2025-26 GPAC Wrestling All-Conference Teams
GPAC Coach of the Year: Josh Watts
First Team: Hagen Heistand (157); Cal Price (149); Paul Ruff (133)
Second Team: Stevie Barnes (141); Barret Brandt (184); Torrance Keehn (197); Cole Price (165)
Honorable Mention: Gabe Kant (285)
SEWARD, Neb. – For his work leading an ascending program, Josh Watts was honored on Wednesday (Feb. 25) by the league office as the GPAC Wrestling Coach of the Year. In addition, eight Bulldogs from the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling program were named 2025-26 GPAC All-Conference award winners. The honor roll includes first team selections in Hagen Heistand, Cal Price and Paul Ruff, second teamers Stevie Barnes, Barret Brandt, Torrance Keehn and Cole Price and honorable mention choice Gabe Kant.
Watts’ program has qualified nine individuals for the upcoming 2026 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships. The accomplishments this season include GPAC runner-up placements in both the regular season and tournament. The Bulldogs landed at No. 16 in the most recent official NAIA ratings. Watts is in his second season at the helm of Concordia. He coached Heistand to a national runner-up and has guided Bulldog wrestlers to a combined three GPAC individual championships. Watts is the fourth different Concordia wrestling coach to be honored as GPAC Coach of the Year.
In moving up to 157 pounds, Heistand earned his first career GPAC title while defeating Doane’s Benjamin Miller in the championship match, 7-6. A native of Dow City, Iowa, Heistand will take a sparkling 20-1 overall record into national tournament action. As part of the 2025-26 season, Heistand has produced tournament place finishes of third at the Hastings Open, first at the Missouri Valley Invite and first at the GPAC Championships. He went 5-0 in dual meets. Of his 20 wins, 11 have come with bonus points (two pins). Heistand owns a 40-5 record since transferring to Concordia. He is a two-time First Team All-GPAC honoree.
Cal Price joined Heistand at the top of the podium at the conference championships. The La Vista, Neb., native entered the GPAC tournament ranked sixth in the conference at 149 pounds. Price went 3-0 at the conference championships and upset NAIA ninth-ranked Caden Eggleston of Morningside with a pin in the title match. Price owns a record of 12-11 on the season and has recorded 24 wins over two seasons at Concordia. Price will make his first appearance on the national stage.
A former Iowa Western Reiver along with Watts, Ruff has made an immediate impact in his first season as a Bulldog. Ruff placed as the conference 133-pound runner up and boasts an overall record of 13-2. The Gering, Neb., native also won a championship at the Hastings Open and placed second at the Missouri Valley Invite. Ruff is currently ranked seventh nationally in his weight class. He has won six matches with bonus points.
Barnes emerged as one of Concordia’s four conference runners up. The Pacific Junction, Iowa, native has gone 13-6 with eight pins. The season for Barnes also included a third-place finish at the Hastings Open and a Missouri Valley Invite tournament run that included three pins. Barnes has earned a national tournament bid (at-large in 2026) for a second straight year. He moved up to the GPAC’s second team after earning honorable mention status last season.
The pins keep coming for Brandt, who leads the team in that category with 13 in his junior season. Brandt was the GPAC runner up at 184 pounds. He owns an overall record of 18-8 (6-0 in duals). In addition to reaching the GPAC finals, Brandt placed second at the Hastings Open and fourth at the Missouri Valley Invite. He rose to 13th in the latest NAIA ratings. The Syracuse, Neb., native has won 68 career matches and his 48 career pins rank second in program history (two shy of the all-time record). Brandt will be headed to the national tournament for a second year in a row.
The GPAC runner up at 197 pounds, Keehn has enjoyed his best season as a senior. The Beatrice, Neb., native has put together a 15-5 record that includes seven pins. Keehn went a perfect 7-0 in dual meets. His conference placement locked up a second career trip to the NAIA National Championships. Over the past two seasons, Keehn has gone a combined 30-13.
Cole Price owns a team-high 30 wins following his third-place finish at the GPAC Championships. He has been named to the conference’s second team in back-to-back years. The La Vista, Neb., native and former Reiver also placed third at the Oppenheim Open, first at the Hastings Open and fourth at the Missouri Valley Invite. Price has racked up 10 pins on the season. His two-year record as a Bulldog stands at 51-19. An NWCA Scholar All-American, Price will be headed to the national tournament for a second year in a row.
As a transfer from Labette Community College, Kant helped solidify the heavyweight spot in the Concordia lineup. He was ranked 10th nationally in the most recent NAIA release. Kant will take a 21-9 record to the national tournament after he placed third at the GPAC Championships. Kant was also a third-place finisher at the Dakota Wesleyan Open and a fourth-place finisher at the Oppenheim Open. He has notched eight pins.
Next up will be the 2026 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships. The event is scheduled for March 5-7 at Heartland Credit Union Arena in Park City, Kan.