It was a tough second day at the NAIA National Championship for Concordia Wrestling. All nine Bulldogs have been eliminated from the field. Barret Brandt highlighted the day with his 50th career pin.
Five of the nine Bulldogs who made their way to the Wichita area remain alive in their respective brackets at the conclusion of day one at the NAIA Championships. Hagen Heistand and Paul Ruff have advanced to the quarterfinals.
Nine Bulldogs are making final preparations for competition at the 2026 NAIA Wrestling National Championships. On Feb. 27, the NAIA announced preliminary national tournament brackets.
Josh Watts was voted the GPAC Coach of the Year while eight Bulldogs landed on the 2025-26 GPAC All-Conference honor roll. The group includes first teamers Hagen Heistand, Cal Price and Paul Ruff.
Now a two-time NAIA national qualifier, Cole Price has been named a 2025-26 NAIA Scholar-Athlete. Price placed third at 165 pounds at the 2026 GPAC Championships.
Concordia put six wrestlers in the finals and emerged with two GPAC titles while placing second as a team at the 2026 GPAC Championships. Championships were won by Hagen Heistand and Cal Price.
Nine Bulldogs marched to the semifinals of the respective brackets on day one of the 2026 GPAC Wrestling Championships. Heading into session II, Concordia sits in second place in the team standings.
Twenty-five auto bids to the national tournament will be up for grabs at the 2026 GPAC Wrestling Championships hosted by Northwestern. The Bulldogs will seek to improve upon their third place conference finish in 2025.
Concordia dominated GPAC Day of Duals No. 2, wiping out Northwestern, Morningside and Dakota Wesleyan by a combined score of 109-27. The Bulldogs secured second place in the final GPAC regular season standings.
A conference regular season champion will be crowned this weekend at GPAC Day of Duals No. 2. As part of the event, the Bulldogs will take on Northwestern, Morningside and Dakota Wesleyan.
Featured StoryThis 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.
- Featured Story
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.
Featured StoryConcordia 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.
- Featured Story
- Featured Story
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.
- Featured Story
The 2015-16 season was another step forward for the Concordia wrestling program, which finished eighth at the national championships and again dominated the GPAC.
- Featured Story
Said Schulte of his national title, "It made sense to me why I sacrificed and trained so many hours of hard work for a moment of being No. 1. That was special to me." Read on for more of Schulte's thoughts.
Featured StoryJunior Andrew Schulte made history on Saturday, becoming the first Bulldog ever to win a national title. As a team Concordia placed eighth at the national championships.
Featured StoryWithout even visiting campus, Jr Lule arrived at Concordia, a place where California junior college transfers like himself have thrived. Lule now enters the national championships on a roll.
- Featured Story
“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.
