For the second tournament in a row, Mario Ybarra earned a place finish while leading the 19th-ranked Bulldogs at UNK's annual tournament. Concordia wrestlers combined for 21 wins.
Michael Stann and Mario Ybarra led the way by pinning their opponents as part of a 29-10 GPAC dual win over Northwestern on Friday (Nov. 15). Concordia won seven of 10 matches over the Red Raiders.
The GPAC dual season will get underway on Friday when Concordia hosts Northwestern inside Walz Arena. The Bulldogs are 33-4 in conference duals over the previous five seasons.
The 18th-ranked Concordia wrestling team began its 2019-20 season by claiming three place finishes and 29 victories at the Dakota Wesleyan Open on Saturday (Nov. 9).
Four national qualifiers, including GPAC champion Deandre Chery, return for a Concordia wrestling program coming off a co-GPAC dual title in 2019. Levi Calhoun enters his season season as head coach.
Tyree Cox has been announced as new assistant coach for the Concordia wrestling program. Cox joins a team guided by head coach Levi Calhoun, who steered the Bulldogs to a share of the GPAC dual title in 2018-19.
Winner of GPAC titles in four of the past five seasons, the Concordia wrestling program has announced its schedule for 2019-20. The slate features five home duals, a trip to Las Vegas and seven regular-season tournaments.
A regular in the top 10 of the NWCA scholar team list, the 2018-19 Bulldogs checked in at No. 6 among all NAIA programs. Individually, senior Walker Fisher was honored as a Scholar All-American by the NWCA.
It was a big season for the likes of Deandre Chery, Alberto Garcia and Michael Stann, who helped lead the Bulldogs to a GPAC dual title in 2018-19. Garcia then found his way onto the All-America podium.
Walker Fisher and Darrin Miller represented the Concordia wrestling program with NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, as announced on March 1. Fisher was also a national qualifier.
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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