The Huskies from St. Cloud State were looking to go wire-to-wire as the top NCAA Div. II team on a path to a national wrestling title, a title they haven’t won since 2021. However, a tough Super Region changed that ranking.
Enter the University of Nebraska-Kearney, a team which won the Super Region VI for the fifth time in six years and qualified all 10 starters for the NCAA Championships to garner the new No. 1 ranking in NCAA Div. II.
At the Super Region VI, the Lopers tallied 155.0 points to lead a field of 12 with 23rd-ranked Colorado Mesa (109) a distant second. UNK's tally is the second best in program history, trailing only the 175.50 put up by the 2021-22 squad. That 2022 team went on to win the National Title and this team is in good shape to follow suit.
The Lopers crowned six Super Regional champions, had two runners up and two third-place finishers. The top three in each of 10 weight classes advance to the NCAA Div. II Championships at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis, Ind., March 14-15 in Indianapolis. Division II has six wrestling regions with 180 total qualifiers.
Fresh off their Super Region 6 Championship victory, Nebraska-Kearney enters the tournament with all 10 wrestlers, the most of any team in the field. UNK’s 92 total points in the latest poll edges St. Cloud State (87 points), who qualified seven wrestlers. Two-time defending national champion Central Oklahoma is ranked third (71 points), Grand Valley State is ranked fourth (56 points), and Augustana round out the top five at No. 5 (53 points).
UNK head coach Dalton Jensen brings No. 1 seed and undefeated Crew Howard (285 lbs.), who holds the No. 1 seed in his bracket. Other seeded wrestlers to watch for Nebraska-Kearney are No. 4 seed Nick James (149), No. 4 seed Hector Serratos (133), No. 5 seed Jackson Kinsella (197), No. 6 seed Jacobi Deal (174), No. 6 seed Joseph Airola (141), No. 6 seed Zachary Ourada (125) and No. 7 seed Trenton Munoz (165). Unseeded Lopers are Cael Robb (157) Jacari Deal (184)
St. Cloud State has eight qualifiers, including two No. 1 seeds, Joel Jesuroga (157) and Dominic Murphy (197), who both won the Super Region V title. Other Super Regional champions were No. 3 seed Bryce Dagle (174) and No. 4 seed Nick Novak (165). It was Novak’s fourth Super Region V title. The team also boasts No. 5 seed Colby Njos (149), No. 6 seed Sam Spencer (133), plus unseeded Connor Knopick (125) and Bryce Fitzpatrick (184)
Two-time defending national champion Central Oklahoma has six qualifiers, led by No. 1 seed Peter Rolle (133), and No. 2 seeds Studd Morris (125) and Gabe Johnson (157). Other Bronchos seeds are No. 5 Hunter Jump (165) and No. 6 Garrett Wells (184).
"We don't have as many qualifiers as a lot of teams, but I have a great confidence in the six guys we're taking," head coach Todd Steidley said. "It should be a great tournament and I think several teams have a chance, including us. We just need to go wrestle like we're capable of and see what happens."
Grand Valley State jumped from a No. 6 ranking to No. 4 after the team tied Ashland for second place at the NCAA DII Super Region III Tournament. Glenville State won the Super Region and comes in as No. 6 ranked team.
The Grand Valley Lakers advanced five wrestlers to the NCAA Div. II Nationals, including No. 1 seed Chris Donathan (149) and No. 3 seed Carter Blough (285), both who captured NCAA Super Region III titles. Defending national champion and No. 2 seed Josh Kenny (174) and No. 7 seed Brayden Mirjavadi (184) both finished second at the Super Regional. Returning All-American 197-pound Wyatt Miller captured two wins in the consolation bracket to finish third and punch his ticket back to the NCAA National Championships.
Fifth ranked Augustana wrestling saw its team ranking crack into the top five of the NWCA Coaches Poll with the four NCAA qualifiers individually rated in the top-four of their respective weight classes. At 125 pounds, Jaxson Rohman sits at No. 3 seed at the NCAA Tournament, with a 18-4 record and a Super Region V title. Cael Larson holds down the No. 2 seed in the 149-pound bracket. Coming off a Super Regional title is No. 4 seed Cade Mueller (184), Max Ramberg is No. 4 seed at 197 pounds.
Up a spot in the NWCA poll is No. 6 ranked McKendree, which battled through to a runner-up team finish at the NCAA Division II Super Region IV, qualifying seven wrestlers for the National Championships. Logan Kvien (197) won his weight class and received the No. 2 seed. Head coach James Kisgen was named the region's Coach of the Year. McKendree's seven qualifiers also includes four runner-up in the region, Ronan Schuelke (141), Cory Peterson (165), Matt Ortiz (174), and Tyler Haynes (285). Regional third-place finishers were Joey Semerad (149) and Zeke Waltz (184).
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No. 7 ranked Glenville State captured its first-ever regional title, claiming the NCAA DII Super Region 3 title with two champions and five others qualifying for nationals. Hayden Pummel won a regional championship at 174 pounds as the No. 1 seeded wrestler in his weight class. Nick Johnson (197) was the Pioneers’ second regional champion and No. 7 seed at nationals. Other national qualifiers were Colton Drousias (125), Gabe Onorato (149),157-pounder Gaetano DeLeonardis (157), Kyle Homet (184), and heavy-weight Isaiha Casto (285).
West Liberty's Ty McGeary (184) is on the hunt for his third consecutive national title, and is No. 1 seed at his weight class. Another returning national champion who has a No. 1 seed is David Hunsberger (165). Other returning champions in the field are Gabe Johnson of Central Oklahoma (157), Joshua Kenny of Grand Valley State (174) and Derek Blubaugh of Indianapolis (197). Blubaugh is a three-time finalist.
The NCAA Div. II Nationals looks to be a tight race between three teams which have won a team title over the last four years, St. Cloud State, University of Nebraska-Kearney, and two-time defending champion Central Oklahoma. The event will be broadcast live on FloWrestling.
NCAA DIV. II NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Indianapolis, Ind., March 14-15
No. 1 seeds
125 – Jakason Burks (Central Missouri)
133 – Peter Rolle (Central Oklahoma)
141 – Christian Small (Lake Erie)
149 – Chris Donathan (Grand Valley State)
157 – Joel Jesuroga (St. Cloud State)
165 – David Hunsberger (Lander)
174 – Hayden Pummel (Glenville State)
184 – Ty McGeary (West Liberty)
197 – Dominic Murphy (St. Cloud State)
285 – Crew Howard (Nebraska-Kearney)
Returning national champions
157 – Gabe Johnson (Central Oklahoma)
165 – David Hunsberger (Lander)
174 – Joshua Kenny (Grand Valley State)
184 – Ty McGeary (West Liberty)
197 – Derek Blubaugh (Indianapolis)
Event Schedule
Friday, March 14
10 a.m. ET - Session 1 - Championship Preliminaries & First Round
5 p.m. ET - Session 2 - Championship Second Round + Consolations
Saturday, March 15
10 a.m. ET - Session 3 - Championship Semis + Consolations
7 p.m. ET - Session 4 - Championship Finals
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