Despite finishing last season in third place in the GPAC, the Concordia Wrestling program landed at No. 6 in the official 2023-24 GPAC preseason poll. A total of eight Bulldogs were ranked individually at the conference level.
The GPAC Championships will return to Seward this winter as Concordia Wrestling looks to build upon a solid first season under head coach Chase Clasen. The 2023-24 campaign will get started with a visit from Midland.
For their work in the classroom, Creighton Baughman and Jose Sanchez have been recognized as 2023 NAIA Scholar All-Americans by the NWCA. Both Bulldogs contributed heavily to a 2022-23 team that tied the program record for GPAC dual wins.
Concordia Wrestling made a statement in the way that it exceeded expectations in 2022-23. In Chase Clasen's first season as head coach, the Bulldogs shrugged off their preseason GPAC placement of sixth and equaled a school record for dual wins in a season.
Faced with difficult draws, the Bulldogs gave it their best shot at the 2023 NAIA Wrestling National Championships. All four Concordia wrestlers were eliminated. As Coach Clasen stated, the results were disappointing, but the effort was not.
Due to their maintaining a cumulative grade-point average above 3.5, Henry Gaertner, Anthony Perez and Jose Sanchez have been recognized as 2022-23 NAIA Wrestling Scholar Athletes.
Four Bulldogs will represent Concordia Wrestling at the 2023 NAIA Wrestling National Championships. Creighton Baughman, Issiah Burks, Logan Davidson and Tavoris Smith will vie for spots on the podium in Park City, Kansas.
The trials, the tribulations and six years of grinding made Issiah Burks' stunningly dominant GPAC championship run that much sweeter. The Hemet, Calif., native has seized his one last chance to reach the national championships.
The Concordia Wrestling program's four national qualifiers have also been named 2023 All-GPAC award winners. All-conference accolades went to Creighton Baughman, Issiah Burks, Logan Davidson and Tavoris Smith.
Via automatic bids earned at the GPAC Championships, four Concordia wrestlers were officially announced as 2023 NAIA national qualifiers. The Bulldogs will send Creighton Baughman, Issiah Burks, Logan Davidson and Tavoris Smith to Wichita.
When peeling back the layers that made up the 2023-24 Concordia University Wrestling season, the program’s progress becomes more evident. The Bulldogs believe they have laid a foundation for future success.
Tattooed just above Creighton Baughman’s right knee is the word “SAVED” in all caps. Says the accomplished Baughman, "'Saved' was always the word that came to mind when I think of the transformation that finding new faith has done for me."
After surprising many outsiders last season, Concordia Wrestling believes it is equipped for greater successes in 2023-24 as Head Coach Chase Clasen enters his second year leading the program. National qualifier Creighton Baughman sets the tone in the room.
Concordia Wrestling made a statement in the way that it exceeded expectations in 2022-23. In Chase Clasen's first season as head coach, the Bulldogs shrugged off their preseason GPAC placement of sixth and equaled a school record for dual wins in a season.
The trials, the tribulations and six years of grinding made Issiah Burks' stunningly dominant GPAC championship run that much sweeter. The Hemet, Calif., native has seized his one last chance to reach the national championships.
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.
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.
All-American Mario Ybarra and GPAC champion Jacob Telles return to form the backbone of a Concordia Wrestling program now led by first-year Head Coach Myron Bradbury. Bradbury has the task of bringing along a young team.
It wasn't always easy in 2020-21 considering all that the program dealt with, but the season may have been an important one for growth and reflection. It also ended with Mario Ybarra on the podium.
In terms of athletic and academic achievement, Mario Ybarra stands out among Bulldogs who make up a perennially strong wrestling program. He's ready to take the lead and make another big step forward.