SEWARD, Neb. – The Bulldog head coaching debut of Chase Clasen will take place Tuesday as the Concordia University Wrestling team goes head-to-head with Midland in dual action. The dual is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. CT from the Wikert Events Center on the Midland campus. The Bulldogs are readying to unveil a new-look roster that features 19 freshmen or transfers (out of 35 student-athletes). The matchup on Tuesday will be between sides that placed sixth (Concordia) and seventh (Midland), respectively, at the 2022 GPAC Championships.
Concordia at Midland
Tuesday, Nov. 1 | 7 p.m. | Wikert Events Center (Fremont, Neb.)
Webcast: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/midland/
The headlining individual for the Bulldogs this preseason is 141-pounder Creighton Baughman, a transfer from Iowa Western Community College. Baughman was tagged with preseason positionings of second in the GPAC and No. 12 in the NAIA at 141. The Papillion, Neb., native was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association All-American. Below is a listing of each Concordia wrester ranked at the conference level. The group features sixth-year member of the program Issiah Burks, who has claimed 55 wins in his collegiate career. Other veteran leaders on the team include Jose Sanchez and Hunter Weimer, among others. Listed at No. 6 in the GPAC at 184 pounds, Garret Moser is a transfer from York College.
Concordia ranked GPAC wrestlers
141 – No. 2 Creighton Baughman (No. 12 in the NAIA)
165 – No. 5 Issiah Burks
174 – No. 4 Jose Sanchez
174 – No. 6 Hunter Weimer
184 – No. 6 Garret Moser
197 – No. 6 Clayton Laabs
Clasen arrived at Concordia in April following a year spent as interim head coach at North Idaho College. He led the Cardinals to a NJCAA National Championship finish of seventh place on the strength of six All-America performances. In his own career on the mat, Clasen earned All-America honors at NCAA Division II Chadron State College and was a two-time national qualifier as a member of the program. He inherits a Concordia program that is coming off back-to-back sixth place GPAC tournament finishes. However, the Bulldogs swept GPAC regular season and tournament championships as recently as 2020.
Midland has a second-year head coach in Daviare Dickerson. Last season, the Warriors posted a 3-11 overall dual record (1-7 GPAC). Four Midland wrestlers are ranked at the conference level: Raymond Aranda III (fourth at 157), Connor Rinn (fourth at 184), Kolton Kammeyer (fourth at 197) and Matthew Johnston (fifth at 285). In last season’s Concordia-Midland dual in Seward, the Bulldogs came away with a 32-18 victory.
The first week of the season will continue on Sunday (Nov. 6) with the Dan Harris Open hosted by Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. Action is set to get underway at 9 a.m. CT.