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.
Both Mario Ybarra and Jacob Telles are making preparations for a return trip to Hartman Arena, site of the NAIA Wrestling National Championships. The Concordia Wrestling program has had at least one All-American in eight-straight years.
A trio of Bulldogs represented Concordia Wrestling with 2021-22 all-conference accolades. Mario Ybarra collected the fourth All-GPAC honor of his career while Issiah Burks and Jacob Telles were also recognized.
When all was settled, Concordia emerged from the GPAC Championships with two national qualifiers in Jacob Telles and Mario Ybarra. The latter reached the 133-pound title match while helping the Bulldogs place sixth as a team.
On the opening day of the GPAC Wrestling Championships, four Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals of their respective brackets while nine total Concordia competitors remain alive heading into day two.
Twelve Bulldogs will take to the mats in Mitchell, S.D., on Friday and Saturday for the 2022 GPAC Wrestling Championships. The Concordia roster includes returning national qualifiers in Mario Ybarra and Jacob Telles.
In the final event of the regular season, six Bulldogs combined to claim seven wins as part of the Dave Edmonds Sioux City Invitational on Saturday (Feb. 5). Anthony Perez took sixth place at 157 pounds.
Issiah Burks and Mario Ybarra got a proper sendoff on Thursday (Feb. 3) as they both claimed victories on senior night. Their contributions helped the Bulldogs defeat York, 31-9, in the final dual of the 2021-22 season.
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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