2022-23 Dual Record: 13-2 overall, 6-2 GPAC (3rd); 3rd at GPAC tournament
2023 NAIA National Championships finish: T-39th
Head Coach: Chase Clasen (2nd year)
Key Returners: 141 Creighton Baughman; 184 Stephen Duffy; 125 Bryce Karlin; 174 Garret Moser; 285 Cy Renney; 149 Jeaven Scdoris; 125 Grant Wells; 165 Tommy Wentz.
Key Newcomers: 165 Barret Brandt; 125 Bryson Bussinger; 197 Sean Duffy; 157 Dominick Flynn; 125 Martim Moniz; 133 Cervando Tapia II; 125 Aidan Trowbridge; 157 Brent Ward.
Key Losses: 165 Issiah Burks; 184 Logan Davidson; 174 Jose Sanchez; 157 Tavoris Smith.
2023 GPAC All-Conference: Issiah Burks (First Team); Creighton Baughman (Second Team); Logan Davidson (Honorable Mention); Tavoris Smith (Honorable Mention).
Outlook
It won’t be difficult for Concordia University Wrestling to find that chip on its shoulder. A season after outperforming prognostications, the Bulldogs will enter 2023-24 ranked sixth in the GPAC. Underestimate Concordia at your own peril. Sure, three of the team’s four 2023 national qualifiers have departed, but the bulk of the dual lineup returns for a program that Head Coach Chase Clasen is convinced has worked its way into a better position than it found itself in this time a year ago.
Clasen has fortified his roster with seven freshmen and a pair of transfers as the Bulldogs look to build upon a 2022-23 campaign that may have surprised some outsiders. Last season’s squad equaled a program record for dual wins and placed third in the GPAC in both the regular season and tournament. Clasen and company are comfortable remaining in the underdog role.
“We’re getting better,” Clasen said. “I think a lot of teams are overlooking us, which is a great thing for us. We got ranked sixth in the GPAC again, same as last year. I know our team felt a bit disrespected by that. It’s a good thing for us. In terms of us, we know where we’re at. We’re legitimate conference contenders and I think we’re nationally relevant. We had a rough-go last year with the seeds at nationals, but I think, on any given day, our guys can compete for All-American spots. Keep overlooking us and keep not thinking about us, and we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing.”
It may sound cliché, but Concordia’s underdog status provides an extra jolt for a program already motivated and hungry for bigger and better. There’s no denying that Clasen did a fine job in year one. Still young in the profession, Clasen arrived at Concordia via North Idaho College and is a former NCAA Division II All-American. In his current role, Clasen is all about helping Bulldogs reach the All-America podium. Last season was simply a start as Concordia doubled its number of national qualifiers compared to 2022.
The headlining individual returner is 141-pound senior Creighton Baughman, the program’s lone returning national qualifier. Baughman earned two All-America awards at Iowa Western Community College before transferring to Concordia. Heading into the season, Baughman is ranked second in the GPAC and 10th nationally in his weight class. He finished 2022-23 with a 25-10 record and won a pair of matches at the national tournament. It was a strong Bulldog debut, but Baughman feels burned by the fact that he came up short of All-America status.
“It was a great introduction to NAIA and wrestling at this level,” Baughman said. “I did a lot of good things and a lot to build from. The feeling of going to nationals and falling short of your goals sticks with you. With wrestling, you can earn it every single day, and I feel like I did earn it in the wrestling room. Ultimately, you have to be able to take it when the moment is there. I fell short of that goal. I’m more motivated than ever for this upcoming season.”
Naturally, Baughman will hold down the 141-pound slot in the dual lineup when November hits. Clasen says the depth of the roster will make for difficult decisions at most of the other weight classes. Below is a listing of Concordia grapplers who appeared among the top six of the GPAC within their respective weights. A fourth-place GPAC finisher last season at 149 pounds, Milford High School alum Jeaven Scdoris is ranked third at 157. Though not ranked at the conference level, Stephen Duffy placed fourth in the GPAC at 184 and just missed a spot at the national tournament.
Concordia wrestlers with GPAC rankings
125 – Aidan Trowbridge: 6th
141 – Creighton Baughman: 2nd
157 – Jeaven Scdoris: 3rd
157 – Brent Ward: 4th
165 – Tommy Wentz: 5th
174 – Sean Duffy: 6th
184 – Garret Moser: 5th
285 – Cy Renney: 6th
Other returners who were regulars in the lineup (and not listed above) are Bryce Karlin (141) and Grant Wells (125). The newcomers who quickly found their way into the GPAC rankings are freshmen Aidan Trowbridge (125) of Geneva, Neb., and Iowa Wesleyan University transfer Brent Ward (157) of Tucson, Ariz. Their additions help make up for the losses of 2023 national qualifiers Issiah Burks (165-pound GPAC champ), Logan Davidson and Tavoris Smith. Clasen likes the competition he sees in the practice room.
“We had our first round of challenge matches during preseason,” Clasen said. “On the bad side, I don’t know who our starters are. On the good side, it means we have a lot of depth. The team’s a lot better. It’s one of those situations where one guy would beat one guy and the next thing you know, that guy is losing to someone else. It’s a good problem to have. It speaks volumes of the guys we brought in and the development that we’ve had so far.”
As a twist to the college rules this season, takedowns will now be worth three points (threeeeee!). Clasen says the rule change won’t alter the approach, which had already been about aggression and scoring as many points as possible. For the dominant performers, the added point could lead to additional majors and technical falls. The rule change has been applied across all levels of collegiate wrestling starting in 2023-24.
The aim is for Concordia to take advantage of those three-pointers rather than their opponents. Diving deeper from a statistical standpoint, there are seven returning Bulldogs who notched at least 10 victories last season: Baughman (25-10), Duffy (15-10), Karlin (14-10), Scdoris (14-15), Moser (13-14), Wells (11-15) and Wentz (20-12). From a dual perspective, Concordia ended last season with a bang as it celebrated senior night with blowout wins over Colby Community College, 49-6, and York University, 44-6. Those triumphs pushed the team’s season victory count to 13.
That type of success wasn’t expected in year one of Clasen’s tenure. Allow Baughman to explain what occurred. Said Baughman, “We were going to do things the right way. If you weren’t going to do things the right way, then this program wouldn’t be suited for you. I also think about some of our senior leaders last year, guys like Issiah Burks, Jose Sanchez and Tavoris Smith. They helped a lot of the younger guys. If you want to be successful at this level, some days are going to be rough and some practices you’re going to get beat up on. That’s part of the sport. That is what’s going to make us better and what will make it worth it in the end. We’re proving the doubters wrong and accomplishing these things we weren’t supposed to accomplish.”
What exactly would make 2023-24 a success? Clasen isn’t laying it out in specific terms, but he surely would like to compete for the conference title, increase the number of national qualifiers and get the navy and white singlet back on the podium. During the eight seasons from 2013-14 through 2020-21, Concordia had at least one All-American each year. The most recent All-American was Mario Ybarra in 2021.
If Clasen and assistant coach Tyree Cox can simply inspire each of their wrestlers to perform to their potential, Clasen will consider this season a success. Said Clasen, “I’m not going to say we have to get this many dual wins or this many national qualifiers because I don’t think that’s the way it goes. The biggest success for me as a coach would be for every single guy on our team to say they did the best they could do. If they do those things and they feel like we prepared them as best as possible, that’s a success for me.”
Based on recent seasons, and the GPAC preseason poll, the rest of the league continues to chase the likes of Morningside and Doane. The Mustangs managed to unseat the 2023 conference favorite Tigers in both the regular season and at the conference tournament. After the GPAC tournament was held at Doane last season, it will move to Concordia’s own Friedrich Arena in 2024. It will mark the first time the Bulldogs have hosted the conference tournament since 2016.
The season will also get started inside Friedrich Arena, where Concordia will host Midland for a GPAC dual on Nov. 1. The Bulldogs will host a total of five duals in 2023-24. The complete schedule can be found HERE.