The Concordia head coaching debut for Chase Clasen started with a bang as 125-pounder Grant Wells earned a pin. That performance helped spark the Bulldogs to a 28-17 win over Midland in the season opening dual.
The 2022-23 season will get going with a GPAC dual right out of the gate. The Bulldogs will be in Fremont on Tuesday to take on Midland. Concordia won last season's matchup with the Warriors, 32-18, in Seward.
Based on the cumulative individual point totals, the Bulldogs are ranked sixth in the GPAC while garnering 14 points toward the NAIA coaches' poll. At 141 pounds, Iowa Western transfer Creighton Baughman is ranked No. 12 nationally.
Head Coach Chase Clasen has entered the picture after the Bulldogs placed sixth at the GPAC tournament in back-to-back years. The 2022-23 roster features veterans with something to prove and a talented group of newcomers.
The Concordia debut for Head Coach Chase Clasen will take place Nov. 1 with a GPAC dual right out of the gate. The 2022-23 schedule will feature seven regular season tournaments, eight GPAC duals and the Concordia Bulldog Duals.
The accomplished Mario Ybarra is now a three-time NWCA Scholar All-American and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree. Ybarra earned the latest honor after a strong senior season on the mat and in the classroom.
A three-time NAIA national qualifier, Mario Ybarra has also been named a Scholar All-American by the NWCA for a third time. Ybarra finished his career with 76 wins as a Bulldog, making him the fourth winningest wrestler in program history.
A former All-American wrestler at an NCAA Division II school in Nebraska, Chase Clasen is set for a return to the state. Clasen has been named Head Coach of Concordia Wrestling after most recently serving as Interim Head Coach at North Idaho College.
For Concordia Wrestling, the past couple of seasons have been about following the lead of standouts Mario Ybarra and Jacob Telles and building towards a return to conference supremacy. The Bulldogs believe they made steps forward this winter.
The season came to a conclusion on Friday (March 4) for Mario Ybarra and Jacob Telles, Concordia's two national qualifiers. Both Bulldogs picked up one win before being eliminated from the 2022 NAIA Wrestling National Championships.
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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