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| 125 |
Three-time KCAC finalist & two-time KCAC champion Brody Gee, who was 7th in the NAIA nation last year will be our obvious favorite here in Kansas City this weekend. The KCAC is only taking the champion, and I don't see much hope for a wildcard here.
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| 133 |
Our chances of an all Spire final here at 133 lbs are pretty good. Freddie Barajas a two-time KCAC champion will be looking for his third title this weekend. The senior has proven he's one of the top wrestlers in the 133 lbs weight class yet to be an All American. One match shy last year, he's taken 3rd at the Falcon Invitational & 2nd at Oppenheim. Teammate Roman De La Cruz, has had himself a pretty good season as well, placing 6th at the prestigious Missouri Valley Invitational. Look for Kolby Encinas to give De La Cruz a run for his $$ in the semi-finals & if he is to come up short there, to come back and finish a strong 3rd.
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| #2 Hartwell Taylor Saint Mary 141 |
This guy may have very well been King Midas in another life, because all this Spire touches seems to turn to gold. A KCAC champ last year, an NAIA champ last year & a Missouri Valley Invitational champ this year, Hartwell Taylor is far from done in collecting gold. He'll collect some this weekend.
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| U.R. Gunnar Henderson Friends 149 |
There are no ranked wrestlers at 149 lbs within the KCAC, so I suppose it sort of becomes a free for all. If you're asking me who I think might walk out of here with the title & the sole allocation, I'm going to place my bets on Gunnar Henderson. He was a runner-up last year.
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| 157 |
I imagine Coach Carr probably read the first paragraph of this article and thought to himself, "Yeah!?!?!? We'll be bringing home gold at 157!!" And I'm going to have to agree. Noah Smith has looked mighty tough this season, really shining at the Missouri Valley Invitational where he took an impressive 4th. He'll have challenge this weekend though. Josey Jernegan was a runner-up here last year & Ezavian Oretega looks to improve upon his 4th place finish.
165 - Is going to be a surprise to me. I went through my notebook of tournaments and duals, and there's just not anyone that's sticking out to me as the clear favorite to win the 165 lbs KCAC title & punch their ticket to the NAIA national championships.
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| 174 |
I tell you what. When you try and keep up with NJCAA, NAIA, NCAA DIII, NCAA DII & NCAA DI as well as I keep up with them, you are bound to miss things here and there. I don't know when exactly Nolan Saale became a part of the Saint Mary Spire wrestling program. I know at the beginning of the season, I wrote about him as a returning Central Missouri Mule, one match shy of NCAA DII qualification. He's still not listed on the Saint Mary wrestling roster & my mind isn't as sharp as it once was, but I want to say that he may have transferred after the '24-'25 season started. That I don't know for sure.
What I do know, is that he has wrestled well enough to earn a respectable #14 ranking & I also know that he was recently pinned in 6:15 by likely finals opponent Benedict Holthaus of Friends. Anxious to see this rematch, as the two battle it out for KCAC gold.
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| #25 Gabe Chesbro Saint Mary 184 |
The Spire has thus far been 3rd & 4th in previous KCAC championships. All things considered, he should be boarding the bus back to Leavenworth, with a gold medal to look at the entire 45 minute ride home.
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| #4 Ryker Blackburn Saint Mary 197 |
Yet another Spire likely to leave the KCAC championships with a title this weekend, will be Ryker Blackburn who took runner-up honors last year. Thus far the All American candidate, has won titles at both the Falcon Invitational and Oppenheim.
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| #11 Braden Morgan Friends HWT |
Braden Morgan was a backup for NCAA DII champion Shawn Streck, while he was at Central Oklahoma. He had some nice wins, including a victory over an NCAA DII R12'er. Now the former Broncho is a Falcon, and he's had some nice wins here in the NAIA. He'll be the favorite to win a KCAC title this weekend.
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