Bulldogs combined for three place finishes and 23 wins (10 by pin) at the Sioux City Dave Edmonds Open on Saturday (Feb. 1). Tanner Farmer captured his third tournament title this season.
Once again, the Concordia wrestling program has earned the label as undefeated and outright GPAC champion. While hosting a triangular on Thursday (Jan. 30), the Bulldogs defeated Dakota Wesleyan and York.
With at least a share of the GPAC regular-season title already in hand, the 20th-ranked Bulldogs will host Dakota Wesleyan and York on Thursday in a triangular. Concordia hopes to wrap up the outright GPAC championship.
The Concordia wrestling program claimed another GPAC title on Saturday (Jan. 25) by going 4-0 at the GPAC Duals hosted by Doane. The Bulldogs defeated Hastings, Jamestown, Briar Cliff and Doane.
Half of the GPAC dual schedule will unfold on Saturday on the Doane campus in Crete. The Bulldogs will go up against Hastings, Jamestown, Briar Cliff and Doane while making a GPAC title push.
Rarely, if ever, has success been set on a tee for Jerry Stepps III to smash out of the ballpark. Rather, it’s been quite the opposite in some cases. It never stopped Jerry from dreaming big or making it big as a senior.
Ceron Francisco will go down as an all-time great Bulldog for the way he has handled himself on and off the mat. A national runner up back in March, Ceron is headed to Charlottesville to join the Cavalier Wrestling Club.
Kirk Kaliszewski and two other national qualifiers return for a wrestling program looking to continue a run of GPAC dominance and national prominence. The Bulldogs will have a different look with 18 newcomers.
In the first season of head coach Andrew Nicola's tenure, the Concordia wrestling program maintained its perch atop the conference and the senior class went out in style.
Ceron Francisco has gone from a fascination – largely because of his stature and physical appearance separated him – to an obvious fan favorite and to one of the most respected student-athletes at Concordia.
This isn’t exactly the way Ken Burkhardt Jr. planned it. First recruited to Concordia as a linebacker on the football team, Burkhardt Jr. has become an accomplished wrestler and owner of the most wins in program history.
As Kodie Cole himself puts it, "I might have a little different story than others." There's a lot of story left to be told for Cole, who has taken a winding path to being ranked No. 1 in the nation at 133 pounds.
Concordia University wrestling has a new leader in Andrew Nicola, but expectations remain sky high. Behind a talented senior class, the Bulldogs are again the favorite in the GPAC and in the region.
Andrew Nicola, most recently an assistant coach at California Baptist University, has been hired as head wrestling coach at Concordia University. He takes the place of former head coach Dana Vote.
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