The Incredible Amount of Talent Staying Home: NCAA Division III

 I don't know if collegiate wrestling fans are aware of just how incredibly tough it is to make the NCAA Division III championships. It's unbelievably difficult to qualify & I can say that, but I think it is better to illustrate it. There are some extremely good wrestlers who did not qualify for the Championships in La Crosse, Wisconsin this season.  I don't know if I'll be able to name them all, but I do want to list some of the names that stick out to me.  Try and give a good, clear picture of the vast amount of talent that will be watching from the stands. 

James Levy
Wartburg 
125 lbs 

He was 5th a year ago in the Lower Midwest Regional & this season he took 4th.  Gotta be difficult to come that close two years in a row.  Ending the season on a 15-3 record, he actually beat Cade Hornbeck 5-0 in the last dual of the season.  Hornbeck avenged the loss at Regionals though, leaving Levy one match shy of qualification. 

Brady Koontz
Dubuque 
125 lbs 

There's no place for forgiveness and there is no room for error at this level.  Absolutely none.  Unlike NCAA DI where you can have an off day & rely on a Wildcard to get you in, you mess up here, you're done. You want an idea of how good of a wrestler Brady Koontz of Dubuque is? He was 3rd at the Lower Midwest Regional & 7th in the D3 Nation last season.  This year alone, he scored a 10-5 decision over Upper Midwest Regional Champ Jalen Dunson of UW-Whitewater & he scored a 4-1 s.v. over Central Regional Champ Jacob DeCatur, who may I add was the 2022 DIII champ & 2023 DIII Runner-up!  He also for the record, majored Hornbeck, who we just mentioned took 3rd at the Lower Midwest Regional.  Koontz is most certainly one of the best not going this year.  He was 5th at the Lower Midwest Regional. 

Luca Paladino 
UW-Stevens Point
125 lbs 

I believe Luca Paladino of UW-Stevens Point deserves mention here.  An Upper Midwest Regional champion last year, he finished just show of qualification with a 4th place finish this year.  On the season he had a 6-4 win over UMR champ Dunson & he also defeated Wyatt Kaczrwoski of Augsburg 6-1 earlier in the tournament who then came back to beat him 8-5 for qualification.  The most unpopular opinion of mine I can share, I do think in this particular case you should be allowed to challenge in a best of three. It'll never happen & I don't know if I'd talk to 1,000,000 people if I'd get one person to agree with me.  Yet I know damn good and well that if the rules where, "They already met, therefore no match" everyone would throw a fit.  I don't get why we value "last match" so much & put little to no significance on prior victory.  Especially when something as precious and meaningful as qualification is on the line. 

Joey Lamparelli
Muhlenberg 
125 lbs

A two time Mideast Regional runner-up & 8th in the DIII nation last season, my heart really sank when Joey Lamparelli fell one match short of qualification this year.  19-4 on the year, he was just in a very tough Mideast Regional bracket.  That about sums it up. 

Adrian Samano
Ferrum
125 lbs 

I'm really anxious to see what Adrian Samano looks like in '24-'25.  Let me put it this way.  He ended last season with a record of 19-20. He came back this year, 100 times better than he was as a freshman.  If he comes back 100 times better as a junior than he was this year as a sophomore what will that look like? Samano gave up glimpses of just how good he can be.  He looked like a million bucks at the Pete Willson Invitational.  Took it to now three time Mideast Regional champ J.C. Cardenas of SUNY-Cortland 11-5 & he handed Mac Cafurello of Roanoke, the Southeast Regional runner-up at 2-1 loss.  Hell even at the Southeast Regional championships he handed Akhil Vega of Stevens Tech a 14-10 loss. Yet while Vega came back to 3rd, Samano then slipped to 6th.  No doubt about it, things will be worked on, improvements will be made.  I'm excited for Samano in 2025. 

Trevor Boryla
Augustana 
133 lbs 

4th-5th-4th in the Lower Midwest Regional.  Gawd...it makes you just wanna pull the hair right out of your head.  So freakin' close, so many freakin' times!  Again I remind myself, as we all should, especially at this level of wrestling, there is so much more to a season, to a career than the NCAA DIII championships.  Boryla did win the Pete Willson Invitational this year.  He also majored Central Regional champion Jaden Hinton 18-10.  I'm not going to go into my spiel about why 3rd place should be a best of three in this circumstances, but earlier in the tournament Boryla did beat Bryce Parke of Coe 14-9. Parke then beat him for the trip to La Crosse. 

Ty Bisek
Concordia (MN)
133 lbs 

I've said it once, I'll say it 1,000 times.  You can not afford to get upset at this level & unfortunately, Ty Bisek of Concordia (MN) had to find that out the hard way.  He was 3rd at the Lower Midwest Regional a year ago & 6th in the DIII nation.  Unfortunately he lost early on at this year's LMR and while he worked his way back to 5th place, it wasn't quite enough to earn him another trip to nationals.  Ending the season 26-4, I have a feeling this will light a fire in Bisek & we'll see him back next year better than ever.  2nd at Pete Willson, he owns a 5-0 win over highly ranked Reece Barnhardt in NCAA DII & and stuck Upper Midwest Regional champion Dom Mallinder of UW-Whitewater at the 3:37 mark. 

Nico Diaz
Stevens Tech
141 lbs 

A Southeast Regional champion last year as a freshman, things didn't quite go the way for Nico Diaz of Stevens Tech as he would have liked for them to have gone this year.  He slipped to a 5th place finish & as a result he is easily listed as one of the best not to make the NCAA DIII championships this year.  Among his victories he defeated Northeast Regional bronze medalist James Rodriguez of Castleton 8-6.  A 4-1 win over Southeast Regional bronze medalist Mark Samuel of Roanoke, he nearly tech'd Upper Midwest Regional bronze Medalist Sam Lorenz of UW-La Crosse. 

Jalen Schropp
Loras
141 lbs 

If you're sick of my "true 3rd argument" sorry, cause I'm about to make it again.  Jalen Schropp beat Jake Dado earlier in the Lower Midwest Regional 5-2 & then dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 decision to him in the match to go to DIII nationals. Leaves you with an an uncomfortable itch that you just can't scratch.  Congrats to Dado, happy for him, but I still think one more match for a best of three should have decided the Q.  Nevertheless Schropp is now 4th-6th-4th in three Lower Midwest Regional tournaments.  To further my case on the fellow HWY 149'er, he stuck Lower Midwest Regional champion Kyler Romero of Wartburg at the 3:39 mark. 

Bradley Rosen
North Central
141 lbs 

Bradley Rosen of North Central is another perfect example to just how insanely loaded the Lower Midwest Regional was this season.  A champion last year & R12 at DIII's, he was 5th at the Regional this year.  24-6 on the season, he had a 6-3 s.v. over Central Regional Champion Jaden Hinton. He also defeated 3rd place Upper Midwest Regional Sam Lorenz twice. 11-3 & 2-0. 

Axel Hernandez
Buena Vista
149 lbs 

Axel Hernandez put in a serious amount of work in the off-season and really stepped it up for the Beavers this year.  He proved himself to be a leader on a team that was looking for one.  I was really hoping that it would translate into NCAA DIII qualification and it just about did. Finished one match shy with a 4th place finish at the Lower Midwest Regional.  A Pete Willson champ, Hernandez finished with a record of 23-4.  A very impressive 13-5 major decision over UMR runner-up Zach Sato of UW-Eau Claire. 

Thomas Monn
McDaniel
149 lbs 

Thomas Monn of McDaniel was a Mideast Regional champion last year & 6th in the D3 nation.  This year he came up one match short of NCAA DIII qualification.  On ehte year 31-4, with a 3:45 fall over Matt Beyer of Ithaca who finished 3rd at the Mideast Regional.  I look for Monn, who has two years of eligibility left to perhaps end his career a three time All American. 

Pasquale Vizzoni
Stevens Tech
149 lbs 

I would most certainly add the name Pasquale Vizzoni of Stevens Tech to the best of '23-'24 to not make the NCAA DIII national tournament. A New Standard Invite champion, he defeated Southeast Regional runner-up Evan Lindner of Washington & Lee twice by scores of 4-1.  He also stuck Northeast Regional runner-up Zach Soda of New England at the 6:58 mark. 

Javen Estrada
North Central
157 lbs 

Is this the golden goose? The best wrestler in the DIII nation to not make the 2024 national tournament? He makes a good argument.  A two time Lower Midwest Regional runner-up, Javen Estrada of North Central made the DIII finals last season.  What exactly went wrong at this year's Lower Midwest Regional, I do not know.  Yet he finished 4th, and he will not be making a third trip to the NCAA D3's.  On the year he tech'd Lower Midwest Regional champ, Nathan Callaway 20-5.  He's the kinda guy I could see having this result in him winning the whole thing in 2025. 

L.J. Richardson
Coe
174 lbs

2nd in the Lower Midwest Regional & 6th in the DIII nation a year ago, L.J. Richardson came up one match short of qualification this year.  He has another year of eligibility left. 

Colby Morris
Waynesburg
174 lbs 

I question if health was an issue in this case.  Colby Morris of Waynesburg was 2nd at last year's Southeast Regional & this year he entered the tournament with only one loss.  He also for the record had a 15-6 major over eventual runner-up Khalil Mitchell of Averett.   Season ended at 34-3, as he forfeitted his final match of the year to finish in 6th place.  This is why I make it a point to emphasis the whole season. With exception to one loss to a NCAA DI wrestler, Morris went undefeated coming into the Regional.  4 1/2 months worth of nothing but victories while winning three invitationals & the PAC title.  There's no way I'm chalking that up as a disappointing season just because of one bad tournament. No way.  

Jared Voss
Coe 
184 lbs 

Jared Voss of Coe was 3rd at the Lower Midwest Regional last year and came up a little short of another qualification this year.  22 wins on the season he stuck both the Lower Midwest Regional runner-up & the Lower Midwest Regional bronze medalist in the first period.  A 1:49 fall over Cole Cervantes & a 1:45 fall over Cael McLaren.  He also had an 11-10 victory over Ryan DeVivo of Johnson & Wales who took 3rd in the Northeast Regional. 



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That's it from me.  Are there more? No doubt about it. In a Division with 125 programs, a guy with only two eyes can't see everything.  So who did I miss? 

2023-2024 NJCAA The Season: Final Recap

 

I have been following and reporting on NCAA Division I wrestling since my sophomore year of high school.  Which was, believe it or not, the 2001-2002 season.  It was then I decided that this was the sport I was going to know & I wanted to know it as well as anyone (from a journalistic point of view of course).  Back in those days the internet was in its infancy and I got most of my information by reading Amateur Wrestling News & Wrestling International Newsmagazine from cover to cover.  Truth is for a long time, I didn't follow the smaller Divisions of wrestling because it was very difficult to.  

Then a few years back I realized that there's so much more to collegiate wrestling than NCAA Division I.  The internet provided what I needed, so what was my excuse?  I started to get to know NCAA DII, DIII & NAIA.  So glad I did & I kick myself in the rear for not getting to know these levels of wrestling at a more intimate level sooner.  

Last year I decided it's time to get into NJCAA.  One of my main incentives was that had I wrestled in college, I would have been on the same team with Cole Spree, the head coach at Indian Hills.  I really like Spree & hope to write more about him & the very strong program he's building in Centerville.  Another reason is because so many good wrestlers come out of the NJCAA and into the other Divisions of wrestling.  There's always so much talk about high school and high school recruiting.  Open up your eyes cause a lot of good kids come out of the NJCAA too. 

I will make some complaints though, because they're warranted and they're justified. I refuse to cover CCCAA because it's so damn cryptic and out of date, that you can't cover the division.  This is '23-'24 and there are schools who still have '20-'21 as their most updated roster! How in the heck is someone supposed to work with that!?!?!?  Finding results is like pulling teeth.   The NJCAA is a little better, but I'm sorry to report, not a lot better.  Some teams have it together.  NIACC for example.  Pictures, results, the whole kit and kaboodle.  Others, they list the kid's name.  No results. No information.  Not even a photograph.  I'm sorry, but that doesn't cut it.   Some have suggested to me not to use the team's personal pages, but to instead use track.  Well guess what? The info is lacking at Track a lot too.  Not Track's fault by the way. Not blaming Track.  Love Track & Track is a great tool. Have nothing but praise for the website & how much help it has been to me.  Just want to make that clear before I get accused of saying something I never said. 

It's been an exhausting season for me.  I have NCWA people on my back to start doing NCWA coverage and I know cause some have came out and told me, that I've outright ticked some people off by not  starting coverage of women's wrestling.  I don't know if people realize this or not, but Johnnythompsonnum1 is not a group of individuals.  Now I do use a lot of sources and I'll thank everyone of them.  Britt Malinsky aka The Seton Hall Pirate has been a great help to me.  The people of Wrestlestat have been a Godsend.  Aaron Sweazy and Josh & Justin the Portillo Brothers often help out with information when I can't seem to find what I'm looking for.  However, at the end of the day, this is all one person, me, Stephen Stonebraker.  All the time, the effort, the work...it's all me and only me.   That isn't to brag.  That is to simply make you aware.   

At the end of the year, when tax season rolls around, I make about $2,400 a year covering wrestling.  About $200 a month is what I generate for what I do on Johnnythompsonnum1.  If you add up the hours I put into it all, I would imagine I probably average about $0.02 an hour.  I have no money to put into this and I make pretty much enough to barely cover gas to attend events.  So when people moan about my website not looking professional enough, or about something petty like a spelling error, I frankly do not give a (rhymes with hit).   I operate on a budget that cannot even afford a shoe-string.  I neglect my gf & my pets far too often from October through March.  I've given a lot of myself to this sport and I'm not sure because of some happenings in my life, if I'll be able to do as much next year.  We'll see. 

I'm sorry for my rant, but I feel like it is necessary because while I've gotten some thank you's for what I've been able to do for NJCAA this year, I've also been attacked by a few NJCAA reps and I felt a need to defend myself.  A need to explain where I'm coming from.  I think some are under the impression that JT#1 is a group of people. It isn't.  Everything you see comes from me.  

Ok, I think I've said my peace....Onward to my final recap of NJCAA '23-'24 

Ricks Ends NJCAA Career Two Time All American 

4th last year & 2nd this year, I am really excited to see if Bridger Ricks ends up with brother Garrett at Wyoming. It's always so much fun to see where guys end up after their time in NJCAA is said and done.  Anxious to see if he becomes a Cowboy in '24-'25. 

Two Great Coaches, Two Great NJCAA Tournament Showings

Knowing what I know about Cole Spree, I know he'd tell me that his Warriors could have done better. I think they did pretty good. All in all Coach Spree crowned four All Americans and another 4 made the R12.  He sent all 10 varsity wrestlers to the NJCAA championships & 8/10 made the top 12.  I'd say that's something worth talking about. 

Now I realize that we have our dominate teams of Western Wyoming & Iowa Central, ect but let's take a moment to really reflect on what Coach Terry Pack was able to accomplish this season among those powerhouse programs.  Southeast is in their very first year of collegiate wrestling.  My opinion of course, but I think that the Plains District is either the toughest, or one of the toughest Districts in all of the NJCAA. Pratt was able to get 9 wrestlers to the NJCAA tournament! 9!  Again, this is the first year of the program!  Crowns three All Americans, including putting one in the finals.  That's knowing how to build something from scratch if I've ever seen it.  Anxious to see if Southeast can keep him around.  There are other programs out there looking for someone than can build from the ground up like that. Wouldn't surprise me if Pack has already gotten some phone calls. 

Anthony Schickel Two Time NJCAA All American 

Another program with another great Coach that produces a ton of talent is Triton.  Year after year you see those wrestling for Triton earning all sorts of accolades & then you also see a lot of former Triton stars doing well at the bigger divisions of wrestling once their time in NJCAA has come to an end.  Anthony Schickel now has finishes of 5th and 3rd in the NJCAA nation.  Anxious to see where he ends up next year. 

Cody Phelps NJCAA Champion 

3rd in the NJCAA nation last year, Cody Phelps ended his time at Western Wyoming an NJCAA champion.  I have no inside information, but I can't help but wonder if maybe he might end up at Wyoming, if indeed that's where teammate Bridger Ricks ends up.  At this point it is a pure guess, with nothing more than intuition behind it. It'll be fun to see how things end up. 

Two Time NJCAA Runner-Up

I do not know the answer to this question, but I'd be really curious to know how many wrestlers who never won an NJCAA title go on to win titles at the DI, DII, DIII or NAIA schools that they later attend.  I know that it has happened in the past.  T.J. Williams for example, who won two titles DI titles for Iowa, did not win an NJCAA title.  I bring this question up because I can see this being the case for Easton Taylor of Pratt one day.  He made the NJCAA finals twice, but came up a little short each time.  Anxious to see where he ends up next and how he does. 

Most Dominate Wrestler in NJCAA Ends A Two Time Champion

I'd be outright shocked if Matt Sarbo doesn't end up NCAA Division I next season.  As good as the two time NJCAA champ is & as dominant as he's been, I just can't see him anywhere other than DI.  I say he goes DI & I see he has an immediate impact.  I would say by December, he's ranked in the top twenty.  I really believe that. He is that good. 

Never A Finalist in H.S. To an NJCAA Finalist

Did you know that Jaden Two Lance never made a final while wrestling in high school.  Collected three Texas High School State championships bronze medals, but never did make a final. Had he not been in the same bracket as Matt Sarbo of Iowa Central, I think he might have won the NJCAA title this year.  He's only a freshman & for Carl Albert State's sake, I hope he sticks around for another year of NJCAA wrestling.  However a kid this good is gonna be hard to keep.  Other schools are going to want him.  

Bronze & Silver For Ketchum 

So many greats in NJCAA wrestling that end up not winning titles. Kris Ketchum of Nassau is one of them.  Ended time in NJCAA with a 3rd place finish last year & a 2nd place finish this year.  Anxious to see where he ends up next season.  Like I said about Taylor, another wrestler you could see winning a DII, DIII or NAIA title in the future. Could very well end up DI too.  It'll be fun to see. 

Bronze & Silver For Atkins 

Congrats to Austin Raby of Clackamas, but I really thought Cayleb Atkins would win the NJCAA title this year. I really did.  Nevertheless 3rd last year and 2nd this year, what a great NJCAA career it was for Atkins.  Very anxious to see where he ends up next.  Will he return to Appalachian State now that he has two years of experience down?  Gotta love pondering of this kind of stuff. What I do know is that wherever he ends up, we're gonna hear a lot more out of him. That's for sure. 

Freeman Once Again One Match Short of AA Honors

'22-'23 was my first year of really taking a deep look into NJCAA wrestling and Geoff Freeman was one of the first wrestlers who caught my eye.  I was quite shocked when he didn't place at last year's NJCAA championships & it really shocked me when he once again came up a match short this year.  I really hope that doesn't hurt him on the recruiting front. I hope there are some coaches out there that see the potential that he has within him to do great things over the next two seasons for another program.  Which in turn leads me to another question. 

I wonder how many wrestlers who failed to place at the NJCAA championships, end up earning All Americans at another division of collegiate wrestling. I personally don't know any examples, but I'm sure they exist.  I wouldn't be the least be surprised if this doesn't describe Geoff Freeman in a year or two. 

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As always could say more, but these are the main thoughts I had in my first year of doing NJCAA coverage.  It's been fun getting to know some of these wrestlers this year. Would love it if the tools and resources to do NJCAA coverage would improve next year, so that I myself can improve on what I do for NJCAA. 

2023-2024 NAIA Wrestling Recap of the Season

 

The NAIA national wrestling championships are now said & done, and after a great season of wrestling, '23-'24 NAIA is officially over.  What a great season it was & what a great national tournament it was.  As do all tournaments, the NAIA national tournament had a lot of ups & downs. Positives and negatives. Pros and cons.  Moments that warmed my heart & made me so happy for a wrestler.  Moments that made my heart break for others.  I'm damn near a 39 year old man & these tournaments have my emotions all over the place.  You follow these guys throughout their whole careers. You get to know them. You know the sacrifices they make. You know the work they put into it.  Above anything, you know how bad they want it.  When you watch them succeed, it's a great feeling. When you watch them come up short, it sucks...but it's also a part of it.  The sport offers everything, and within everything lies the disappointment as much as it does the triumph.  Let's recap....

Hunter Sparks NAIA National Champion 125 lbs! 

This kid is freaking tough.  Took out a two time NAIA champion, and secured himself a title of his own.  Hunter Sparks of Eastern Oregon, who was 2nd a year ago, will now go into his senior year of '24-'25 with both a silver & gold medal from the NAIA championships. 

Menlo Senior Goes Out With a Bang!

With COVID-19 and the weirdness of eligibility I'm not 100% sure, but I think Nick Aguilar was a senior this season & I believe his career is said and done.  What a way to go out.  Made the Cascade finals & then turns around and goes through an unbelievably tough field to make the NAIA finals.  

From My Grandma's House To NAIA Bronze! 

If you read JT#1 often, you know that I'm a big fan of Aden Reeves.  He spent about the first 12-14 years of his life living in the house that my Great Grandparents Leomer & Marie Danels once lived in.  (Leomer was quite an athlete himself, playing for the Green Bay Packers farm team back in the 1920's). I've been following Aden Reeves ever since he was in Pee-Wee wrestling.  I was really pulling for him to win the national title, but I knew as tough as loaded as this bracket was, that was going to be a tall order.  Didn't quite get gold, but came back extremely strong to take bronze! 

A Great Career Comes To An End

I'm sure that things didn't quite end for Brandon Orum of Life the way he wanted them to.  A two time NAIA champion, he finished 4th at his final NAIA national tournament.  Nonetheless, what an outstanding career this young man had. The Life Runnin' Eagles are going to have a boatload of success as the years roll past & they'll look back at where it all started. With guys like Orum. 

The Best Back Up in the NAIA? 

Gulomjon Abdullev ruled the NAIA last season, winning a national title at 133 lbs.  Many argued (myself included) that he may very well be the best wrestler in all of the NAIA. It seemed to me though, that many were looking past the fact that the other wrestler at 141 lbs wrestling for the Oaks was freakin' good himself.  I said that at the end of last year when Garcia took 7th at the NAIA championships.  I said that I thought even though Abdullev was getting all the glory, that there as a strong wind beneath those wings.  Garcia more than proved me right, winning the NAIA title.

Just think, next year BOTH Abdullev & Garcia will back next year.  Could see another teammate Vs Teammate final! 

Added To the List of Best To Not Win an NAIA national title 

2nd in the NAIA nation last year & 3rd in the NAIA nation this year, I think it's only fair to conclude that Carson Taylor of Grand View is one of the best to never win an NAIA title. I'm sure that probably weighs on his mind a bit, but really it shouldn't. You're good enough to place top three in the NAIA on more than one occasion during your career, that's something to celebrate, end of story. 

An All American At Last 

I've been a fan of Ca'Ron Watson now for the past five seasons. Each year I kept hoping he'd be an All American & he came so close last year. So close.  3rd-3rd-3rd-2nd in the GPAC, I was shocked when he forfeitted his semi-final match this year & once again took 3rd.  I couldn't make sense of that until I discovered that he wanted his younger brother Jarrod Gilliam to make the finals, to ensure his own NAIA qualification.  Now you tell me, is that an act of selflessness or what? Watson had that much faith & confidence in his own abilities, that he sacrificed winning a GPAC title so that his younger brother would be a qualifier.  That made his capturing 5th place honors at the NAIA championships all the more rewarding.  So cool to see him finally stand on the award stand.  I'll miss see Watson compete. 

Heading into '24-'25 One of the Best Looking for A National Title 

6th-3rd-2nd in the NAIA nation thus far, gotta conclude that for '24-'25 Evan Potter of Southern Oregon will be one of the best yet to win a NAIA title.  Came up a little short against a very tough Hartwell Taylor of Saint Mary in the finals. 

Must Be the Warmer Weather

Being an Iowa kid myself, you know that I'm always gonna have a bit of bias for the Iowa kids.  Perhaps a bit of jealously too.  Gotta be nice training in the warmer Florida climate, while we here in Iowa had a record snow back in January.  Was very happy to see Kael Brisker of Southeastern wrestle well and take a 4th place finish.  Has many more successes ahead of him. 

All American "Coach" Nortje

I'm not sure how many are aware of this, but along with being the 141 lbs starter for the Dickinson State Blue Hawks, Edrich Nortje is also a coach for the Dickinson State Women's wrestling team.  To see that level of commitment & dedication to the sport is something you want to see rewarded.  Also take into consideration that he is a student athlete, with classes and studies. Probably has more going on his his life as well.  Pretty cool to see him end his own collegiate career a 7th place All American. 

This Kid Just Can't Catch A Break

If you can think of a better wrestler going into '24-'25 who has yet to be an All American, I'm all ears, cause as far as I'm concerned Logan Wagner of Marian is the best wrestler in the NAIA yet to earn a top 8 finish.  "You gotta earn it" and I get all that, I've heard it said & resaid for 30 years.  But man, watching him come up one match short the same as he did last year, knowing how good he is and whom all he beat, it was tough to watch.  Thankfully, he's still got one more year left & I'll say this now.  He IS good enough to end '25 with a national title.  I'm saying that here, I'm saying that now.  

Final Season of Career Gives Wrestling Fan A Whole New Perspective

We as wrestling fans have a lot of opinions and perspectives on who is good, who is successful, who is worth talking about and who is worth remembering.  We sure like to convince ourselves that tournament finishes, ect are the end all determination of those facts.  I wonder if that's truly the case though.   See I think Chase Zollman was always a good wrestler. Always a tough kid.   I watched him a few times when he competed at Wyoming & saw the heart & the spirit.  It's simply that Division I wrestling, wasn't the right place for him.  Is it that bad of a thing to admit that? To come to terms with that? 

So many seem to think that it's "DI or nothing" and frankly I feel that mentality is such a load of bullshit.  Stupid.  We have different levels of wrestling for a reason & I'm all for those who come to that discovery.  Had Zollman stayed at Wyoming, his career probably would have ended without much fanfare or press.  Instead he decided to end his career at Missouri Valley.  He had an outstanding senior campaign winning both the Missouri Valley Invitational and the NAIA national title (was 2nd at the Heart of America).   Personally I'd much rather have an end to my career like this, than to try and please the unpleasable who think anyone less than Cael Sanderson is unworthy of their praise. 

A Much Better End to '24 Than to '23

Parker DoBrocky came up a little short of All American honors last year, losing in the dreaded blood round.  A much better end to the season this year for the Fire.  Took a very impressive 3rd place finish! 

Redemption For Nickel 

Watching Bryce Nickel of Cumberlands come up short of All American honor #3 after earning top 8 finishes in '21 & '22 last year was heartbreaking.  I'm sure he probably wanted to finish a lot higher than 8th, but nonetheless for me it was rewarding to see him re-earn All American honors. 

Also Heading into '24-'25 One Of The Best Yet to Win An NAIA title 

If Evan Potter isn't the best heading into '24-'25 yet to win an NAIA title, then I think David Rubio of Corban might be.  He was 2nd last year & he was 2nd this year.   I had a feeling no one was gonna be able to keep Life's Brevin Balmaceda from winning another NAIA title, but I gotta hand it to Rubio he did his best to try and penetrate Balmaceda's impregnable defense.  Rubio is Corban's first two time NAIA finalist & I think he knows as well as I do there's an even better record than that he can break next season. 

Heart Breaks for Southeastern 157 lbs'ers

You know at the start of a tournament that no matter how bad you want things to go the way they "should" that inevitably they won't.  Both Sal Silva & Andreus Bond have been NAIA national champions in the past & both came up short of NAIA All American honors this season.  Seeing this was like having my heart ripped out of my chest for a second.  You just absolutely hate seeing things end this way, but whether you like me saying it or not, there' so much more to a wrestler than the national tournament.  Both of these guys had great careers & should be proud of all that they did achieve. 

Being Healthy Makes a Huge Difference

When Keller Rock went out last season with an injury I said that those in his bracket should be thankful because that opened up one of those top 8 spots that would have otherwise went to Rock.  I said this year I thought he'd contend for the NAIA title & I was right.  Came up a little short with a runner-up finish against a tough Jonathan Kervin of Indiana Tech.  Great season and ended on a high note. 

When It's Time to Get Tough, He gets T-O-U-G-H

I tell you what, when it gets time to wrestle at your best & wrestle tough, you could always count on Rysan Leong. He might not always do the best throughout the season, but when it came time to go to war, he was a gun that you knew would always fire.  An NAIA national champion last year & 3rd in the NAIA nation this year, I hope to see Leong get into coaching. If he's able to instill the same mental toughness he has into wrestlers, that's gonna make for a great team someday. 

What A Turn Around For Central Methodist Freshman 

Without fail, every tournament, someone will seemingly come out of nowhere and have an outstanding showing.  Roman Garcia was 5th in the Heart of America & then he takes 5th at the NAIA championships!  Guess what? 1st-2nd-3rd-4th place in HOA didn't even place! That's what makes this tournament so exciting.  It doesn't matter how you get here, as long as you get here. Once you're here, yesterday is yesterday & today is today! Garcia is proof of it. 

A Year of Redshirting Does A World of Good

Alex Reynolds of Grand View finished one match shy of All American honors in 2022.  He redshirted last year & I figured when he came back for '23-'24, he'd be tougher than ever.  He was & he ended the season a national champion. 

Strong End For Career of Smucker

There's no use reiterating myself, but know that I could say for Riley Smucker of Life, pretty much what I said for Chase Zollman of Missouri Valley.  I also think he helps to illustrate how much better NAIA wrestling has gotten & how good NAIA wrestling has become.  The truth is, like it or not, fans don't pay enough attention.  They still think NAIA wrestling would get pulverized by most DI teams & yeah, for the top 15-20, that is probably true.  BUT let's keep something in mind,  Riley Smucker IS an NCAA DI qualifier.  Qualified back in 2021 for the Cleveland State Vikings.  So he IS because he already proved it, a top 33 wrestler in DI.  He finishes his career at two time NAIA All American with finishes of 3rd & 5th.  I've stated my case for how good NAIA wrestling is today, but believe me, Smucker is far from the only example. 

Not All Ends Are As They Should Be

Over the past few years, Nakoda Siegel of Montana-State Northern has become a favorite of mine. I was really hoping he might end it all as a national champion this year.  I thought for sure he'd end it earning his third All American honor. You never know why things like this happen & you can't help but question it. Nonetheless, you have to keep perspective and I"m gonna say it again cause it can never be said enough....there's more to wrestling than just the national tournament.  

If you don't agree, take this into perspective.  Nakoda Siegel won the Grand View Open earlier this season.  In the semi-finals he took out NAIA champ Alex Reynolds 4-2 s.v.  Not sure what that tells you, but I'll tell you what it says to me.  It says to me that somedays you have good days and some days you have bad days.  It'd be great if the great days always took place on the days we wanted them to take place, but this is reality.  This is life.  They don't. 

Tyson Beauperthuy Comes Up Short of All American Honor 

I was more shocked by this more than anything else. I though Beauperthuy might even challenged Luellen for the NAIA national title, but I thought for sure he'd at least place.  Again this just goes to show how unbelievably tough NAIA wrestling has gotten. It's so much more competitive and fierce than what it was when I was a kid.  It started getting tough by about the time I got into college.  Started seeing some damn tough wrestlers like Darren Cotton of William Penn, Brad Stockton of Waldorf, ect, but still how much it has improved with talent is beyond measurable.   As far as I know (and who knows with the way COVID-19 eligibility works) I'm almost positive that Beauperthuy has at least '24-'25 left.  He might even have '25-'26 left. I don't know for sure.  What I do know is that he's good enough to be an NAIA national champ, if we're talking skills and ability. 

J.D. Perez Earns Second All American Honor 

I attended an NAIA school (Northwestern IA) some twenty years ago & while I was there, I attended every home match. My favorite wrestler on my team was a kid by the name of Chris Keating.  A tough three time state champ from New Mexico.  A kid I think about often.  Three times the R12 during his illustrious career.  I often think back to his senior year & his final match, and what I would give if I could give him that match back again.  Why do I bring him up now? Because in my ways, J.D. Perez reminds me of Keating.  Both from New Mexico, Perez wrestles a similar style to Keating.  He was 6th in the NAIA nation last season & 3rd this season. Believe he'll contend for NAIA title honors next season. 

Teammates Meet in The Finals! 

NAIA wrestling has been around since I believe the '58-'59 season or maybe the '57-'58 season.  I think one of those two years is correct.  I also know that for quite sometime the NAIA has allowed teams to put more than one wrestler at a weight class. What I don't know, is if teammates have ever met in the NAIA finals before or not.  I try and keep track of as much in the sport of collegiate wrestling as I can, but this is a question I do not know the answer to.  I would think that if it has happened before, it hasn't happened much.   Owen Braungardt of Grand View winning another NAIA title, this time against teammate Garavous Koukabakilaho, is a very rare happening.  Maybe the first time this has ever happened? 

UPDATE:  Asked expert Jason Bryant about this.  It's actually the 12th time it has happened in the NAIA & the 3rd time it has happened specifically to Grand View. 

HWT Ends On Disappointing Note

You never wanna see a match end the way the HWT match did.  Both of these guys are two of the best NAIA has to offer & no one wanted to see it end on an injury default.  Hopefully Greg Hagan, one of the best HWT's in the NAIA of all time, is ok.  Congrats to Zane Lanham of Life, very happy for him, but I think he'd much rather have won the NAIA title on different circumstances.  Both of these guys I believe are done now, as eligibility should be up.  Two great wrestlers, multiple time AA's, both NAIA champs. 

Once Again Back On Top 

 I have a lot of wrestlers I love watching year in and year out & one of my very favorites has been Joshua Isaac of Missouri Valley.  He's built like a bulldog, but moves like a Cheetah.  I still can't get over for his size, how quick, agile & fast he his.  When he missed out on his third All American honor last year, that really broke my heart.  I thought he was done, but then learned back in September that he'd be back for one more season.  When I saw that he was back in the R12 match again, I sat and tapped my feet.  It's like I know he can win the match, but until it was over, you couldn't help but be nervous.  He wasted no time and got a quick fall.  Then he got another quick fall in the consolation quarter finals.   What a great career for the Viking!  Ends it all now a three time All American, this season a 5th place finish.  Also may I add, won the Missouri Valley Invitational! 


===

Is this more I could say?  As always yes.  I could write about so many more wrestlers and so many more happenings at this great tournament.  Yet I also know that I've already asked to much of your attention span to get this far, so I had to narrow it down.  And yes, I did narrow it down. 

2024 SUPER REGION IV Preview (Saturday March 2nd)

 SUPER REGION IV

125

Thus far it has been back to back runner-up Super Region IV finishes & back to back NCAA DII 5th place finishes for Christian Mejia of McKendree.  This tournament the Bearcat looks to add a gold to the two silvers he's collected thus far.   He owns both a 6-1 as well as a 5-3 victory over Caden Howard of Drury & he majored Guy Clevenger of Central Oklahoma 17-4.  Clevenger has 20 wins on the season & Howard was 3rd in last year's Super Region IV. 

133

I think we have a dog fight here for NCAA DII qualification.  First off, I do want to note that Tommy Frezza of Central Missouri was pinned by teammate James Wright about two months ago at the Roger Denker Open.  However I believe the Mules will still start Frezza here considering he has the better record & the fact that he was a runner-up here last season, one match shy of NCAA DII All American honors.  Could be wrong, but that's my guess.  He has yet to meet any of the other top ranked wrestlers in the bracket this season.  Matter of fact, the only two that have wrestled this season are Shaun Muse of Central Oklahoma & Evan Binder of Maryville.  Muse pinned Binder in 34 seconds.  Anxious to see if that was legit or a caught him situation.  Muse has wrestled only a handful of matches this season, but enough to warrant a ranking.  Binder is a talented freshman with 25 victories.    Then we also have Ryan Ripplinger who will be fighting for a top three spot.  20-5 on the year, he's been 4th & 5th the past two Super Region IV's.

141 

All season I've been thinking to myself, "Seriously?  Where did this guy come from?"  Ronan Schuelke has been at McKendree for quite sometime, but the '23-'24 version is something complete different from the other versions. I just cannot get over how well he's wrestled this year.  Improvements at every level from technique, to strength, to seemingly mental confidence.  Owns a 9-6 win over Dylan Lucas of Central Oklahoma & a 4-1 s.v. over Blake Mulkey of Indianapolis.  He's defeated Kody Ketchum of Maryville three time. A 4:53 fall, a 4-1 decision & an 8-1 decision. 

With that noted, you know good and well that last year's Super Region IV champion Lucas, who was 3rd in the D2 nation, expects another title this weekend.  25 wins on the season, he pinned Ketchum at 2:14 & he has a 4-1 sudden victory over Mulkey. 

Now as to Mulkey, I'm not sold that he's going to be the starter this weekend.  With a #8 ranking & a 15-4 record to some it would seem pretty cut & dry.  The Gardner Webb to Marian to Indianapolis senior would be the starter.  It's not that cut & dry though.  Ray Rioux was an NCAA DII qualifier for the Greyhounds last year with a 3rd place Super Region IV finish & perhaps the better testimony for his case is a 4-2 victory over Schuelke.  Head to head Mulkey owns both an official 6-4 & 3-1 decision over Rioux.  Then Rioux also has a loss to Ketchum.  A lot to figure in here, but I'll say this.  At the end of the day Mulkey or Rioux, Indianapolis is probably looking at an NCAA DII qualifier. 

149

I'm going to say because it's the truth & I really don't care who likes it and who doesn't like it.  It's a fact that Thomas More isn't eligible for the post season yet. It's also a fact that if the Saints were eligible, Ryan Moore, an NAIA runner-up last season would be one of our qualifiers.  It's also my opinion, based on merit, that he'd contend for Super Region IV gold.  Moore not being in this bracket, does open up a spot for qualification that otherwise wouldn't be there. I strongly believe that & I stand behind that statement. 

With that said, I believe our final here will be between Dylan Brown of Central Oklahoma & Joey Semerad of McKendree.  Brown a very talented transfer from Northeast Oklahoma who took NJCAA runner-up honors last season, has a 16-3 record.  He defeated Semerad 2-1 tiebreaker earlier this season. 

As to Semerad, I'll say the same for him that I just said for teammate Schuelke.  There is something seriously going right at McKendree. The improvements their wrestlers are making is night & day.   Two seasons ago Semerad was 10-17 on the year & went 1-2 at Super Region IV.  Last year he was 9-12 & went 0-2.  This season he has 18 wins on the year & looks poised & ready to make a final & fight for a title.  Now that's serious improvement that deserves to be noted. 

157 lbs 

Here's what I am sold on at 157 lbs in the Super Region IV.  I'm sold on Gabe Johnson of Central Oklahoma, last year's champ & 7th in the DII nation most likely walking out of here with another Super Region IV title.  That's not saying I don't think he'll be challenged, because I think he will be.  He'll have to earn a title, but I do think he'll be our champion. 

It's silver & bronze that I'm not sold on.  Will Kuster of Drury was 3rd at last year's Super Region IV championships competing at 149.  It should also be noted that he's given Gabe Johnson of Central Oklahoma one of his best matches this year in a 7-4 loss.  On the flip side though, Kuster has some head scratcher losses, including to those he may very well see this tournament.  Now he gets down right tough & turns it on in times of critical aspiration.  However those losses linger in my mind. 

As we ponder that, I believe one of our qualifiers here will be Owen Zablocki of Indianapolis.  A plausible semi-final between him & Kuster interest me.  

165 lbs 

Forrest Gump once said, "Sometimes there just aren't enough rocks."  Well I tell you what Mr. Gump, sometimes there just aren't enough qualification spots. 165 lbs in the Super Region IV is proof enough of that.  Five top twenty wrestlers here, and as far as I'm concerned All American candidates & only three of them get to go to the NCAA DII tournament.  Put simply, no matter how you slice it, that ain't right. 

4th in the DII nation in 2021 & 3rd in the DII nation in 2022, it was heartbreaking when McKendree's Cory Peterson's season ended on an injury at the Midwest Classic last season.  I said then, then I said it at the end of the season & I said it at the beginning of the season.  Peterson would come back an NCAA DII title contender & here we are.   23-5 on the season, he does have some losses, but two of them are to DI competition.  As to the Region, Peterson has a 5:27 fall & a 9-3 decision over Jace Fisher of Newman.  He has a 4-1 s.v. over Hunter Jump of Central Oklahoma & he has a 3-2 win over John Ridle of Central Missouri & a 4-2 decision over Dawson Combest of Indianapolis. 

Fisher was a Super Region IV runner-up last season, who currently stands as 24-3 on the season.  He has a 10-4 decision over Ridle & a 4-1 s.v. over Jump. 

Van Halen discussed who they thought might win the Super Region IV & after pondering it a bit they decided they might as well go with Jump.  Seems every match he's wrestled has ended 1-1 in regulation with a deciding takedown in overtime.  He lost these against both Peterson & Fisher, but won against Ridle.  He also for the record has a 6:19 fall over Ridle. 

Ridle two seasons ago was a Super Region IV champion & 4th in the DII nation. He has 15 wins on the season. 

Combest is a three time NCAA DII qualifier with DII All American finishes of 4th in 2021 & 7th in 2022. 

Tom Brands is famous for saying, "you only deserve what you earn."  Well who ever wins this bracket deserves wrestler of the tournament honors, because you know good and well it was EARNED. 

174  lbs

When I first learned that Illinois' Trey Sizemore had another year of eligibility I was quite shocked. When I learned that he was going to spend his final season at Indianapolis, I thought that completely changed the landscape of 174 lbs in NCAA Division II.  Thus far the former Illini, now Greyhound is 29-4 on the season.  He owns both a 6-1, as well as a 7-4 s.v. over Matt Ortiz of McKendree.

There to challenge Sizemore for a Super Region IV title, will be last year's champion Anthony Des Vigne of Central Oklahoma, who also finished 7th in the DII nation.  Des Vigne owns a 5-2 decision over Ortiz. 

Considering that he's wrestled both Sizemore & Des Vigner in close, hard fought matches I say that Ortiz is too a title contender this weekend.  He'd have to pull off two huge upsets, two of the best wins of his career back to back, but stranger things have happened in collegiate wrestling.  When Peterson went out with his injury last season, I was thoroughly impressed by the way Ortiz stepped in and stepped it up.  I was happy to see that they weren't going the same weight this year, because there's not use having a guy like Ortiz as a reserve, when he's an All American candidate himself. 

184 

What holds more weight? A ranking or head to head results?  I suppose it doesn't matter much because a *1 & a *2 seed meet in a final, the best man still has to win.  Thus far between #4 Damon Ashworth of Central Missouri & #7 Garrett Wells of Central Oklahoma, it has been Wells who has won 5-4 & 15-13 decisions.  Ashworth is 21-4 on the year, whereas Wells is 26-7.

Both Ashworth & Wells have victories over Zeke Waltz of McKendree who was 2nd in the Super Region & one match shy of All American honors competing at 174 lbs last year.  Ashworth owns a 19-3 technical fall over Waltz & Wells owns an 8-3 decision. 

197 lbs 

It seems like the saga between Central Oklahoma's Dalton Abney & Indianapolis's Derek Blubaugh has been going on forever & it's as if it'll never end.  Well, despite what it may seem, we are nearing the end. The epic battles between NCAA Division II's two best 197 lbs'ers are coming to an end. 

2nd-1st-1st in the Super Region IV & 2nd-1st-1st in NCAA DII, with a career record of 75-6, one of Abney's only losses he has ever taken has been to Blubaugh.  Blubaugh has a career record of 87-15 & just under half of those losses have been to Blubaugh.  For Blubaugh it has been 2nd-2nd at the Super Region IV & 2nd-2nd in the DII nation & in every case it's been Abney that has stood in his way.  We have two more major tournaments in the careers of both of these outstanding talents.  The only thing keeping either of them from gold at both is one another. 

The battle for bronze here will every bit as fierce.  Logan Kvien of McKendree was 3rd here a year ago & 6th in the D2 nation.  Yet Jeremiah Larson of Maryville pinned Kvien at the 4:25 mark earlier this season.  Should be a fun match. 

HWT

Going to get it out of the way again. I'm not saying that Daulton Mayer of Thomas More would upend Shawn Streck of Central Oklahoma, but I am saying that if Thomas More were eligible for the post season, that he would contend for NCAA Division II qualification.  He was 6th at the Midlands earlier this season for crying out loud! You'd have to be outta your mind to think that he wouldn't contend for a top three showing here.  Nevertheless, he's not eligible for the post season, so moving on....


Streck went undefeated to both a Super Region IV & NCAA DII title last season & there's a strong possibility he might do the exact same thing this year. With a 15-4 major decision over Ryan Herman of Maryville & a 19-4 tech of Trent Strong of Central Missouri, I highly doubt he'll have any trouble collecting gold this weekend. 

As to Herman & Strong, both will be looking for their first NCAA DII qualification this tournament.  Herman has been 6th the past two Super Region IV's and Strong was 5th last season.  Although Strong won in their matchup last year, it was Herman who took an 8-2 decision earlier this year.