The GPAC office announced the All-GPAC wrestling team Wednesday. Eight Bulldog wrestlers received an all-conference honor, including Andrew Schulte who was named the GPAC Wrestler of the Year. Head coach Dana Vote was named GPAC Wrestling Coach of the Year title.
The Concordia University wrestling team’s list of NAIA national qualifiers grew to 10 on Monday with the news that Tommy Bailey and Travian Cooke were added to the championships field.
Concordia wrestling has staked its claim as champion of the NAIA North Qualifying Group for the second-straight season. Four individuals represented the Bulldogs with titles.
Concordia wrestling will make history on Saturday when it hosts a national qualifying event for the first time in program annals. Action from the 2016 NAIA North National Qualifier is set to begin at 9 a.m. CT.
“Don’t dwell on the results. Stay focused on the process.” That’s the company line continually regurgitated by members of the Concordia wrestling program. It’s that sort of attitude that has provided a foundation for the Bulldogs’ reversal of fortunes.
The GPAC wrestler of the week award has lived at Concordia in 2016. The Bulldogs have garnered six of the last seven GPAC weekly wrestling honors.
In yet another dominant outing in the conference, No. 7 Concordia clinched its second-straight GPAC dual title by way of a 32-7 win over Morningside on Feb. 11, 2016.
No. 8 Concordia can extend its GPAC win streak to 14 and earn the outright conference dual title by defeating Morningside on Thursday. The home dual is set to begin at 7 p.m. CT.
For the fifth time in six weeks, a Concordia wrestler has earned GPAC weekly recognition. All-American Andrew Schulte has won three GPAC weekly awards in 2016.
Concordia recorded two wins by pin, two by technical fall and two by major decision in its latest domination of a GPAC opponent. The Bulldogs defeated Hastings, 39-10, on Saturday.
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.
- ← Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3 (current)
- 4
- Next →