2024-25 Wrestling Schedule/Results

6-2 overall | 6-2 GPAC (T-2nd) | Season Stats | Roster

Date Event/Opponent Location Result Dual Record
Nov. 2 Simpson University Luther Hill Invite Indianola, Iowa Results  
Nov. 6 *Midland University Dual Fremont, Neb. W, 36-6 1-0, 1-0
Nov. 9 Dakota Wesleyan University Open Mitchell, S.D. Results  
Nov. 22 *Hastings College Dual Hastings, Neb. W, 33-22 2-0, 2-0
Nov. 23 UNK Younes Hospitality Open Kearney, Neb. Results  
  GPAC Day of Duals #1: Nov. 26      
Nov. 26 *Dakota Wesleyan University Dual Seward, Neb. W, 32-10 3-0, 3-0
Nov. 26 *Morningside University Dual Seward, Neb. L, 10-32 3-1, 3-1
Dec. 7 Doane University Open Crete, Neb. Results  
Dec. 13 *(6) Doane University Dual Seward, Neb. L, 3-46 3-2, 3-2
Jan. 11 Hastings College Cusatis Open Hastings, Neb. Results  
Jan. 19 Denker Open (University of Central Missouri) Warrensburg, Mo. Results  
Jan. 24-25 Missouri Valley College Invite Marshall, Mo. 6th / 53  
  GPAC Day of Duals #2: Feb. 8      
Feb. 8 *Northwestern College Dual Mitchell, S.D. W, 29-16 4-2, 4-2
Feb. 8 *Briar Cliff University Dual Mitchell, S.D. W, 41-6 5-2, 5-2
Feb. 8 *Waldorf University Dual Mitchell, S.D. W, 38-6 6-2, 6-2
Feb. 21-22 GPAC Wrestling Championships Hastings, Neb. 3rd / 9  
March 6-8 NAIA Wrestling National Championships Park City, Kan. T-17th  
  *denotes GPAC Dual      

2024-25 Roster

Weight Class Name Yr. Hometown Previous School
174 Ramon Arredondo Fr. Fresno, Calif. Bullard HS
165 Simon Arredondo Fr. Fresno, Calif. Bullard HS
149 Steve Barnes Jr. Pacific Junction, Iowa Underwood HS / Iowa State University
141 Creighton Baughman Sr. Papillion, Neb. Papillion La Vista HS / IA Western CC
174/184 Blane Boehmer So. Bennington, Neb. Bennington HS / Iowa Western CC
174 Barret Brandt So. Syracuse, Neb. Syracuse HS
157 Hayden Crow Jr. Sheridan, Wyo. Sheridan HS / Iowa Western CC
149 Dominick Flynn Jr. Fountain Hills, Ariz. Fountain Hills HS / Scottsdale CC
133 Tyler Flynn Fr. Fountain Hills, Ariz. Fountain Hills HS
141 Henry Gaertner Sr. Royal Oak, Mich. Lutheran HS Northwest
285 Mason Garcia Sr. Arroyo Grande, Calif. Arroyo Grande HS
157 Chase Groff Fr. Doniphan, Neb. Doniphan Trumbull HS
197 Calvin Gross Fr. St. Peters, Mo. Lutheran HS
149 Hagen Heistand Jr. Dow City, Iowa Underwood HS / Campbell University
197 Luke Howitt So. North Platte, Neb. Maxwell HS / Iowa Western CC
141 Bryce Karlin Jr. Beatrice, Neb. Beatrice HS
197 Torrance Keehn Jr. Beatrice, Neb. Beatrice HS
125 Gabriel Lujan Fr. Santa Fe, N.M. Santa Fe HS
157 Francisco Mendez Jr. Norfolk, Neb. Norfolk Catholic HS / Iowa Wesleyan
184 Garret Moser Sr. Fremont, Neb. Fremont HS / York College
141 Cal Price Fr. La Vista, Neb. Papillion La Vista HS
157/165 Cole Price Sr. La Vista, Neb. Papillion La Vista HS / IA Western CC
285 Cy Renney Jr. Adams City, Colo. Adams City HS
149 Brayse Salinas Fr. Ulysses, Kan. Ulysses HS
197 Colin Schwartzkopf So. Gering, Neb. Gering HS / Iowa Western CC
184 Evan Sepanlou Fr. Palmdale, Calif. Quartz Hill HS
133 Aidan Trowbridge So. Geneva, Neb. Fillmore Central HS
197 Teegan Tschampel Sr. Merrill, Iowa Hinton HS / Ellsworth CC
285 Jeremiah Vasquez Sr. Edwards, Colo. Battle Mountain HS
165 Brent Ward Sr. Tucson, Ariz. Iowa Wesleyan University
184 Hunter Weimer Sr. Porterville, Calif. Monache HS
133 Grant Wells Jr. Lincoln, Neb. Lincoln Lutheran HS
165 Tommy Wentz Sr. Fremont, Neb. Fremont HS / York College
174 Trenton Wills Sr. Valley Center, Kan. Trinity Academy

STAFF

Josh Watts, Head Coach

Isaiah Crosby, Assistant Coach

Season Preview: 2024-25 Concordia Wrestling

Oct. 22, 2024

2023-24 Dual Record: 8-7 overall, 3-5 GPAC (6th); 5th at GPAC tournament
2024 NAIA National Championships finish: T-35th
Head Coach: Josh Watts (1st season; spent 13 seasons as head coach at Iowa Western CC)
Key Returners: 141 Creighton Baughman; 165 Barret Brandt; 197 Mason Garcia; 174 Garret Moser; 285 Cy Renney; 184 Hunter Weimer; 125 Grant Wells; 165 Tommy Wentz.
Key Losses:  149 TJ Allen; 125 Bryson Bussinger; 174 Stephen Duffy; 149 Jeaven Scdoris.
2024 GPAC All-Conference: Creighton Baughman (Second Team); Tommy Wentz (Second Team); Mason Garcia (Honorable Mention).

Outlook

It’s been an offseason of transition for Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling, which welcomes the 13th head coach in program history. The athletic department announced Josh Watts as the new leader back in July. Watts brings a strong reputation with him following 13 successful years at the helm of the wrestling program at Iowa Western Community College, where he mentored previous Bulldog head coach Chase Clasen.

Watts now takes the baton from Clasen (head coach for two seasons) in continuing to build up a program that won GPAC dual and tournament championships as recently as 2020. Many pieces are in place for Watts to be able to hit the ground running.

“It’s a new challenge,” Watts said. “I spent a total of 17 years in junior college with Darton College (Ga.) and Iowa Western. The new challenge is exciting. The development for a longer period of time is also exciting. The game might be played different from what I was doing the past couple of years with recruiting and so forth. It’s a highly competitive division. There are some nuances to it that are a little bit different but all in all, it’s wrestling. There’s a circle and a mat and you shake hands and you go.”

The program brings back each of its three national qualifiers from last season – Creighton Baughman, Mason Garcia and Tommy Wentz – from a team that placed fifth at the 2024 GPAC tournament. A former All-American at Iowa Western, Baughman has the opportunity to reunite with Watts. Baughman is one of the leaders in a room that has been infused with new faces. The 2024-25 roster features nine freshmen and seven transfers. Baughman is one of six former Reivers on the roster.

The new arrivals have added buzz to the program. Three of the transfers appeared in the GPAC’s preseason ratings within their respective weight classes: Hagen Heistand (second at 157), Cole Price (fifth at 165) and Collin Schwartzkopf (fifth at 197). Heistand transferred from NCAA Division I Campbell University, where he won a combined 29 matches in two seasons. The mix of Concordia veterans and newcomers has made for a unique dynamic during preseason preparation.

Says the Arroyo Grande, Calif., native Garcia of the additions, “They’re studs. They’re really good. They’re really cool guys and they fit our team dynamic really well. It’s been a smooth transition, which seems like it wouldn’t be when you’re moving almost a whole other team in here, but it was. We clicked right away.”

A two-time NAIA national qualifier at 141 pounds, Baughman has claimed 58 combined wins over two seasons as a Bulldog. He opens the season ranked No. 1 in the GPAC and 10th nationally in his weight class. After getting a taste of the national stage, Garcia (No. 17 in the NAIA at 285) and Wentz (No. 18 in the NAIA at 165) also landed in the preseason national rankings. Garcia has been moved up a weight class from 197 to 285. As just a freshman last season, Barret Brandt (174) broke the program record for pins in a single season (24) and narrowly missed out on a trip to the national tournament. Meanwhile, Grant Wells (133) won 20 matches as a sophomore. In the GPAC ratings, Brandt sits No. 5 at 174 and Wells landed at No. 6 at 133.

Others who appeared in the 2024-25 preseason GPAC ratings include freshman Gabe Lujan (fifth at 125), senior Brent Ward (sixth at 157) and senior Hunter Weimer (third at 184). Seven of the 12 Bulldogs who represented the team at the ’24 GPAC tournament have returned while Concordia graduated seniors such as TJ Allen (149), Jeaven Scdoris (157), Stephen Duffy (174) and CJ Laabs (285). Despite those departures, Watt likes what he has seen since he took on the head coaching role.

“They’re hungry to learn,” Watts said. “They really want to get better at wrestling and really want to learn wrestling. We’re doing quite a bit of teaching. They seem to be really receptive to it. They want to be good and their willingness to work hard has been impressive. This is my first time taking over an existing team. My previous two stops I created teams from scratch, so it’s a little bit of a different dynamic for me, but I’m really happy with the roster we have and the character we have on the roster.”

As Garcia prepares for life as a heavyweight (with fewer eating restrictions), he says the adjustment process with a new head coach has been mostly seamless. When hired, Watts immediately moved to tab former Iowa Western national champion Isaiah Crosby as his top assistant. “It’s extremely structured,” said Garcia of the fall semester so far. “Everything is planned out. Everything is told to us beforehand. That really helps us mentally prepare to show up and do our best. I really appreciate that.”

Of course, many of the team’s wrestlers were already familiar with how Watts operates. Watts used his connections to help put the final touches on the 2024-25 roster. He quickly went to work recruiting impact transfers late in the summer.

“I wanted to bring in some guys who understood my philosophy,” Watts said. “We brought in Cole Price, who was a redshirt sophomore for me last year at Iowa Western. He’s a two-time All-American. We also brought in Blake Boehmer and Collin Schwartzkopf, guys who have been with me. We also got Hagen Heistand, who is a transfer from Campbell. I worked with him as a little kid. Steve Barnes was previously going to school at Iowa State. He was someone who wrestled in my youth club. I wanted to bring in some guys who understood my philosophy and could help relay what I’m saying to the team.”

In terms of expectations, Watts is letting the team hammer out their own goals. Individually, Garcia doesn’t hesitate when asked – he will do what it takes in an attempt to put himself on the podium come early March. Several of his teammates will have similar aspirations within the context of the team goals. Concordia was placed third in the preseason GPAC team ratings behind Doane and Morningside.

The program’s list of All-Americans has held at 18 in number since Maria Ybarra earned such distinction in 2021. Watts will attempt to grow that number in 2025.

“As far as goal setting, that’s an internal thing with the team,” Watts said. “I’m a big believer in the team sets the goals, not the coaching staff. At the beginning of the year, we divide up into three groups and they set their goals for the year. From that point forward, it’s the coaching staff’s job to hold them accountable to those goals. That usually creates more buy-in from the team if they are the ones setting the expectations. We have our day-to-day expectations, academic expectations and standards that we set. On the competitive side, they set their standards and we hold them accountable to them.”

The 2024-25 campaign is slated to get underway with the Luther Hill Invite hosted by Simpson University (Iowa) on Nov. 2. Dual action will get started on Nov. 6 with a matchup at Midland. In total, the schedule includes seven regular season tournaments. The Bulldogs will host a portion of GPAC Day of Duals No. 1 on Nov. 26. Hastings will serve as the host of the 2025 GPAC Tournament. The complete 2024-25 schedule can be found HERE.

Karlin, Wentz win titles as Bulldogs combine for 10 top-two placements at Luther Hill Invite

Nov. 2, 2024

INDIANOLA, Iowa – The 2024-25 season got underway for a group of 18 Bulldogs at the Luther Hill Invite hosted by Simpson University on Saturday (Nov. 2). Those representatives of the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling program combined for 37 wins and 14 individual place finishes as Josh Watts made his debut as head coach of the Bulldogs. Bryce Karlin (133) and Tommy Wentz (165) both claimed titles within their respective weight classes in the open division of a tournament that featured competitors from 17 institutions from various levels of collegiate wrestling.

The tournament is just a starting point for Watts’ squad, which was pegged at No. 3 in the GPAC in the preseason ratings. Said Watts, “I’m happy with how the team competed today. I feel we laid a good foundation to build on and identified areas we need to work on. I look forward to getting back to the practice room on Monday.”

A returning national qualifier, Wentz won each of his three matches on Saturday at 165 pounds. He opened the day with a major decision over Central College (Iowa)’s Kevin Hogan and continued with a 4-2 decision over Grand View University (Iowa)’s Brock Moore and then a win in a tiebreaker over teammate Brent Ward in the championship bout. As for Karlin, he dominated with three-consecutive pins. The final one occurred in the first period in a wipeout of Quincy’s Isaac Bourge.

As shown below, there were eight Bulldogs who were runners up within their weight classes. That crew included wrestlers who competed in the freshman/sophomore divisions. The second-place Concordia finishers included Steven Barnes (149), Francisco Mendez (157), Simon Arredondo (165), Ward (165), Barret Brandt (174), Hunter Weimer (184), Torrance Keehn (197) and Teegan Tschampel (197). Brandt is looking to follow up a fine freshman season that saw him break the program record for pins in a season with 24. Brandt notched one pin on Saturday.

Bulldog place finishes

·        133 (Open) Bryce Karlin – 1st

·        165 (Open) Tommy Wentz – 1st

·        149 (FR/SO) Steven Barnes – 2nd

·        157 (Open) Francisco Mendez – 2nd

·        165 (FR/SO) Simon Arredondo – 2nd

·        165 (Open) Brent Ward – 2nd

·        174 (FR/SO) Barret Brandt – 2nd

·        184 (Open) Hunter Weimer – 2nd

·        197 (FR/SO) Torrance Keehn – 2nd

·        197 (Open) Teegan Tschampel – 2nd

·        184 (Open) Garret Moser – 3rd

·        184 (FR/SO) Blane Boehmer – 4th

·        149 (Open) Dominick Flynn – 5th

·        184 (FR/SO) Evan Sepanlou – 5th

Seventeen of the 18 Bulldogs who wrestled at the Luther Hill Invite emerged with at least one victory. The Pacific Junction, Iowa, native Barnes led the way in terms of overall wins with four (including one by technical fall). Three triumphs apiece were delivered by Karlin (133), Wentz (165), Arredondo (165), Brandt (174), Evan Sepanlou (184) and Keehn (197). Concordia combined for seven pins on the day. Of the four Bulldogs currently ranked nationally, Wentz (18th at 165) was the only one to compete in Indianola. Creighton Baughman (10th at 141), Hagen Heistand (25th at 157) and Mason Garcia (17th at 285) will soon get their 2024-25 seasons underway.

The Bulldogs now shift focus to the first dual of the 2024-25 season. Concordia will be in Fremont, Neb., on Wednesday for a clash with Midland at 7 p.m. CT. Last season, the Bulldogs went 3-5 in conference duals while the Warriors finished 0-8. Concordia took last November’s meeting by a 45-6 team score.

Bulldogs trounce Warriors in GPAC opening dual

Nov. 6, 2024

FREMONT, Neb. – In opening the 2024-25 GPAC dual season, the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling team held Midland without an offensive point until the final two matches of the evening. As part of the dominant outing, the Bulldogs won seven of nine contested bouts and emerged from the Wikert Event Center in Fremont, Neb., with a 36-6 win on Wednesday (Nov. 6). Pins were delivered by Concordia’s Bryce Karlin, Barret Brandt and Hunter Weimer.

The result marked the first dual win in the Bulldog tenure of Head Coach Josh Watts. Officially, the dual marked the second event of the season for Concordia, which competed this past weekend at the Luther Hill Invite.

“Overall, we wrestled decently well,” Watts said. “I think we still have a lot of room to improve. We’ll get back to work tomorrow, but it was a good win. The team did a good job wrestling to score points. We just need to do a better job of applying pressure and keeping the pressure on.”

A native of Beatrice, Neb., Karlin has opened his junior season with a bang. In Wednesday’s action, Karlin recorded a takedown before wiping out Jackson Duncan in 1:34 at 141 pounds. The win pushed Karlin to 4-0 with four pins on the year. By the time the 174- and 184-pound clashes concluded, the Bulldogs had built an insurmountable 30-0 lead in the team score.

At 174, the sophomore Brandt scored a takedown and eight total near-fall points before nailing his counterpart to the mat in 2:18. The pin represented the 26th career fall for the Syracuse, Neb., native. Up next, Weimer (Porterville, Calif.) went on the attack and collected three takedowns and four near-fall points before ending the match at the 4:01 mark.

Additional wins were put on the board by Aidan Trowbridge (forfeit at 133), Steven Barnes (major decision at 149), Francisco Mendez (decision at 157) and Tommy Wentz (technical fall at 165). Both Barnes (8-0 major) and Mendez (10-3 decision) appeared in a dual for the first time as Bulldogs. Meanwhile, the returning national qualifier Wentz polished off his 165-pound opponent in 4:40 while collecting three takedowns and seven near-fall points.

Concordia has won seven-straight dual meetings with Midland. The Warriors cracked the scoreboard at 197 and 285 thanks to the respective efforts of Burton Brandt (brother of Barret) and Zeph Sivels. Bulldog heavyweight Mason Garcia, a returning national qualifier, made his first appearance of the season and was clipped, 4-1, by Sivels. Midland wound up with four total takedowns (compared to 13 by the Bulldogs) for the evening.

Karlin and Wentz carried over their strong performances from their championships at the Luther Hill Invite. Said Watts of Karlin, “Bryce is doing a really good job. We had to move him up a weight class today since Creighton (Baughman) is gone (but set to return soon). Bryce is being aggressive and wrestling very physical. He’s attacking to score points, which is what we preach. I think he can continue that and continue to get better.”

A group of Bulldogs will be headed to Mitchell, S.D., for this Saturday’s Dakota Wesleyan Open. The tournament is scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m. CT. The next dual on the slate is set for Nov. 22 when Concordia will make a visit to Hastings.

Price stars in Concordia debut as 14 Bulldogs compete at DWU Open

Nov. 9, 2024

MITCHELL, S.D. – A transfer from Iowa Western Community College, Cole Price made a strong first impression in his first appearance in the Bulldog singlet. The La Vista, Neb., native won five matches on Saturday (Nov. 9) while highlighting the efforts of the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling team at the Dakota Wesleyan University Open. Fourteen Bulldog grapplers combined for 22 victories in a challenging field featuring wrestlers from more than 20 institutions.

The tournament marked the third outing of the season for Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad. Earlier in the week, Concordia earned a 36-6 GPAC dual win over Midland.

“We had a solid showing,” Watts said of the DWU Open. “Cole finished top four and Mason was one win away from placing top eight at a very strong open. Mason looked more confident and comfortable moving up to 285. This was Cole’s first competition of the year, and he put a solid showing together. He wrestled smart and finished almost every time he touched a leg.”

Price wrestled the maximum number of matches in a single day and wound up in fourth place in the 165-pound bracket. Price opened his day with a first-period pin of Bismarck State Community College’s Dillon Spaulding and proceeded to win three matches by decision and another by major decision. His final victory of the day came over an NCAA Division II opponent from Northern State University (S.D.).

A national qualifier last season at 197 pounds, Garcia continues to get acclimated to the heavyweight class. His tournament included a trio of wins, including two pins, one over a Jamestown opponent. The Arroyo Grande, Calif., native’s bid for a tournament place finish was denied by a tight 3-1 decision that ended his run. Garcia is ranked 18th in the NAIA at 285. The team’s two additional nationally ranked wrestlers (Creighton Baughman and Tommy Wentz) did not compete in Mitchell.

Of the 14 Bulldogs to take the mats at the DWU Open, 10 emerged with at least one victory. In addition to Garcia and Price, five Concordia competitors won multiple matches: Grant Wells (3-2 at 133), Brent Ward (2-2 at 165), Garret Moser (2-2 at 184), Calvin Gross (2-2 at 197) and Teegan Tschampel (2-2 at 197). Three others triumphed exactly one time: Ramon Arredondo (174), Simon Arredondo (165) and Collin Schwartzkopf (197). Collectively, Concordia posted 11 pins with two apiece from Garcia, Gross and Tschampel.

The next event on the schedule will be a dual at Hastings on Friday, Nov. 22. In last season's matchup in Seward, the Bulldogs pummeled the Broncos, 41-9. Hastings finished last season at 1-7 in GPAC duals before placing eighth at the 2024 GPAC Wrestling Championships.

Bulldogs pin their way to win at Hastings, move to 2-0 in GPAC

Nov. 22, 2024

HASTINGS, Neb. – Hastings made the Bulldogs sweat in a Friday (Nov. 22) dual while jumping out to leads of 12-0 and 18-6. However, the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling team responded with a flurry of bonus-point victories and emerged from Kiewit Gym with a 33-22 team triumph. Pins were delivered by Bulldogs Creighton Baughman (141), Barret Brandt (174), Hunter Weimer (184) and Teegan Tschampel (197). Only two matches went the full seven minutes in a dual that concluded in less than an hour.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad moved to 2-0 in the GPAC with a win also coming over Midland, 36-6. Watts saw plenty of room for improvement after breaking down the dual at Hastings.

“I think we need to tighten things up,” Watts said. “We wrestled too sloppy. It goes back to all the little things – how we practice and how we drill. I felt like we did a good job of chasing bonus points in the matches. We had a couple weight classes where we had stalling calls. That just can’t be a thing.”

A two-time NAIA national qualifier, Baughman (ranked 10th in the NAIA at 141) made his first appearance of the 2024-25 season and promptly rounded into form. The Papillion, Neb., native wiped out Hastings’ Dalton Michael in 2:12 for the 59th win of his Concordia career. After the Broncos got a pin from Jordan Tobias at 149, the Bulldogs went on the offensive with a dominant string of bouts from 157 through 197.

In the 157-pound tussle, Concordia’s Francisco Mendez nearly recorded the pin before taking a major decision from Israel Manriquez. The dominoes continued as Cole Price earned a 19-4 technical fall of Nicholas Freeland, Brandt pinned Esteban Sedano in 1:51, Weimer nailed down Trevor Leon in 1:55 and Tschampel polished off Matheson Rodriguez in just 37 seconds. All four of the Bulldog pins on the night occurred in the first period. Brandt collected his third pin of this season after breaking the school record with 24 pins as a freshman in 2023-24.

From a team perspective, Concordia posted 14 takedowns to Hastings’ three and the Bulldogs were awarded near-fall points in five separate instances. Said Watts, “65 through 97 really came through for us tonight. They went out there aggressively and chased bonus points. They won the dual for us. They did a fantastic job. It was also good having Creighton in the lineup for the first time this year. He will definitely be a big asset to us.”

Each of the four Hastings wins came with bonus points. The Broncos got six points for a forfeit at 125 prior to pins from Justin Rodriguez (133) and Tobias. To close out the evening, Koen Mattern won an 11-0 major decision at heavyweight. Hastings slipped to 3-2 overall in duals in what was its first clash with a GPAC opponent this season.

The Bulldogs will be right back to action on Saturday morning for the Younes Hospitality Open hosted by the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Wrestling is slated to get underway at 9 a.m. CT from Buffalo County Fairgrounds in Kearney, Neb. Watts plans to have 18 competitors take to the mats in Kearney.

Bulldogs combine for 11 wins at Younes Hospitality Open

Nov. 23, 2024

KEARNEY, Neb. – A group of 14 Bulldogs tested itself against strong competition on Saturday (Nov. 23) at the annual Younes Hospitality Open hosted by NCAA Division II University of Nebraska-Kearney. A total of 11 wins were claimed by Concordia University, Nebraska wrestlers at Buffalo County Fairgrounds, which hosted grapplers from 54 institutions. The tournament format included “elite” and “amateur” brackets.

The occasion marked the third tournament of the 2024-25 season for Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad. The majority of the team’s top wrestlers were held out of the tournament following Friday night’s 33-22 dual win at Hastings. Said Watts, “The guys competed hard today. Simon (Arredondo) wrestled well and the freshmen are showing growth from previous competitions. We look forward to getting ready for the GPAC Duals.”

The four Bulldogs who competed in the elite brackets each went 0-2 while taking lessons away from a series of matchups with NCAA Division II foes. In the amateur brackets, five Concordia wrestlers emerged with two wins apiece: Tyler Flynn (133), Dominick Flynn (149), Simon Arredondo (165), Blane Boehmer (184) and Collin Schwartzkopf (197). Both of Boehmer’s wins came via fall while Flynn notched one pin. In addition, Calvin Gross posted one win at 197 pounds.

A significant day of conference wrestling will take place on Tuesday when the Bulldogs host GPAC Day of Duals No. 1. The first round of duals is scheduled to get underway at 12 p.m. CT inside Friedrich Arena. The schedule for the day is included below. All duals will be streamed via the GPAC Network.

GPAC Day of Duals No. 1 – Nov. 26

Round 1 | 12 p.m. CT
Mat 1 – Concordia vs. Dakota Wesleyan
Mat 2 – Hastings vs. Waldorf
Mat 3 – Midland vs. Briar Cliff

Round 2 | 1:30 p.m. CT
Mat 1 – Doane vs. Northwestern
Mat 2 – Midland vs. Waldorf
Mat 3 – Hastings vs. Dakota Wesleyan

Round 3 | 3 p.m. CT
Mat 1 – Concordia vs. Morningside
Mat 2 – Doane vs. Briar Cliff
Mat 3 – Open

Brandt stars as Bulldogs defeat DWU, fall to Morningside in GPAC Duals

Nov. 26, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – In an event that will help decide who ultimately wins the GPAC regular season title, Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling hosted all nine conference members on Tuesday (Nov. 26). As part of GPAC Day of Duals No. 1, the Bulldogs handled Dakota Wesleyan, 32-10, before falling by the same score while up against Morningside. Individually for Concordia, Steven Barnes, Creighton Baughman and Barret Brandt each went 2-0 on the day. There were eight total duals wrestled inside Friedrich Arena in the first of two largescale duals days for the conference.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad stands at 3-1 in GPAC duals on the season. The Bulldogs managed to avenge their loss to Dakota Wesleyan from the 2023-24 season.

“We’re competing hard,” Watts said. “We’re being aggressive and wrestling to score points. We were chasing bonus points in both of those duals. The guys fought hard. We have room to improve, but we’re working on it. We have to fix some stuff. We have to get our sprawling together and get some chain wrestling going. We’re doing it in spurts. When we do it, we score or we stop them from scoring. We have to be more consistent.”

In the day’s first dual, Concordia surrendered the first bout by major decision before then going on a roll. The Bulldogs won eight of the final nine matches versus Dakota Wesleyan, including triumphs by bonus points from Bryce Karlin (pin at 133), Baughman (major at 141), Brandt (pin at 174) and Hunter Weimer (major at 184). Victories by decision were claimed by Barnes (149), Tommy Wentz (165), Teegan Tschampel (197) and Mason Garcia (285). The two-time NAIA national qualifier Baughman posted the 60th and 61st wins of his Bulldog career. Concordia notched 20 takedowns compared to DWU’s seven for the dual.

The school record holder for pins in a single season, Brandt (Syracuse, Neb.) is a threat to end each match at any moment. He highlighted Concordia’s efforts against the perennially strong Mustangs by upsetting the GPAC’s top-ranked 174-pounder, Alex Vandyke (ranked No. 18 in the NAIA). Brandt (7-1 record on the season) nearly pinned Vandyke before polishing off a 10-1 major decision.

“I really worked on patience,” Brandt said. “Staying in my ties, working him and making him tired for the second and third periods. We want to gas them out. I kind of got lucky on that first-period near-fall. Third period, I took him down and rode him out.”

Said Watts of Brandt, “Barret’s tough. We’re working on some things with him right now. Barret can be one of the top guys in the country. I believe in him. Once he tweaks some things, he’s going to be really dangerous.”

A fine day for Barnes at 149 also included a win over Morningside’s Chris Aragon. The Bulldogs could have made the team scoring tighter if not for close losses by Grant Wells (133) and Cole Price (165). Overall, Concordia won 11 matches on the day. It entered the weekend narrowly ranked in front of the Mustangs for the No. 2 spot in the GPAC.

The next event on the schedule is the Doane University Open slated for Saturday, Dec. 7. The tournament is slated to get underway at 9 a.m. CT from Crete, Neb. GPAC dual action will resume on Dec. 13 when Doane will make a visit to Friedrich Arena.

GPAC Day of Duals 1 Results

Round 1
Concordia 32, Dakota Wesleyan 10
Hastings 28, Waldorf 19
Briar Cliff 46, Midland 6

Round 2
Doane 47, Northwestern 0
Waldorf 36, Midland 17
Dakota Wesleyan 25, Hastings 22

Round 3
Morningside 32, Concordia 10
Doane 40, Briar Cliff 9

Find individual match results via TrackWrestling.com

Baughman earns third career GPAC Wrestler of the Week award

Nov. 27, 2024

GPAC Release

SEWARD, Neb. – A strong start in GPAC dual action led to Concordia University, Nebraska graduate student Creighton Baughman earning conference accolades on Wednesday (Nov. 27). As announced by the league office, Baughman has been named the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Wrestler of the Week. Baughman has earned this distinction for the third time in his career.

The award was based on Baughman’s efforts in last week’s 33-22 dual win at Hastings. In that outing, Baughman pinned the Broncos’ Dalton Michael in 2:42. It was Baughman’s first appearance of the 2024-25 season. A Papillion, Neb., native and former All-American at Iowa Western Community College, Baughman proceeded to win twice on Tuesday at the GPAC Day of Duals. He has accumulated 61 victories in his Concordia career and is a two-time NAIA national qualifier.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad stands at 3-1 after defeating Dakota Wesleyan and falling at the hands of Morningside on Tuesday. The next event on the schedule is the Doane University Open on Dec. 7.

Baughman wins title, three Bulldogs place at Oppenheim Open

Dec. 7, 2024

CRETE, Neb. – In the team’s first action since hosting GPAC Day of Duals No. 1, Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling entered 26 athletes into competition for an all-day affair at the Connor Oppenheim Open hosted by Doane on Saturday (Dec. 7). Bulldog wrestlers combined for 51 wins and a trio of place finishes at the event in Crete, Neb., where 38 institutions were represented. Most notably, Creighton Baughman won the 141-pound open division and both Cal Price and Evan Sepanlou took home place finishes in the amateur division.

The outing marked the fourth tournament on the 2024-25 season for Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad.

“Creighton wrestled really well,” Watts said. “Steven Barnes also looked really good and had a ranked win. The first semester has been kind of up and down, but we’re making forward progress. We just have to keep working towards that in the second semester and get our lineup straightened out.

“We had a couple young guys, Cal Price and Evan Sepanlou, show promise with place finishes in the open division. Unfortunately, we also had some guys get dinged up and hurt. We have to try to get healthy before Friday.”

Now in his fifth season of collegiate wrestling, Baughman has improved to 8-0 this season after winning all five of his matches at the Oppenheim Open. All five of his opponents were NAIA wrestlers, including Grand View University (Iowa)’s Drew Woodley, who Baughman defeated, 6-4, in the championship bout. Baughman ran his career Concordia win total to 66 (106 counting his two seasons at Iowa Western Community College).

In the amateur division, both Cal Price (141) and Sepanlou (174) collected four wins. A freshman from La Vista, Neb., Price posted four pins on the day. His final fall came over Missouri Baptist University (Mo.)’s Geno Cardenas in the third-place match. As for Sepanlou, he won once by major decision and three times by decision before ultimately being defeated in a third-place tussle.

The aforementioned ranked win for Barnes at 149 pounds came over No. 20 Tyler Okada of Waldorf in a 5-4 decision. Barnes went 3-2 with a pin at the tournament. Barnes was one of 22 Bulldogs to emerge with at least one victory on Saturday. At heavyweight, Mason Garcia put together a 3-2 performance with a pair of falls.

Concordia competitors with at least three wins at the tournament included Baughman (5-0), Cal Price (4-1), Simon Arredondo (4-2), Sepanlou (4-2), Ramon Arredondo (3-2), Barnes (3-2), Blake Boehmer (3-2) and Garcia (3-2). Boehmer and Luke Howitt registered two pins apiece. At 174 pounds, Hunter Weimer started 2-0 before dropping out of the field (medical forfeit). There were four Bulldogs who reached the semifinals of their respective brackets.

The Bulldogs are slated to make a home appearance on Friday, Dec. 13 for a standalone dual with eighth-ranked Doane. The action will get underway at 7 p.m. CT from Friedrich Arena. The Tigers are the top ranked team in the GPAC and boast 11 nationally ranked wrestlers.

Baughman tabbed GPAC Wrestler of the Week for second time this season

Dec. 11, 2024

GPAC Release

SEWARD, Neb. – For the second time in three weeks, Concordia University, Nebraska graduate student Creighton Baughman has been honored by the GPAC. The league office announced Baughman as the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Men’s Wrestler of the Week on Wednesday (Dec. 11). Baughman also earned the GPAC Wrestler of the Week honor on Nov. 27 and has been recognized with this distinction four times in his career.

A Papillion, Neb., native, Baughman emerged from the Connor Oppenheim Open on Dec. 7 as the 141-pound open division champion. As part of his tournament, Baughman went 5-0 while up against five NAIA opponents, outscoring them by a combined score of 45-9. In the championship match, Baughman topped Grand View University (Iowa)’s Drew Woodley, 6-4. The tournament title pushed Baughman’s season record to 8-0 (including a 3-0 dual mark).

In three seasons at Concordia, Baughman has gone a combined 66-18. The 66 wins put him at No. 9 on the Concordia Wrestling program’s all-time list. Counting two seasons at Iowa Western Community College, Baughman has totaled 106 wins in his collegiate career.

The Bulldogs will return to action on Friday with a home dual vs. No. 8 Doane. Action is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. CT.

Lone win supplied by Baughman in clash with sixth-ranked Doane

Dec. 13, 2024

SEWARD, Neb. – The continuation of Creighton Baughman’s undefeated run served as the bright spot on Friday (Dec. 13) as the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling team hosted sixth-ranked Doane. The Bulldogs were defeated by the Tigers, 46-3, while surrendering nine of the 10 matches. Concordia made its first home appearance since staging GPAC Day of Duals No. 1 on Nov. 26.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad stands at 3-2 in conference action with three GPAC duals left to be contested in 2024-25. The Bulldogs are hoping to get healthier while ramping up for the second semester. Said Watts, “We have work to do, and we have to be willing to buy into what needs to be done.”

A challenging matchup for Concordia was made even more difficult due to the absence of several starters on Friday. Doane countered with a lineup that featured eight nationally ranked competitors, including six rated at the top of the GPAC within their respective weight classes. The result was a dominant outing for the Tigers, who took eight matches with bonus points inside Friedrich Arena. Doane earned pins at 125, 133 and 174.

Now in his third season as a Bulldog, Baughman entered the night ranked ninth in the NAIA at 141 pounds. The Papillion, Neb., native improved his 2024-25 season record to 9-0 while defeating Doane’s 14th-ranked Devin Avedissian, 7-1. Baughman scored a takedown in the second period and a reversal in the third period, effectively defending his No. 1 ranking in the GPAC. Baughman has won each of his four dual matches against GPAC foes.

In the final bout of the night, Concordia’s Mason Garcia gave 23rd-ranked Eli Criblez all he could handle. Garcia evened the score, 1-1, with an escape in the third period. However, Criblez emerged victorious, 4-1, thanks to a late takedown. It was the closest call for the Tigers (4-0 GPAC) amongst their nine match wins. In addition to its three pins, Doane came away with tech falls at 149, 157 and 197.

The Bulldogs lineup included three nationally ranked competitors on Friday: Baughman, Steven Barnes (22nd at 149) and Tommy Wentz (24th at 165). Two other Concordia wrestlers appeared in the NAIA rankings released on Thursday: Cole Price (22nd at 165) and Barret Brandt (24th at 174).

The Bulldogs have concluded competition for the calendar year 2024. Concordia will resume action on Jan. 11 with the Cusatis Open hosted by Hastings. The next dual meets on the slate are set for Feb. 8 when GPAC Day of Duals No. 2 will be held in Mitchell, S.D.

Keehn, Weimer win titles; Nine Bulldogs place at Hastings Open

Jan. 11, 2025

HASTINGS, Neb. – In the first outing for Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling in nearly a month, the Bulldogs took a step closer to becoming the type of team Head Coach Josh Watts envisioned. Both junior Torrance Keehn and senior Hunter Weimer won their respective brackets while headlining the efforts of 26 Concordia competitors who took part in the Hastings Open in Hastings, Neb., on Saturday (Jan. 11). Nine Bulldogs emerged from the tournament with top-four place finishes. Four of those standouts reached championship matches.

The Hastings Open marked the fifth tournament of the 2024-25 campaign for Watts’ squad. This may have been its most complete overall team performance to date.

“The last time we competed before break, we had a lot of guys banged up,” Watts said. “It was nice to have guys back and competing. I think we showed a lot of progress. The guys wrestled really well today. It was a good way to start the semester and build some momentum. Hunter and Torrance both won their brackets and looked really good. Across the board, we wrestled pretty well.”

The day featured 45 contested Concordia victories, including 22 by pin. A summary of each of the place finishers is listed below. Not only did Weimer (184) and Keehn (197) win titles, Creighton Baughman (141) and Steven Barnes (149) advanced to their bracket finals in strong performances. Additionally, 13 Bulldogs came away with multiple wins at the Hastings Open.

Hastings Open place finishers:

·        Hunter Weimer (184) – 1st

·        Torrance Keehn (197) – 1st

·        Creighton Baughman (141) – 2nd

·        Steven Barnes (149) – 2nd

·        Cal Price (141) – 3rd

·        Hagen Heistand (149) – 3rd

·        Grant Wells (133) – 4th

·        Cole Price (157) – 4th

·        Calvin Gross (184) – 4th

The Porterville, Calif., native Weimer put together a dominant day that included two wins by technical fall and one by pin. He started his day by manhandling NCAA Division II Fort Hays State University (Kan.) foe Ernesto Duenez, 19-4. The championship bout went to Weimer with a medical forfeit. Meanwhile, Keehn made his way through the 197-pound bracket with tech falls in both the semifinal and championship matches. Keehn defeated teammate Teegan Tschampel in the semis and blanked Fort Hays State’s Ryan Patterson, 16-0, in the title clash.

Ranked No. 8 in the NAIA at 141 pounds, Baughman pushed his season record to 12-0 with wins in his first three matches on Saturday. Baughman toppled an NCAA D-I foe in the quarterfinals and an NCAA D-II opponent in the semifinals before being edged in the championship, 8-6, by a University of Nebraska competitor. As for Barnes, he rode four wins into the 149-pound championship – three of the triumphs (two pins) were claimed over NCAA D-II competition. Barnes was also beaten by a Cornhusker in the championship bout.

At 149 pounds, junior Hagen Heistand made a notable debut after transferring from NCAA D-I Campbell University. Heistand equaled a team-high with five wins on the day. His run included a pin of University of Nebraska-Kearney’s Cael Erickson and ended with a tech fall of Fort Hays State’s Drew Bell in the third-place contest. Concordia junior Grant Wells also notched five victories (including one pin) on his way to a fourth-place finish at 133 pounds. Wells defeated three NCAA D-II and two NAIA opponents.

Checking in with four wins apiece on Saturday were Bulldogs in Barnes (149) and Cole Price (157). Ranked 20th in the NAIA at 165, Price produced three pins. The following Concordia competitors earned three wins at the Hastings Open: Baughman (141), Cal Price (141), Barret Brandt (174), Weimer (184), Ramon Arredondo (184), Calvin Gross (184) and Keehn (197). Exactly two victories were posted by Tommy Wentz (165) and Tschampel (197).

Watts noted that Cole Price wrestled at 157 for the first time since high school. Added Watts, “We’re moving some guys around to maximize our roster in preparation for this last stretch of the season. We’re starting to find out who are 12 guys are going to be (for the conference tournament). The focus is really on maximizing what we have.”

Next up will be the Denker Open hosted by NCAA Division II University of Central Missouri on Sunday, Jan. 19. The tournament will be held at the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center in Warrensburg, Mo., where action is scheduled to get underway at 10 a.m. CT.

Heistand wins 149-pound title as 10 Bulldogs compete at Denker Open

Jan. 19, 2025

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – In his second outing as a Bulldog, junior Hagen Heistand made a splash. The Dow City, Iowa, native won the 149-pound championship as one of 10 competitors who represented Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling at the Roger Denker Open on Sunday (Jan. 19). The tournament featured wrestlers from 18 institutions and took place in Warrensburg, Mo., home to the University of Central Missouri.

The Denker Open marked the sixth tournament that Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad has competed in during the 2024-25 season. The 10 Bulldogs that took to the mats on Sunday combined for 13 contested wins.

“Overall, the guys are starting to show in matches what we’ve been working on in the room,” Watts said. “I think we’re starting to turn a corner there. It was a small group today, but Hagen really stood out. No one scored an offensive point against him. He won every match by bonus points. Jeremiah Vazquez wrestled pretty tough, and Teegan Tschampel wrestled well. It was a solid showing. I’m happy with the guys’ effort and fight today.”

A transfer from NCAA Division I Campbell University, Heistand wiped the floor with his competition in the 149-pound weight class. He blazed through the bracket with a pin in 3:51, a pin in 0:31, a major decision and two victories by technical fall. In the championship bout, Heistand took care of Central Missouri’s Ayden Dolt by a count of 19-4. As part of his day, Heistand defeated a pair of NCAA Division II foes and moved his season record to 10-1.

Two other Bulldogs earned place finishes at the Denker Open: Tschampel (fourth place at 197) and Vasquez (sixth place at 285). Tschampel picked up a pin over an NCAA DII opponent as he made his way to the third-place match. Tschampel has placed at two tournaments this season. Meanwhile, Vasquez collected three contested victories, including one by fall over an NAIA combatant.

Three additional Concordia wrestlers turned in at least one victory on the day: Gabe Lujan (1-2 at 125), Francisco Mendez (1-2 at 157) and Blake Boehmer (2-2 at 184). Mendez and Boehmer came away with a pin apiece.

Heistand entered the weekend ranked second in the GPAC at 149. His performances at the Denker Open may lead to him cracking the national rankings before the end of January. Said Watts of Heistand, “Having him and Stevie (Barnes) at 149 is going to be a good combo for us. Missing him first semester was tough, but it’s good to have him rolling now. He’ll be going with the team to the MO Valley Invite next week. It will be a good tournament for him to hopefully gain some more confidence.”

The season will continue next weekend with the Missouri Valley Invite (Jan. 24-25) in Marshall, Mo. The Bulldogs will enter 12 of their top competitors into the tournament, which serves as an annual showcase event for NAIA wrestling.

Heistand claims GPAC Wrestler of the Week honors

Jan. 21, 2025

GPAC Release

SEWARD, Neb. – In just his second tournament as a Bulldog, junior Hagen Heistand made major waves. As a result, the league office recognized Heistand as the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday (Jan. 21). The announcement marks the first career GPAC weekly award for Heistand. From a team perspective, Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling has collected three GPAC weekly honors this season with two having gone to standout Creighton Baughman.

Heistand receives the accolade based on his efforts at the Roger Denker Open on Jan. 19. The Dow City, Iowa, native blazed through the 149-pound bracket with a 5-0 record for his first tournament championship as a Concordia wrestler. The transfer from NCAA Division I Campbell University registered two pins, a pair of victories by technical fall and one win via major decision and did not surrender a single offensive point as part of his run in Warrensburg, Mo. Ranked No. 2 in the GPAC within his weight class, Heistand owns a season record of 10-1.

Up next for Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad will be the Missouri Valley Invitational in Marshall, Mo., Friday and Saturday. Heistand is expected to be one of the 12 Bulldogs headed to the tournament.

Bulldogs impress on day one of Missouri Valley Invite, stand in fifth place

Jan. 24, 2025

MARSHALL, Mo. – Things are rounding into form in the second semester for Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling. On day one (Jan. 24) of the Missouri Valley Invitational, the Bulldogs turned heads while piling up 69 team points and winning a combined 29 matches. Creighton Baughman and Hagen Heistand have blazed to the semifinals of their respective weight classes. With one day to go, Concordia stands in fifth place amongst a tournament field of more than 50 NAIA teams.

The Missouri Valley Invite annually serves as a showcase event for NAIA wrestling. Each squad is allowed to enter up to 12 of their top competitors into the tournament field.

Bulldogs at the Missouri Valley Invite:

·        Grant Wells (133) – 2-2

·        Bryce Karlin (133) – 1-2, 1 pin

·        Cal Price (141) – 2-2, 1 pin

·        Creighton Baughman (141) – 4-0; has advanced to the semifinals

·        Hagen Heistand (149) – 4-0, 2 pins; has advanced to the semifinals

·        Cole Price (157) – 3-1, 2 pins

·        Tommy Wentz (165) – 1-2

·        Barret Brandt (174) – 2-1, 2 pins

·        Hunter Weimer (184) – 3-1, 1 pin

·        Torrance Keehn (197) – 3-1, 1 pin

·        Mason Garcia (285) – 3-1, 1 pin

·        Jeremiah Vazquez (285) – 1-2

Top five standings (after day one):

1. Grand View – 151.5
2. Saint Mary (Kan.) – 93.0
3. Montana State-Northern – 76.0
4. Doane – 71.5
5. Concordia – 69.0

The action is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday from Marshall, Mo., home to Missouri Valley College. For details on how to follow the tournament live, click HERE. A final recap for the tournament will be posted on Saturday evening.

Dawgs take sixth at prominent Missouri Valley Invite

Jan. 25, 2025

MARSHALL, Mo. – Four Bulldogs placed at the illustrious Missouri Valley Invite at the two day tournament on Saturday (Jan. 25). Over 50 teams showed at the Burns Athletic Complex as Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad claimed a sixth place finish with 100 total points. Creighton Baughman (second), Hunter Weimer (fifth), Hagen Heistand (sixth) and Torrance Keehn (seventh) all finished with placements in the major NAIA tournament.

The Missouri Valley Invite was the seventh tournament of the 2024-25 campaign for Watts’ crew. The team continues to get better with every tournament it enters.

“I’m really proud of how we performed,” said Coach Watts. “Overall, we wrestled well. I think we are trending in the right direction late in the season. We still have to keep getting better and keep working. He (Baughman) got better every match that he wrestled. In the semifinals, He beat the No. 6 kid in the country and Creighton is ranked No. 7. We had opportunities to win the match (championship) but couldn’t finish when we were there. A couple of tweaks and it is definitely a winnable match. Hunter lost in the first round and came back and placed. That is a hard thing to do. Torrance took seventh and he had some ranked wins.”

The Bulldogs would combine for 41 triumphs and compiled 12 by fall.

The Papillion, Neb., native, Baughman, knocked down No. 16 Randy Frailey (ranked at 133) and No. 6 Thomas Williams of St. Thomas University on his way to five straight wins and the invite championship. Matched up against the defending NAIA national champion Hartwell Taylor, the two battled it out as Taylor escaped with a 3-2 decision victory.

Weimer, a Monache High alum, fell in his first match to the eventual runner up and responded in dominant fashion by rattling off seven straight wins (eight total). The 184-pounder defeated No. 24 Malaki Owens of Wayland Baptist (Texas) and No. 20 Trevor Stuyvenberg of Indiana Tech. The Bulldog defeated Justin Bartee (University of Rio Grande) for 5th place by decision (7-3).

Heistand, took four straight matches including a victory over No. 16 Jalen Vladic of University of Providence (Mont.). In the semifinal match, Heistand bowed out via forfeit and his other two bouts, taking sixth. Keehn, won three straight including a victory over No. 8 Austin Vanek (Fall 1:07). The Beatrice, Neb., native won five total, three by tech fall, and defeated Jake Henson (Fall 2:41) for his seventh place finish.

Mason Garcia tallied five wins and four were by fall but fell just shy of the placed matches. Transfer Cole Price defeated his first three opponents including a ranked win over No. 18 Ryan Bennett of Southeastern University (Fla.). The following Concordia competitors earned two wins at the Missouri Valley Invite: Grant Wells, Bryce Karlin, Cal Price and Barret Brandt.

Grand View finished at the top with 248 points and GPAC rival Doane grabbed third.

Next up Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling will travel to the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norsemen Open on Saturday (Feb. 1). The following weekend, the Bulldogs will jump back into GPAC Day of Duals No. 2, set to be in Mitchell, S.D.

Bulldogs continue second semester surge, dominate trio of GPAC foes

Feb. 8, 2025

GPAC Duals Scores:

·        CUNE 29, NWC 16

·        CUNE 41, BCU 6

·        CUNE 38, Waldorf 6

MITCHELL, S.D. – Ever since the season reached the second semester, the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling team has competed at another level. Fourteen different Bulldogs contributed on the mat on Saturday (Feb. 8) as Concordia tore through Northwestern, 29-16, Briar Cliff, 41-6, and Waldorf, 38-6, as part of GPAC Day of Duals No. 2 in Mitchell, S.D. The 19th-ranked Bulldogs won 22 individual matches, including 19 via bonus points.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad improved its GPAC dual record to 6-2 as it concluded its conference dual schedule. Concordia will finish 2024-25 with a GPAC regular season placement of tied for second, marking a high for the program over the past five seasons.

“Guys were wrestling pretty well,” Watts said. “We were able to rotate some guys into the lineup. I’m happy with the end of the regular season and looking forward to seeing what we can do in the postseason. We overcame some hiccups the past week and a half of training and performed well today. I think that’s important to be able to refocus at times. It’s important to keep a competitive rhythm. We have a pretty good rhythm going right now, and we really wanted to keep those guys moving forward against conference competition.”

The stiffest test on Saturday came in the morning dual as the Bulldogs went up against a Red Raider squad with solid competitors in the upper weights. Concordia first got on the board with a Bryce Karlin pin (1:20) at 133 before stringing together five-straight wins in the 149 through 184-pound weight classes. Those victories were produced by Creighton Baughman (pin at 149), Cole Price (major decision at 157), Tommy Wentz (major decision at 165), Barret Brandt (pin at 174) and Garret Moser (decision at 184). Northwestern proceeded to win at 197 and 285 with the team outcome already decided.

The most statistically dominant dual came next as the Bulldogs won eight times with bonus points. Briar Cliff owned a 6-0 lead early (after a pin at 133 – neither team entered a 125-pounder) before Concordia began the pummeling with a Cal Price pin (1:24) at 141. The torch was passed to Domminick Flynn (pin at 149), Cole Price (major decision at 157), Brent Ward (major decision at 165), Brandt (pin at 174), Hunter Weimer (pin at 184), Torrance Keehn (technical fall at 197) and Mason Garcia (major decision at 285).

To close the day in Mitchell, the Bulldogs won six of the seven contested matches in a dual that included Waldorf forfeits at 197 and 285 and an open weight at 125 for both sides. Karlin registered the lone Concordia pin of the dual as he needed just a minute to wipe out his opponent at 133. The dominoes kept falling as Flynn won by major at 149, Francisco Mendez took a tight 6-5 decision at 157, Wentz won by decision at 165 and Brandt triumphed at 174 (led 7-0 at the time of an injury default).

Said Watts, “We were doing some different things today and trying to see some different guys in different spots to see what options we might have for the GPAC tournament. We’re trying to focus on getting some guys healthy, so we played around with our lineup. We just wanted Creighton to get one match to keep him in rhythm.”

For the day, Concordia dropped only five contested matches and mixed up the lineup. Watts held back two nationally ranked grapplers at 149 (Hagen Heistand and Stevie Barnes) and also threw Baughman into the mix at 149. It was an especially dominant day for the sophomore Brandt (Syracuse, Neb.), who went 3-0 and ran his season pin total to 10. Meanwhile, Flynn, Cole Price and Wentz each went 2-0 at the duals event.

The Bulldogs will now be idle until the 2025 GPAC Wrestling Championships, which are scheduled for Feb. 21-22 at Hastings. Lynn Farrell Arena will be the site of the conference tournament for the first time since 2018. Concordia placed fifth at last season’s GPAC Championships held in Seward.

Baughman named 2024-25 NAIA Scholar-Athlete

Feb. 19, 2025

2024-25 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Scholar-Athlete List

SEWARD, Neb. – For the second time in his career, graduate student Creighton Baughman has been named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete. Baughman officially earned 2024-25 Scholar-Athlete honors on Wednesday (Feb. 19) as part of the announcement made by the NAIA.

In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, must appear on the eligibility certificate for the sport and have attended one full year at said institution.

A native of Papillion, Neb., Baughman has collected numerous accolades during his three seasons as a member of the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling program. Baughman was recognized as an Second Team Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators in 2023-24 and has twice been honored by the NWCA as a Scholar All-American. He is a two-time NAIA national qualifier with more than 100 career wins between his time at Concordia and Iowa Western Community College.

Concordia University, Nebraska ranks as the NAIA’s all-time leader in number of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes with 2,526 entering the 2024-25 academic year. The school record for number of Scholar-Athletes in one academic year is 226 achieved in 2019-20. Concordia has been a regular national leader for both Scholar-Athletes and Scholar-Teams.

Bulldogs end GPAC Day 1 in second, advance eight competitors to semifinals

Feb. 21, 2025

DAY 1 PHOTOS >>>

HASTINGS, Neb. – Eight Bulldogs secured spots in the conference semifinals as part of day one action at the 2025 GPAC Wrestling Championships hosted by Hastings College. The eight semifinalists from Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling won a combined 11 matches on Friday (Feb. 21), including 10 that came with bonus points. Of the 12 Bulldogs in action, 11 remain alive within their respective brackets. They have totaled 13 wins with a full day remaining.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad will enter day two in second place with 68 team points. The eight semifinalists are Creighton Baughman (141), Steven Barnes (149), Hagen Heistand (149), Cole Price (157), Brent Ward (165), Tommy Wentz (165), Barret Brandt (184) and Hunter Weimer (184).

“For the most part, according to seeds, we won the matches we needed to win,” Watts said. “We put ourselves in position to qualify quite a few guys (for nationals) tomorrow. We just need to take advantage of it. Today was about winning, getting in the team race and getting as many guys in the range of qualifying as possible.”

The 68 team points represent a significant improvement from the 42 points Concordia tallied on day one of the 2024 GPAC Championships. Both Baughman and Wentz are aiming to repeat as conference finalists. Ranked No. 6 in the NAIA at 141, Baughman performed like a man on a mission as he pinned Hastings’ Dalton Michael and Waldorf’s Shiwoko Shiwoko (both in less than four minutes) for his 117th and 118th respective career collegiate wins.

Other Bulldogs to win twice on Friday were Price (pin and major decision) and Brandt (technical fall and pin) as both blazed through their first and quarterfinal round matches. The five additional Concordia semifinalists had byes before emerging victorious inside Lynn Farrell Arena. Barnes, Wentz and Weimer each won by major decision while Heistand won by technical fall and Ward eked out a 4-3 decision. Heistand has been close to unbeatable at 15-2 on the season.

Baughman and Wentz are returning national qualifiers and so too is heavyweight Mason Garcia. The Arroyo Grande, Calif., native Garcia is one of three Bulldogs who will be wrestling on the back side of the bracket on Saturday. Garcia lost to 17th-ranked Zeph Sivels in his only match on Friday. Meanwhile, Bryce Karlin (133) and Torrance Keehn (197) both went 1-1 with a pin on day one. Keehn matched up with teammate Teegan Tschampel in an elimination match and won by pin in the final action on Friday.

Concordia trails only Doane (106.5) in the team standings. The Bulldogs are guaranteed to have at least two GPAC finalists as 149-pounders Barnes and Heistand and 165-pounders Ward and Wentz go head-to-head on Saturday. All Concordia semifinal matches are listed below. If Baughman earns a win over Northwestern’s Noah Parmelee, he will reach the conference final for the third-straight year.

The 2025 GPAC Wrestling Championships will resume at 10 a.m. CT on Saturday. For complete details on how to follow the action live and for information on NAIA automatic bid allocations, check out our tournament preview linked HERE.

Said Watts at the conclusion of day one, “We are a better tournament team than we are a dual team. Most of my teams usually are. Tomorrow we have some interesting matchups as far as the team race goes so we need to come ready to go.”

GPAC Semifinal Matchups

141 – Creighton Baughman (Concordia) vs. Noah Parmelee (Northwestern)

149 – Steven Barnes (Concordia) vs. Hagen Heistand (Concordia)

157 – Cole Price (Concordia) vs. Abraham Dirkx (Morningside)

165 – Brent Ward (Concordia) vs. Tommy Wentz (Concordia)

184 – Barret Brandt (Concordia) vs. Tyson Beauperthuy (Doane)

184 – Hunter Weimer (Concordia) vs. Temuujijn Mendbileg (Dakota Wesleyan)

Baughman claims title; Bulldogs place third in GPAC

Feb. 22, 2025

HASTINGS, Neb. – Following back-to-back years with runner-up finishes, graduate student Creighton Baughman rose to the top of the podium on Saturday (Feb. 22) at the 2025 GPAC Wrestling Championships. Baughman’s first-place claim at 141 pounds highlighted the efforts of 12 Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling competitors at Hastings. As a team, the Bulldogs tallied 149.5 points and placed third in the conference on the strength of 11 top-five individual finishes.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad also emerged with eight NAIA automatic national qualifiers. The program has earned its largest national qualifying group since sending eight wrestlers to Park City, Kan., in 2020.

“I was happy with how our guys came out and fought,” Watts said. “They've fought hard all second semester and came ready to do their absolute best this weekend. If there’s anybody that deserves (to win), it’s Creighton. He does everything right and works hard. He’s a great example for underclassmen on how to do everything correctly. I was really happy for him. He was due (to win the title).”

Baughman will be joined on the national stage by fellow automatic qualifiers in Steven Barnes (149), Hagen Heistand (149), Cole Price (157), Barret Brandt (184), Hunter Weimer (184), Torrance Keehn (197) and Mason Garcia (285). Baughman and Garcia will be repeat qualifiers while the others will make an appearance at NAIA nationals for the first time in their careers. Select GPAC wrestlers still could earn wild card berths to nationals. The auto bids were handed out based on an allocation system the NAIA devised for each weight class.

Concordia GPAC place finishers:

·        1st – Creighton Baughman (141); NAIA qualifier

·        2nd – Hagen Heistand (149); NAIA qualifier

·        2nd – Cole Price (157); NAIA qualifier

·        2nd – Tommy Wentz (165)

·        3rd – Brent Ward (165)

·        3rd – Hunter Weimer (184); NAIA qualifier

·        4th – Steven Barnes (149); NAIA qualifier

·        4th – Barret Brandt (184); NAIA qualifier

·        4th – Mason Garcia (285); NAIA qualifier

·        5th – Bryce Karlin (133)

·        5th – Torrance Keehn (197); NAIA qualifier

Ranked No. 6 in the NAIA at 141, Baughman faced little resistance from his first three opponents at the GPAC tournament. He pinned his first round and quarterfinal foes before dismantling Northwestern’s Noah Parmelee by technical fall (15-0) in the semifinals. In the championship, Baughman drew NAIA 15th-ranked Devin Avedissian of Doane. A second period takedown and two escapes were enough for Baughman to topple Avedissian, 5-3, for the title. Baughman will head to NAIA nationals for the third-straight year.

Concordia put eight individuals into the GPAC semifinals and four advanced to championship matches, including Heistand (149), Price (157) and Wentz (165). A transfer from Campbell University, Heistand wrestled NAIA No. 2 Nathan Lendt to a stalemate until the opponent from Doane broke the 1-1 tie with a reversal and eked it out, 3-1. Heistand won in the quarterfinals by tech fall and in the semis by major decision and stands at 16-3 on the season. Meanwhile, Price recovered from his championship match loss by winning a 5-2 decision over Morningside’s Caden Eggleston for true second. Price went 4-1 with a pin on the weekend. At 165, the league’s only auto bid went to Morningside’s Blaine Cristo, who defeated Wentz by major decision in the title bout. Wentz recorded two wins in the tournament and is hopeful of a wild card bid to nationals.

Of the other five that earned auto bids, two rallied back after losing their first match – Keehn (197) and Garcia (285). It’s been a breakthrough season for Keehn (ranked 13th in the NAIA), who won twice by pin and then came through in the pivotal fifth-place match with a major decision over Northwestern’s Kaleb Lind. A national qualifier at 197 last season, Garcia pinned a foe from Dakota Wesleyan and then avenged a loss earlier this season by defeating Doane’s Eli Criblez, 4-2, the key victory that secured another nationals bid.

At 184 pounds, Weimer took two wins by decision to position himself for third place and Brandt earned three contested wins (one by pin). The two Bulldogs were set to face each other in the third-place match that was forfeited to Weimer. Both Brandt and Weimer have reached 20 wins on the season. Joining Heistand as a qualifier at 149 is Barnes (another transfer), who won two contested matches, including one by major decision. Heistand defeated Barnes by major decision in the semifinals before Barnes rebound with a victory, 8-3, over Morningside’s Chris Aragon.

Concordia’s other GPAC competitors were Bryce Karlin (133), Brent Ward (165) and Teegan Tschampel (197). Karlin collected three pins (tied for second most in the tournament field) on his win to claiming fifth place in his weight class. At 165, Ward notched three wins with his last being a 13-12 decision over a Morningside foe for third place. Tschampel was eliminated from the field on Friday.

The results were promising for a program that qualified three wrestlers for nationals in 2024. The Bulldogs also moved up from fifth place at last year’s GPAC tournament to third in 2025.  Said Watts in sum, “Mason had to beat a guy he lost to this year in order to qualify. He did a great job. All our guys competed well. Now we have to stay on top of things.”

All that remains in the 2024-25 season is the NAIA Wrestling National Championships for those who are named qualifiers. Official qualifiers will be announced next week by the NAIA. The national tournament will take place at Park City Arena in Park City, Kan., March 6-8. For details about the event can be found via the NAIA website linked HERE.

Six Bulldogs named to 2024-25 All-GPAC Wrestling Team

Feb. 26, 2025

GPAC Release

First Team: Creighton Baughman; Hagen Heistand.
Second Team: Cole Price; Tommy Wentz.
Honorable Mention: Steven Barnes; Hunter Weimer.

SEWARD, Neb. – A group of six Bulldogs from Head Coach Josh Watts’ 18th-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling squad were honored on Wednesday (Feb. 26) with 2024-25 GPAC All-Conference awards. First team honors went to conference champion Creighton Baughman and junior Hagen Heistand while second team accolades were earned by junior Cole Price and senior Tommy Wentz. Meanwhile, junior Steven Barnes and senior Hunter Weimer garnered honorable mention status.

The awards were released after the Bulldogs placed third at the GPAC Championships and qualified eight individuals for the NAIA Wrestling National Championships. Six Concordia wrestlers earned top-three place finishes within their respective weight classes.

After back-to-back GPAC runner-up claims at 141 pounds, Baughman rose to the top of the podium in 2025. The graduate student from Papillion, Neb., went 4-0 with two wins over ranked foes as part of his GPAC tournament run. On the season, Baughman owns a sparkling 22-2 overall record (5-0 in duals) with four pins and five victories by technical fall. In three seasons as a Bulldog, Baughman has compiled 80 wins, fourth most in program history. His overall career collegiate wins total, including two seasons at Iowa Western Community College, has reached 120. Now a three-time NAIA national qualifier, Baughman was named Second Team All-GPAC in both 2023 and 2024.

A Dow City, Iowa, native and transfer from Campbell University, Heistand made an immediate impact once the second semester got started. Heistand qualified for the national championships thanks to his GPAC runner-up placement at 149 pounds. Heistand owns a record of 16-3 with three pins and eight tech falls. Heistand pushed the NAIA’s No. 2-ranked 149-pounder to double overtime in the GPAC championship match. Heistand’s season included a 149-pound title at the Denker Open, resulting in GPAC Wrestler of the Week honors.

A former All-American at Iowa Western, Cole Price joined the Bulldogs this 2024-25 academic year and has qualified for the NAIA Championships. Price earned second place in the GPAC at 157 pounds while going 4-1 at the conference tournament. The La Vista, Neb., native owns a record of 21-9 overall with seven pins. He placed in three tournaments this season. Price is headed to the NAIA national tournament after earning two All-America awards at the NJCAA level.

A senior from Fremont, Neb., Wentz emerged as the GPAC runner up at 165 pounds for the second-straight year. A 2024 NAIA national qualifier, Wentz finished his 2024-25 season with a 14-7 record. He earned the 165-pound title at the Luther Hill Invite. Including one season at York University, Wentz accumulated 68 collegiate wins (44 at Concordia). Wentz has been named Second Team All-GPAC in back-to-back years.

A Pacific Junction, Iowa, native, Steven Barnes has qualified for the national tournament in his first season with the Bulldogs. The junior and former Iowa State University student earned the auto bid to nationals by way of a fourth-place GPAC finish at 149 pounds. Barnes will take a 16-8 record (three pins) onto the national stage.

A Porterville, Calif., native, Weimer has spent his entire collegiate career as a Bulldog. He’s enjoyed a breakout senior season that saw him crack the NAIA national rankings and place at four separate tournaments. Weimer earned an automatic bid to nationals thanks to his third-place GPAC finish at 184 pounds. Weimer carries an overall record of 21-5 into nationals. Eight of his wins came during an impressive run at the Missouri Valley Invite.

The 2024-25 season will continue for the program’s eight national qualifiers. The 2025 NAIA Wrestling National Championships will unfold in Park City, Kan., March 6-8.

Featured Story

Watts' Bulldogs make waves with second semester surge

Feb. 27, 2025

The calendar reached July when the announcement became official. More than two months removed from his college graduation, Creighton Baughman had already moved on. He had relocated back to his hometown of Papillion, Neb., started a full-time job and was planning a wedding that was fast approaching. He had left his wrestling career behind – or so he thought.

Baughman’s jaw may have dropped just a bit when he saw the news on July 17, 2024. His former coach at Iowa Western Community College had just been introduced as new head coach of Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling. Enter Josh Watts, the 2020 NJCAA National Coach of the Year. As Baughman says, “I was definitely shocked.” It wasn’t long before Baughman’s phone rang.

And so began a whirlwind pre-fall semester stretch that saw Watts and lead assistant coach Isaiah Crosby tidy up and fortify the 2024-25 roster with impressive transfers. The task was to continue the upward trajectory of a program steered in the right direction under previous head coach Chase Clasen (a former Iowa Western All-American under Watts). The rise to the status of an NAIA top 20 team with eight national qualifiers has happened in a flash.

As Watts explains, “I think most of it’s just buy-in. First semester was a little up and down – a bit of a rollercoaster ride. The guys seemed to start really buying in second semester. Since that’s happened, we’ve had a good amount of success and have been fairly consistent. At the end of the day, the athletes determine if we’re going to be successful or not. They decide if they’re going to be coachable and work hard. The athletes decided to do the right things. They’re the reason why we’re seeing success.”

The return of Baughman for a fifth season (two at Iowa Western and three at Concordia) of collegiate wrestling represented one of the major dominos to fall. Then in came other high-impact transfers with close connections to Watts: Steven Barnes via Iowa State University (where he was a student), Hagen Heistand via NCAA Division I Campbell University and Cole Price, another Iowa Western All-American. The additions combined with the improvement of returning stalwarts (like Barret Brandt, Mason Garcia, Torrance Keehn, Hunter Weimer and Tommy Wentz) made the Bulldogs a forced to be reckoned with in the GPAC and nationally.

Despite some tough results during the first semester, Watts continued to believe that the pieces were in place for the program to elevate to a level it hadn’t reached in several years. Concordia showed it was on to something the weekend of Jan. 24-25 when it placed sixth out of 53 NAIA squads at the prestigious Missouri Valley Invite. The tournament marked a major breakthrough for Weimer at 184 and Keehn at 197. Both competitors shot into the national rankings after eye-opening upsets.

For the first time since the 2019-20 season, the Bulldogs crashed the NAIA top 25 and currently sit at No. 18. “It’s awesome,” Baughman said. “We’re a very close team. So many of these kids have been through a lot and seen a lot. Everyone can pick each other’s brains and learn from one another. I think it brings out the best in each other. We have the guys from Iowa Western who can say they trust in Coach Watts and have seen the results. There was already a lot of talent in the Concordia program. A lot of kids were willing to buy in and work hard. It’s all come together. We’re clicking at the right time.”

At about this time a year ago, Baughman had come to grips with the idea that his run as a collegiate wrestler had concluded. He was “checked out” mentally after another grueling season of competition. Watts changed his mind with a phone call late in the summer. Baughman would have to miss a tournament due to his wedding, but he quickly altered his plans and moved to Lincoln. The additional year of toil and sweat proved worth it when he celebrated a 141-pound GPAC championship in Hastings on Feb. 22. As Baughman puts it, “this whole season has been a blessing.”

Baughman and the others who had wrestled at Iowa Western (six total on the roster) already knew what it was like to be coached by Watts. For Concordia veterans like the Porterville, Calif., native Weimer, the transition meant another period of adjusting to a new head coach. And forgive Weimer and his fellow returning teammates if they had some questions about the influx of late transfers. How would these guys fit in? Would they get along? Were they going to expect all the attention and hog the accolades?

Those potential fears were soon put to rest. Quite clearly, the atmosphere has allowed Weimer to thrive. He won eight matches at the Missouri Valley Invite and carries a stellar 21-5 record into his first national tournament appearance. The development of holdovers like Weimer has been integral to the team’s success. The program’s culture has also thrived because of the way teammates have embraced one another.

“I love all the guys that have come in,” Weimer said. “A lot of us guys hang out every single night. As someone who has been here, you start to wonder, what are these guys going to do when they come in here? Are they going to be like, ‘I’m the top dog.’ You don’t know how they might respond to a new place. They came in and were instantly really good parts of the program. Hagen has come in – he’s not a cocky guy. They’re down to Earth and super nice. Cole is an awesome dude. All of them have made a huge impact on the program by the way they carry themselves and the way that they wrestle.”

To be sure, Heistand certainly carries himself with supreme confidence. The native of Dow City, Iowa, took lessons from Watts as a youngster and never forgot the impact it had on his wrestling career. Heistand wrestled for two years at Campbell, located in Buies Creek, North Carolina. He says he enjoyed the experience, but his heart is in the Midwest.

The chance to work with Watts once again drew Heistand closer to home. As it turned out, Heistand had to sit out the first semester but as the second semester commenced, he burst onto the scene like a caged animal. Heistand earned GPAC runner-up status at 149 pounds and will carry a 16-3 record into the national tournament.

“At the end of the day, the Midwest is kind of my home,” Heistand said. “Being two hours from home is really cool. I was a little homesick, so I came out here and took a visit and talked with Watts a lot about it. I eventually made the change.” As far as having to wait to get back on the mat, “I put my head down and worked really hard in the room and stayed healthy. It all worked out,” Heistand said.

What Price and the other Iowa Western alums have come to understand is that the dynamics at Concordia are much different as compared to their former school. A La Vista, Neb., native and two-time JUCO All-American, Price even spent some time out in West Virginia before returning to Nebraska.

Why Concordia? Said Price, “Watts reached out to me, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to wrestle or not. When he reached out it was kind of like a wakeup call. God gave me a sign: this is what you’re meant to do.”

Price has posted a record of 21-9 and was the conference runner up at 157 pounds. He’s come to trust in what Watts preaches from an all-around student-athlete perspective. From Price’s view, it simply took some time for the kinks to be worked out and for a new training regimen to become fully ingrained within the program.

“Watts really has it down to a science,” Price said. “We’re very systematic. We’re still kind of learning the system. Now we’re starting to really get the hang of it and understanding what we’re good at ourselves. I think that helped us flourish this second semester.”

The improvement over a short stretch of time is impressive, but Watts, his staff and the program won’t rest on what has been accomplished to this point. There’s work to be done prior to the national tournament. Whatever happens in Park City, the results will serve as a springboard for 2025-26 and beyond.

As Watts becomes more firmly entrenched, program stability figures to become a strength that the program has lacked due to coaching turnover. Watts believes strongly in a system that sometimes takes some getting used to.

“We do a lot of different things,” Watts said. “Our system is a bit unique in our philosophy. The biggest thing is taking away any external pressure. It’s about wrestling to score points and being aggressive and disciplined with our positioning. I think the guys really bought into that aspect. It’s taken a mental load off them. They can wrestle a little bit freer.”

The comments from inside the room back up Watts’ sentiments. As Heistand said. “I feel like the vibes are great every day. There’s a positive energy around the room. We’re all motivated to get better and keep climbing the rankings as a team.”

For Baughman, that summer curveball and resulting course change will have a lasting impact on how he remembers his college experience. It just might also have a lasting impact on Concordia Wrestling, which has surged to national prominence during this spring semester. Watts holds Baughman up as a pillar of what it should look like inside the program.

Says Baughman, “I’m very thankful that everything’s clicking at the right time of the year and I was able to get a conference title. It’s so cool to see us qualify so many kids. I can’t wait to see everyone get to show off at nationals. I’m very thankful to have Coach Watts in my corner.”

Heistand and Baughman headline opening day at NAIA National Championships

Mar. 7, 2025

LIVE RESULTS

WICHITA, Kan. – Hagen Heistand and Creighton Baughman headlined day one of the NAIA Wrestling Championships for the Bulldogs on Thursday (March 6). Concordia University, Nebraska brought eight wrestlers to the championships that saw 280 athletes take the mats at Park City Arena. Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad ends the first two sessions with 11.5 team points and sits in 18th place.

“We battled hard and the guys competed well,” Coach Watts said. “We have three alive for All-American status tomorrow. Hopefully, we can get that done. We had some smart wrestling and were executing game plans well. There was a lot of communication between the coaching staff and our guys before the matches. What we wanted to do and how we wanted to do it. We came away with some big wins. Hagen upset Darnai Heard in the second round, who I think was ranked No. 1 pretty much all year. Creighton had a big win and Mason is fighting his way back.”

Surging to the quarterfinals, No. 11 Heistand had an uphill battle after match one, as the opposing wrestler was No. 6 Darnai Heard (Grand View) and was previously ranked at the top of the 149 lb. class. Down 1-0 going into the final period, Heistand’s confidence led to an escape and a takedown with 1:16 left in the match, winning by a narrow decision (4-2). In round one, the Dow City, Iowa, native defeated Kyler Adams (Midway) by major decision (12-4).

Said Heistand, “I was ready to go and have some fun and just let it fly. My mindset was that if I wrestled my best and held my position, then nobody could take me down. I felt him let up a little bit and I let it go to push for the winning takedown.”

With seemingly one goal in mind, No. 6 Baughman gave up only three points in the two matches moving on by major decisions in both bouts. The fifth year, Baughman, outclassed Nick Moore (Campbellsville) via 8-0 and No. 11 Adam Stanley (Embry-Riddle) with a 11-3 finish. Zero upsets happened in the first two rounds at 141, but Baughman will have an opportunity to be one of the first in tomorrow's match versus No. 3 Evan Potter (Southern Oregon).

Unranked heavyweight Mason Garcia had to go to extra time in his opening match versus No. 12 Ethan DeRoche (Providence) to decide the clash but fell in a late decision, 3-2. Garcia, out of Arroyo Grande, Calif., responded with back to back victories over Amad Soufi (Missouri Baptist) by decision, 4-2, and Emmett Bivens (Wayland Baptist) via major (10-2).

After taking a loss in his first match, Steven Barnes at 149, defeated David Pierson (St. Thomas) by fall (3:41) and set himself up with his own match against Heard. Down 7-1 in the second period, Barnes seemingly rose from the dead with a take down and near fall sprinting into the lead (8-7). In the final two minutes, the two wrestlers stopped holding back and swapped takedowns as Heard seized the match win with less than 30 seconds to go.

At 184, Barrett Brandt fell in a close one (6-3) to No. 12 Brice Parks (Campbellsville) and to No. 6 Kyle Knudtson (Eastern Oregon). Hunter Weimer drew No. 2 William Speight (Lourdes) and No. 16 Temuujijn Mendbileg (Dakota Wesleyan) getting dropped 19-3 and 7-2, respectively. At 157, Cole Price fell to No. 3 David Rubio (Corban), 18-4, and No. 14 Justin Windauer (Montana State - Northern) by fall (4:06).

Concordia will take on day two of the NAIA National Championships starting at 11 a.m. CT in the Park City Arena on Friday.

Heistand and Baughman All-American; Heistand set for national championship

Mar. 7, 2025

LIVE RESULTS

WICHITA, Kan. – Hagen Heistand and Creighton Baughman reach All-American status on day two (March 7) of the NAIA national championships. Concordia University, Nebraska brought eight wrestlers and two remain for the final day three. First year Head Coach Josh Watts and company have amassed 29 points and are tied for 16th in the team standings.

“With his juco years, Creighton is a three-time All-American now,” Coach Watts said. “He is someone who does everything the right way. He works hard. I was happy to see him reach that again. Hagen, a transfer for us, being a national finalist, hopefully he can finish that off. They are both wrestling very strong and have been consistent all year. We will do what we have been doing with Hagen. Do the film work. Provide the scouting reports. He’s been very good this tournament about executing game plans. We will get up and get a workout in to get his weight down, then make those adjustments before tomorrow night.”

Following No. 11 Heistand’s first match, the Campbell University transfer has knocked down three higher ranked opponents on his way to All-American and a chance at the national title at 149 lbs. In the quarterfinals, the Underwood High product defeated No. 3 Keegan Luton (Oklahoma City) via decision (4-3). Heistand went through three matches or 11 total periods without giving up a takedown until the final two minutes of the semifinal. That wouldn’t be enough for No. 10 Alex Pena (Wayland Baptist) as Heistand took three takedowns on his way to a 13-8 victory and a national title birth.

He will have a rematch from the Missouri Valley Invite after falling to No. 8 Elijah Larsen (Grand View) 11-0 in their first meeting earlier this season.

The Dow City, Iowa transfer joins a list of three Concordia wrestlers who have graced the championship floor and becomes the first to do it in the 149 lb. class. Andrew Schulte (2016) won the national final at 141 lbs., plus Tanner Farmer (2020) and hall of famer Ceron Francisco (2017) both reached runner up at the big stage.

No. 6 Baughman had missed his shots taken to All-American in the past two seasons but made use of his fifth year to finally seize the accomplishment. Needing a win in the round four consolations to AA, the Iowa Western transfer defeated Luke Jensen (Corban) by decision (7-4) with two takedowns. After falling in consolation five, Baughman will face No. 8 Thomas Williams (St. Thomas) in the seventh place match. Heistand and Baughman join a list of now 14 Bulldogs who have reached the sacred collegiate wrestler status.

Said Baughman, “It feels incredible. I’m so thankful for the team, community and support system that I have. I’m blessed beyond words with so many important people in my life. Of course, without God, none of this is possible but it absolutely feels incredible to accomplish that goal of mine.”

Heavyweight unranked Mason Garcia faced off against No.13 Seth Suvak (Dickinson State) but fell via major (11-3) in his final match of the season.

Heistand and Baughman will wrestle their final matches tomorrow (March 8) at the Park City Arena in Park City, Kansas.

All-Americans

Creighton Baughman (2025)

Ken Burkhardt Jr. (2015, 2016, 2017)

Giovanni Castillo (2018)

Kodie Cole (2015, 2016)

Tanner Farmer (2020)

Ceron Francisco (2015, 2017)

Alberto Garcia (2019, 2020)

Hagen Heistand (2025)

Adam Joseph (2012)

Austin Mogg (2014)

Andrew Schulte (2015, 2016)

Julian Silva (2012)

Jacob Williams (2012)

Mario Ybarra (2021)

Heistand takes runner up; Dawgs finish 17th

Mar. 9, 2025

WICHITA, Kan. – Hagen Heistand claimed runner up at 149 pounds in the NAIA National Championships on Saturday night (March 8). Heistand won four consecutive matches at Park City Arena before falling in the national final by major decision (12-0). Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling finished tied in 17th place with 29 total points.

“I felt like the team fought hard all weekend,” Coach Watts said. “Really proud of the two All-Americans and national finalist in our first season here. Lots of progress was made and we put in a lot of work this offseason. Hagen was ranked 11th and took down a junior college national champion from last season in the second round. He beat the No. 3 seed in the quarters and No. 10 Pena in the semis, who is a three-time All-American now. He had a great run and a great season.”

No. 11 Heistand knocked down the No. 6, 3 and 10 seeds to make the 149-pound championship and would face off against the No. 8 seed Elijah Larsen (Grand View) in a rematch from the Missouri Valley Invite. With the Campbell transfer having only given up one takedown before the final, Larsen was able to break through the seemingly impenetrable double leg defense defeating Heistand.

Before the final, the Dow City, Iowa, product had outscored his opponents 33-17. Heistand joins an extremely short list of Bulldogs who have graced the national final floor including, Andrew Schulte (2016), Tanner Farmer (2020) and Ceron Francisco (2017). The first year transfer completes his opening year as a Bulldog with a 20-4 overall record and scored 17 individual team points at nationals.

Said Heistand, “It was fun coming in as the 11-seed, beating the six, three and 10 seeds. Just beating some really good guys. One takedown at a time. One match at a time. That’s how I approached it. I just kept winning. People couldn’t take me down and I did them. In the finals, I came up short but I’ll be back.”

In yet another rematch from the Missouri Valley Invite, No. 6 Baughman dropped (5-2) his seventh place match to No. 8 Thomas Williams (St. Thomas) via a takedown and reversal. The Iowa Western transfer finished with a 3-3 record at the big dance and scored an individual 7.5 team points. Taking eighth place, the senior finished his season with a 26-4 record and his collegiate career at 124-22 (40-11 at IWCC).

Steven Barnes (149), Cole Price (157), Barret Brandt (184), Hunter Wiemer (184), Torrance Keehn (197) and Mason Garcia (285) complete the eight guys who were the national qualifiers for Concordia. Wiemer and Garcia finished their careers in the national tournament.

Coach Watts improved the Bulldogs to a 17th overall nationals finish and tied for second in the GPAC regular season in his first year.

Featured Story

Season-In-Review: Bulldogs make noise in year one under Coach Watts

Mar. 18, 2025

The first year of Josh Watts’ tenure proved to be an unquestionable success. Many markers reached by Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling in 2024-25 had not been achieved since 2019-20 as the program advanced forward in many tangible ways. In early March, the Bulldogs brought eight wrestlers to the national stage while announcing themselves ready to return to prominence. In the years to come, Watts will expect more from the program, but this past season set a solid foundation.

After his hiring in July 2024, Watts immediately went to work fortifying the roster with such high-impact transfers as Steven Barnes, Hagen Heistand and Cole Price. The pieces came together, and Concordia enjoyed a second semester that turned heads.

As Creighton Baughman said of Watts just prior to the national tournament, “I know he had a lot of success at Iowa Western and had established a very good program there. I was definitely shocked to see him walk away from that, but clearly he had a vision for here and saw it as a worthy opportunity. People are buying in and things are clicking. The results are coming.”

In addition to the eight national qualifiers, the results this past season included GPAC place finishes of second in the regular season and third in the postseason, an NAIA national championships finish of 17th and two All-America awards. The season continued into the national finals as Heistand competed on the big stage at 149 pounds. Heistand was joined at the national tournament by fellow All-American Creighton Baughman in addition to Steven Barnes (149), Cole Price (157), Barret Brandt (184), Hunter Weimer (184), Torrance Keehn (197) and Mason Garcia (285).

The run at the NAIA Championships for the 11th-seeded Heistand included wins over opponents seeded sixth, third and 10th. He became the fourth wrestler in program history to advance to the national finals. Meanwhile, Baughman took advantage of one last opportunity to reach the podium. The former Iowa Western All-American placed eighth at 141 pounds. In addition, Barnes and Garcia contributed to the team scoring in a solid overall showing at the national tournament.

“Any time you’re at the national tournament, it’s always a rollercoaster,” Watts said. “A lot of stuff is going on over a three-day period. I’m really happy with the team’s effort. We competed hard. Hagen was the 11 seed and upset a lot of people all the way to the finals. He wrestled very well and executed match game plans very well. He’s a hard worker and a tough kid. Much like Hagen, Creighton’s an incredibly hard worker. Both guys do everything the right way and they deserve everything they get. It’s very satisfying to get Creighton back on the podium.”

After graduating from Concordia in May of 2024, Baughman had moved on and was not expecting to wrestle in 2024-25. However, Watts managed to convince Baughman (124 career collegiate wins) to use his final season of eligibility. That development signaled a key recruiting win in an offseason that quietly set Concordia up to climb the GPAC ladder. Both Baughman and Heistand were named to the All-GPAC first team while Price and Tommy Wentz landed on the second team and Barnes and Weimer were tabbed honorable mention all-conference.

Whether a newcomer or a returner, each Concordia wrestler seemed to find his role on the team. Watts effectively intertwined a roster featuring holdovers and late transfers alike. A senior who has spent his entire career at Concordia, Weimer said, “I love all the guys that have come in. A lot of us guys hang out every single night. As someone who has been here, you start to wonder, what are these guys going to do when they come in here? Are they going to be like, ‘I’m the top dog?’ You don’t know how they might respond to a new place. They came in and were instantly really good parts of the program.”

Before the 2024-25 team tasted success during the second semester, it had to endure through first-semester challenges. There were injuries to navigate, new weight classes to get accustomed to (like Garcia’s move to heavyweight), and Heistand was not yet eligible after transferring from NCAA Division I Campbell University. In the leadup to bigger and better, Concordia was dealt conference dual losses by scores of 32-10 and 46-3.

The breakthrough came the weekend of Jan. 24-25 at the Missouri Valley Invite, where the Bulldogs placed sixth out of 53 NAIA squads. Major moves were made by Weimer (eight wins on the weekend) and by Keehn, both of whom soon crashed the NAIA national rankings. Immediately following the Missouri Valley Invite, Concordia made its way into the NAIA top 25 for the first time since 2020. The Bulldogs then finished the dual season strong with three comfortable victories at GPAC Day of Duals No. 2 in February.

Confidence was building inside the Concordia Wrestling room. After being narrowly defeated in the GPAC championship match, Heistand expressed supreme confidence. He was ready for a rematch if it would happen to come on the national stage. The swagger he carried became infectious among his teammates. Heistand wasn’t surprised when he reached the national finals.

As Heistand said after placing as the NAIA runner up, “One match at a time. That’s how I approached it. I just kept winning. People couldn’t take me down. In the finals, I came up short, but I’ll be back.”

Said Watts of Heistand, someone he trained as a young wrestler, “There are obstacles in every season. He missed the first part of the season. He came out and lost a match early at the Hastings tournament and then went on a roll. He got a little dinged up and we had to get him back healthy. There was a lot for him to overcome, but he bought into everything we wanted to do in terms of physical therapy and training. He had a positive mindset through everything. He’s a great kid and a hard worker and I’m very proud to have him here at Concordia.”

In discussing other happenings at the national tournament, Watts referred to Barnes as “a warrior” and lauded Garcia for bouncing back and defeating an opponent he had lost to during the season. Only Baughman and Garcia had prior experience wrestling at the NAIA National Championships. Though he went 0-2 at nationals, Brandt recorded 11 pins as a sophomore and has already collected 35 through his first two seasons.

As the Bulldogs enter the offseason, Watts and top assistant Isaiah Crosby have ramped up their efforts to increase the depth inside the program. Baughman, Garcia and Wentz have all used up their eligibility. However, there are seniors with options for coming back in 2025-26. As many as seven of the team’s national qualifiers could return next season.

“The majority of our lineup is coming back,” Watts said. “I think that’s big. We have guys who understand the system now. We just need to continue to grow with the guys that we have and hit recruiting hard. We need a little more depth and a little more competition in the room. We just need to keep building … We’re already recruiting. We’re working on it. We won’t stop lifting. We’ll keep rolling with that. We’ll start getting back on the mat and working on fixing stuff and getting going. It’s a lot of training and a lot of recruiting.”

Four Bulldogs honored with 2024-25 NWCA Scholar All-American accolades

Mar. 26, 2025

NWCA Release

SEWARD, Neb. – Four Bulldogs represented the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling program on the honor roll announced on March 21 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). The following Concordia student-athletes were named 2024-25 NAIA Scholar All-Americans by the NWCA: graduate student Creighton Baughman, freshman Calvin Gross, senior Cole Price and freshman Braysen Salinas. Baughman is a three-time Scholar All-American.

In order to receive the NWCA Scholar All-American award, student-athletes must meet one of the following criteria:

·        Must have a 3.0 GPA and be a 2023 NAIA All-American

·        Must have a 3.25 GPA and be a 2023 NAIA Qualifier

·        Must have a 3.5 GPA if they did not qualify for NAIA Nationals. MUST also have competed in at least 5 contests or the National Qualifying Conference Tournament.

Both Baughman and Price qualified for 2025 NAIA Wrestling National Championships. Baughman placed eighth at 141 pounds and earned All-America status. Also a GPAC champion with 124 career collegiate wins to his credit, Baughman earned his degree in Biology from Concordia. Meanwhile, Gross studies Computer Science, Price majors in Business Administration and Salinas is an Exercise Science major.

The program’s four Scholar All-Americans is an increase from three last season. Head Coach Josh Watts’ program concluded the 2024-25 season with a 17th place finish at the national tournament. Baughman was joined with All-America honors by teammate Hagen Heistand, the national runner up at 149 pounds.

Baughman, Price represent wrestling program with CSC Academic All-District awards

Jun. 17, 2025

2024-25 CSC Academic All-District At-Large Teams

SEWARD, Neb. – A pair of Bulldogs represented Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling on the list of 2024-25 Academic All-District At-Large Teams, as announced by College Sports Communicators (CSC) on June 17. Graduate student Creighton Baughman earned all-district distinction for the second time while teammate Cole Price garnered recognition from CSC for the first time. Both Bulldogs were also NAIA national qualifiers and NWCA Scholar All-Americans this past academic year for Head Coach Josh Watts’ program.

The 2024-25 Academic All-District® At-Large Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Student-athletes must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher in order to be nominated for this award. Nominees also had to meet specific requirements in terms of the number of competitions participated in during the 2024-25 season. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

2025 CSC Academic All-District Honorees – Concordia Wrestling

Creighton Baughman | Grad | Papillion, Nebraska
Major: Biology
Notes: 2x CSC Academic All-District award; 2023-24 CSC Second Team Academic All-American; 2025 NAIA All-American (8th place at 141); 3x NAIA national qualifier; 2025 GPAC Champion (141); 3x GPAC All-Conference (second team in 2023 and 2024; first team in 2025); 3x NWCA Scholar All-American; 2x NAIA Scholar-Athlete.

Cole Price | Jr. | La Vista, Nebraska
Major: Business Administration
Notes: First CSC Academic All-District award; 2025 NAIA national qualifier; 2024-25 Second Team All-GPAC; 2025 GPAC runner up (157); 2025 NWCA Scholar All-American.

Academic All-District® honorees were considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists are denoted with an asterisk (in the CSC release) and will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. Academic All-America® honorees in the at-large category will be announced July 8 (women) and July 9 (men).

Baughman named to CSC Academic All-America First Team

Jul. 9, 2025

2024-25 CSC At-Large Academic All-Americans

SEWARD, Neb. – For the second-straight year, Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling standout Creighton Baughman has been named an Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators (CSC). On the 2024-25 CSC Academic All-America Team released on July 9, Baughman landed on the first team within the NAIA. Baughman moved up from second team accolades in 2023-24. The at-large category includes bowling, golf, lacrosse, volleyball and wrestling.

The 2024-25 Academic All-America® At-Large Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Student-athletes must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher in order to be nominated for this award. Nominees also had to meet specific requirements in terms of number of competitions participated in during the 2024-25 season. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

A native of Papillion, Neb., Baughman concluded his collegiate career in 2024-25. The two-time CSC Academic All-American also earned 2025 NAIA All-America status on the mat and was the 141-pound GPAC champion. As a Bulldog, Baughman also qualified for nationals three times, garnered three GPAC All-Conference awards and was a three-time NWCA Scholar All-American. The former JUCO All-American (two times) won 84 matches at Concordia and collected 124 victories for his entire five-year collegiate career (including two seasons at Iowa Western Community College). Baughman earned his degree in Biology from Concordia.

Back on June 17, Baughman and teammate Cole Price were recognized as Academic All-District honorees by CSC. The two star student-athletes helped Head Coach Josh Watts’ ’24-25 team place in the top three of the GPAC (regular season and postseason) and 17th at the NAIA National Championships.