SEWARD, Neb. – A second round of GPAC duals is coming up Saturday for the Concordia University Wrestling team, which has been idle since battling Doane on Jan. 14. This weekend’s event will be hosted by The Arena Sports Academy in Sioux City, Iowa, where all nine GPAC wrestling programs will convene. The same site also hosted all conference schools on Dec. 1. Head Coach Myron Bradbury’s squad owns a GPAC dual mark of 2-3 (4-4 overall).
Event Info – GPAC Duals
Saturday, Jan. 29 | The Arena Sports Academy (Sioux City, Iowa)
Live Webcast | Track Wrestling
· 11 a.m. – Concordia vs. Northwestern
· 12:30 p.m. – Concordia vs. Briar Cliff
· 2 p.m. – Concordia vs. Jamestown
In GPAC duals thus far, the Bulldogs have earned wins over Dakota Wesleyan, 32-13, and Midland, 32-18, while having been defeated by Hastings, 29-17, Morningside, 26-8, and No. 4 Doane, 39-3. In the official GPAC ratings released this week, Concordia landed fourth behind Doane, Briar Cliff and Morningside. The Bulldogs currently reside in seventh place in the league standings, which could shift dramatically upon Saturday’s results. Doane (5-0 GPAC) is aiming to defend its 2020-21 GPAC regular season title. Concordia swept GPAC dual and postseason championships as recently as the 2019-20 campaign.
On an individual level, the Bulldogs boast seven wrestlers who are ranked at the conference level (see complete list below). Most acclaimed among them is 133-pounder Mario Ybarra, a 2021 NAIA All-American and the 125-pound GPAC champion in 2020. At the heavyweight spot, defending GPAC champion Jacob Telles will be looking to bounce back after suffering a loss in the dual at Doane. On the season, the following Concordia wrestlers have claimed at least 10 wins: Thomas Ivey (14-4), Telles (14-5), Mason Garcia (13-5), Tavoris Smith (13-13) and TJ Huber (10-8).
On paper, Briar Cliff will be the strongest opponent that Concordia will see on Saturday. The Chargers are rated second in the GPAC and have 10 wrestlers who are ranked in the conference (including three who were 2021 national qualifiers). In the matchup with Jamestown, the Bulldogs may get a look at University of Northern Colorado transfer Theorius Robinson, who just claimed the 141-pound title at the Missouri Valley Invite this past weekend. Meanwhile, Northwestern is led by returning national qualifier Luke Jenness, who is ranked as the GPAC’s top wrestler at 184.
Following Saturday’s duals, Concordia will gear up to host York College (2-2) on Feb. 3. A senior day ceremony will precede the dual, which is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. CT.
Below is a list of Concordia wrestlers and weekend opponents who are ranked in the official GPAC ratings.
* = 2021 NAIA national qualifier
Concordia (4-4, 2-3 GPAC)
125 – Isaac Agabin (6th)
*133 – Mario Ybarra (2nd)
141 – Conner Burrus (6th)
165 – Issiah Burks (6th)
174 – TJ Huber (5th)
184 – Jovon Howe (5th)
*285 – Jacob Telles (3rd)
Briar Cliff (5-2, 4-2 GPAC)
*125 – CaRon Watson (2nd)
125 – Seth I’nama (5th)
133 – Gabriel Howard (4th)
149 – Andrew Shea (4th)
*149 – Ben Peters (5th)
174 – Christian Balmer (4th)
*184 – Jeremiah Glise (2nd)
197 – Matthew Montgomery (4th)
197 – Jonathan Garcia (5th)
285 – Alton Allen (5th)
Jamestown (6-3, 3-3 GPAC)
141 – Theorious Robinson (2nd)
141 – Tommy Beringer (5th)
165 – Park Beeler (3rd)
197 – Joshua Goeden (6th)
285 – Ramiro Varas Macias (4th)
285 – Ian Howell (6th)
Northwestern (4-4, 2-2 GPAC)
149 – Erik Rodriguez (3rd)
157 – Breckin Sperling (5th)
157 – Edward Punzalan (6th)
165 – Blake Pomajzl (4th)
174 – Jakob Francksen-Small (3rd)
*184 – Luke Jenness (1st)