SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Wrestling team will have one final opportunity to wrestle at home this season. The Bulldogs are readying to host York College for senior night on Thursday. The action is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. CT. Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad will also head to Sioux City, Iowa, for the Dave Edmonds Open on Saturday. That tournament will be the final one prior to the conference championships.
Event promotion: Concordia Wrestling will welcome the Seward Wrestling Club to Thursday's dual. Amission to the dual will be *FREE.*
This Week
Thursday, Feb. 3 vs. York (4-4), 7 p.m. | Senior Night
--Live Webcast | Live Results
Saturday, Feb. 5 at Sioux City Dave Edmonds Open, 9 a.m.
--Live Results
The GPAC dual slate is in the books. Concordia completed its run through the conference this past Saturday by going 1-2 in a trio of GPAC duals that took place at The Arena Sports Academy in Sioux City. The Bulldogs wrapped up the day with a 27-17 win over Jamestown, a result that followed losses to Northwestern, 24-15, and Briar Cliff, 28-12. Bradbury’s squad finished tied for sixth in the GPAC standings. Other conference victories this season came against Dakota Wesleyan and Midland.
As part of the day in Sioux City, five Bulldogs collected two wins apiece: Mario Ybarra (133), Issiah Burks (165), TJ Huber (174), Hunter Weimer (184/197) and Jacob Telles (285). With those two triumphs, Ybarra moved past Brandon Starkey (71 career wins) for fifth on the program’s all-time wins list with 72. The top four on that list are Ken Burkhardt Jr. (122), Ceron Francisco (100), Deandre Chery (90) and Kodie Cole (73). Ybarra is a two-time national qualifier, a 2021 NAIA All-American and was recognized last year as a CoSIDA Academic All-District and NWCA Scholar All-American.
Burks (Hemet, Calif.) and Ybarra (Scottsbluff, Neb.) will be the lone seniors honored prior to Thursday’s dual. Over four seasons, Burks has gone a combined 52-40 with two fifth-place claims at the GPAC tournament. Both Burks and Ybarra were key members of the 2019-20 team that swept GPAC regular season and postseason championships. Ybarra is a physics major while Burks is on track to earn his MBA.
In ratings released last week, seven Concordia wrestlers appeared amongst the top six of the GPAC in their respective weight classes. Ybarra is ranked second at 133 while Telles landed at No. 3 for heavyweights. Telles needs one more victory to reach 50 in his career. The native of Albuquerque, N.M., leads the team this season in both wins (16) and pins (nine). At 10-2 on the year, Ybarra is currently rated as the NAIA’s 15th best 133-pounder.
York boasts two nationally ranked competitions in No. 6 John Fox (149) and No. 19 Harley Williamson (125). The Panthers emerged with two dual wins last season over Concordia – 30-19 in York and 28-14 in Seward. During the 2021-22 campaign, York has earned wins over Avila University (Mo.), 31-9, Hannibal-LaGrange University (Mo.), 46-10, Bethany College (Kan.), 45-4, and Baker University (Kan.), 34-15. The Panthers are also scheduled to wrestle two home duals on Tuesday. Head Coach Chad Mattox (third season) has announced that he will step down at the conclusion of this season.
The Bulldogs will have next week off from competition while preparing for the 2022 GPAC Wrestling Championships in Mitchell, S.D., Feb. 18-19. The 2022 NAIA National Championships will be staged in Park City, Kan., March 4-5.
Probable Lineups
Concordia (5-6, 3-5 GPAC)
125 – Isaac Agabin (10-12)
133 – Mario Ybarra (10-2)
141 – Conner Burrus (9-7)
149 – Jeaven Scdoris (8-10)
157 – Tavoris Smith (14-15)
165 – Issiah Burks (9-9)
174 – TJ Huber (12-9)
184 – Hunter Weimer (6-12)
197 – Isaac Renas (0-13)
285 – Jacob Telles (16-6)
York (4-4)
125 – Harley Williamson
133 – Jon Jon Halk
141 – Ely Youngdell
149 – John Fox
157 – Tommy Wentz
165 – Keegan Miller-Page
174 – Lennorise Echols
184 – Isaiah Santana
197 – Garrett Moser
285 – Marce Vasquez