SEWARD, Neb. – While hosting 10 NAIA wrestling programs and a total of 18 duals, the Concordia University Wrestling team put on a fine performance on Saturday (Dec. 17). The third annual Concordia Bulldog Duals saw the hometown squad go a perfect 4-0 behind starring efforts from the likes of Creighton Baughman and Bryce Karlin. The Bulldogs emerged with wins over Central Methodist University (Mo.), 23-19, Texas Wesleyan University, 33-15, Benedictine College (Kan.), 32-13, and Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 37-12.
Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad pushed its overall season dual record to 8-1. Concordia is a spotless 5-0 against nonconference opponents. On Saturday, it stood tall against foes from the Heart of America Athletic Conference, the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and the Sooner Athletic Conference/American Midwest Conference.
“I think we’re gaining confidence and starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together,” Clasen said. “Our team’s very, very tough, and I think we just needed a little bit of confidence. Today was a great day. We went out there and scored a lot of points and worked on some key positions. Honestly just looking good. A lot of it just comes down to confidence.”
A native of Papillion, Neb., and a two-time All-American at Iowa Western Community College, Baughman (13-4) is brimming with confidence. In a dominant run at the Bulldog Duals, Baughman won his first two matches with first-period falls (1:21 and 2:02) and then took out his 141-pound Benedictine counterpart by technical fall, 16-1. Finally, the 18th-ranked Baughman put the cherry on top by handling No. 16 Donte Lopez of Oklahoma Wesleyan, 4-1. Baughman did not surrender a single offensive point on the day.
The example set by Baughman has played a role in Concordia winning eight of its first nine duals. Said Baughman of his decision to become a Bulldog, “I know that this is a faith-based school, which is something that means a lot to me. Coaches and teammates all welcomed me with open arms. When you grind together as much as we have, you build a bond. It means a lot to get to represent Concordia Blue.”
The Bulldogs faced their stiffest challenge right out of the gate. They fell behind Central Methodist, 10-0, before Baughman put his stamp on the dual with a pin. It opened the floodgates as Jeaven Scdoris (decision at 149), Kobe Lyons (decision at 157), Jose Sanchez (decision at 174), Stephen Duffy (major decision at 184) and Logan Davidson (major decision at 197) each followed with victories. It was quite a collegiate wrestling debut for Davidson, also a member of the football team. The Goddard, Kan., native went 4-0 and picked up a pin. His victory against Central Methodist locked up the team dual win.
Thanks to the Beatrice native Karlin, Concordia began each of the day’s final three duals with a 6-0 lead. The falls for Karlin came in times of 2:27, 0:32 and 2:56, respectively. These were the first collegiate duals Karlin had ever wrestled.
Said Clasen, “Bryce going out there and getting three pins on the day – that’s huge. He started us off with a 6-0 lead, and that means a lot. We got the momentum rolling in our favor. Creighton didn’t have any easy matches. The guy he wrestled that last match from Oklahoma Wesleyan was ranked ahead of him. We’ve beat him twice, so we’re doing the right things there, staying solid and not giving up easy points.”
None of the final three Bulldog duals came with much late drama, in terms of team scoring. By day’s end, Concordia wrestlers combined for 26 wins, including 10 via fall. Four Bulldogs went undefeated: Baughman (4-0), Davidson (4-0), Karlin (3-0) and Lyons (3-0). Other Concordia grapplers with at least one win on the day were Duffy (3-1), Scdoris (3-1), Thomas Ivey (2-2), Cy Renney (2-2), Sanchez (1-1) and Issiah Burks (1-3). The Milford High School alum Scdoris notched a pair of pins on a strong day. Burks, Davidson and Duffy collected one pin apiece.
Concordia and fourth-ranked Doane represented the GPAC impressively by both going 4-0 at the Bulldog Duals. Meanwhile, No. 18 Missouri Valley College went 3-1, Oklahoma Wesleyan went 2-1 and the following squads recorded one victory apiece: Benedictine (1-2), Hastings 1-2), Central Methodist (1-3), Rio Grande (1-3) and Texas Wesleyan (1-2).
The event showcased Friedrich Arena and the ability for Concordia to run off a first-class event. Said Clasen, “It’s great to get some really good programs here and be able to show the fans we’re bring in good teams. Our product we’re putting out right now is a little bit different. We’re moving in the right direction and getting some eyes here. That’s big.”
The Bulldogs will wait until the calendar flips to 2023 before returning to action. Next up on the slate is the Cusatis Open hosted by Hastings on Jan. 7. Concordia will be back at home on Jan. 13 to welcome defending GPAC champion Doane to Friedrich Arena for a conference dual.
2022 Concordia Bulldog Duals Results
Texas Wesleyan 37, Central Methodist 13
Oklahoma Wesleyan 27, Hastings 18
Doane 37, Benedictine 6
Rio Grande 41, Central Christian 15
Concordia 23, Central Methodist 18
Benedictine 54, Central Christian 6
Doane 37, Rio Grande 10
Missouri Valley 36, Texas Wesleyan 15
Concordia 33, Texas Wesleyan 15
Central Methodist 34, Hastings 20
Missouri Valley 54, Central Christian 0
Oklahoma Wesleyan 28, Rio Grande 27
Concordia 32, Benedictine 13
Hastings 25, Central Christian 24
Doane 32, Central Methodist 15
Missouri Valley 39, Rio Grande 9
Concordia 37, Oklahoma Wesleyan 12
Doane 38, Missouri Valley 3