2023 NAIA The Season: Texas Wesleyan

 

To see a program in Texas, made up of Texans competing at a competitive level of collegiate wrestling is almost surreal. Something I hope to say about Mississippi within 10-15 years. The growth has just been exponential and I think within due time I will live to see a day when there is NCAA Division I wrestling in the state. Very thankful to see the NAIA programs as well as the NCAA DII programs & the NCWA clubs. It's great to see wrestling in so many areas where it was not.   The Rams put 7 of their wrestlers into the Sooner Athletic Conference finals. Even though the conference is only four teams (will actually be five this season) that is still saying something to qualify 7 members of your roster to the NAIA championships.  

149 lbs
Brady Earhart 

Sophomore Brady Earhart put together a pretty respectable 18-13 record earning SAC runner-up honors in his first season as a Ram last year. The sophomore should improve upon his record and make another NAIA showing. 

157 lbs
Austin Loza 

Another young wrestler on the team, Austin Loza is yet another Ram who made the SAC finals last season as a freshman. 

165 lbs
Braeden Baller 

Going right up on the line, Braeden Baller is yet another sophomore who made the SAC finals last season. 

197 lbs
DeAndre Rucker 

The sole upperclassmen, the two time SAC champion Junior DeAndre Rucker should lead his Army of talented sophomores this season. Not only will he look for a third conference title, but if anyone on the Ram squad is going to earn All American honors, here is where I would look. 

HWT
Emmett Bivens 

Emmett Bivens was the only wrestler in his bracket for the SAC championships, so I don't know how much stock I would put into winning a conference title here. What I would put stock into is that he had a respectable enough freshman season to earn a spot at the NAIA championships.  With Rucker in the room with him, I would imagine it'll only continue to make him better. That is of course if the 197 lbs'er is practicing/training with the HWT. Pure speculation on my part. I know some coaching staffs have the 197'ers practice/train with the HWTs and some don't.