2025-26 Wrestling Schedule/Results

8-1 overall | 7-1 GPAC (2nd) | Season Stats | Roster

Date	Event/Opponent	Location	Time/Result	Dual Record
Nov. 1	Friends University Falcon Open	Park City, Kan.	Results
Nov. 8	Dakota Wesleyan University Open	Mitchell, S.D.	Results
Nov. 13	*Hastings College Dual	Seward, Neb.	W, 32-18	1-0, 1-0
Nov. 21	*(8) Doane University Dual	Crete, Neb.	L, 17-33	1-1, 1-1
Nov. 22	UNK Younes Hospitality Open	Kearney, Neb.	Results
	GPAC Day of Duals #1: Nov. 25
Nov. 25	*Briar Cliff University Dual	Sioux City, Iowa	W, 27-13	2-1, 2-1
Nov. 25	*Waldorf University Dual	Sioux City, Iowa	W, 32-16	3-1, 3-1
Dec. 6	Doane University Open	Crete, Neb.	Results
	CUNE Triangular: Jan. 8
Jan. 8	(17) Friends University (Kan.)	Seward, Neb.	W, 37-13	4-1
Jan. 8	*Midland University	Seward, Neb.	W, 46-3	5-1, 4-1
Jan. 10	Hastings College Cusatis Open	Hastings, Neb.	Results
Jan. 23-24	Missouri Valley College Invite	Marshall, Mo.	3rd / 41
Jan. 31	Sioux City Open	North Sioux City, S.D.	Results
	GPAC Day of Duals #2: Feb. 7
Feb. 7	*Northwestern College Dual	Crete, Neb.	W, 42-5	6-1, 5-1
Feb. 7	*Morningside Universuty Dual	Crete, Neb.	W, 35-6	7-1, 6-1
Feb. 7	*Dakota Wesleyan University Dual	Crete, Neb.	W, 32-16	8-1, 7-1
Feb. 20-21	GPAC Wrestling Championships	Orange City, Iowa	2nd / 9
March 5-7	NAIA Wrestling National Championships	Park City, Kan.	20th

2025-26 Roster

Weight Class	Name	Yr.	Hometown	Previous School
174	Ramon Arredondo	So.	Fresno, Calif.	Bullard HS
165	Simon Arredondo	So.	Fresno, Calif.	Bullard HS
141	Steve Barnes	Sr.	Pacific Junction, Iowa	Underwood HS / Iowa State University
184	Blane Boehmer	Jr.	Bennington, Neb.	Bennington HS / Iowa Western CC
184	Barret Brandt	Jr.	Syracuse, Neb.	Syracuse HS
165	Cannon Carey	Jr.	Augusta, Kan.	Augusta HS / Labette CC
157	Chase Groff	So.	Doniphan, Neb.	Doniphan Trumbull HS
149	Kaden Gutsch	Fr.	Manhattan, Kan.	Riley County HS
157	Hagen Heistand	Sr.	Dow City, Iowa	Underwood HS / Campbell University
285	Gabe Kant	Jr.	Augusta, Kan.	Augusta HS / Labette CC
141	Bryce Karlin	Sr.	Beatrice, Neb.	Beatrice HS
197	Torrance Keehn	Sr.	Beatrice, Neb.	Beatrice HS
125	Gabriel Lujan	So.	Santa Fe, N.M.	Santa Fe HS
165	Francisco Mendez	Sr.	Norfolk, Neb.	Norfolk Catholic HS / Iowa Wesleyan
133	Aaron Ohnoutka	Jr.	David City, Neb.	Bishop Neumann HS / IA Western CC
149	Cal Price	So.	La Vista, Neb.	Papillion La Vista HS
165	Cole Price	5th	La Vista, Neb.	Papillion La Vista HS / IA Western CC
285	Cy Renney	Sr.	Adams City, Colo.	Adams City HS
133	Paul Ruff	Sr.	Gering, Neb.	Gering HS / Univ. of Central Missouri
149	Braysen Salinas	So.	Ulysses, Kan.	Ulysses HS
197	Colin Schwartzkopf	Jr.	Gering, Neb.	Gering HS / Iowa Western CC
165/174	Evan Sepanlou	So.	Palmdale, Calif.	Quartz Hill HS
133	Aidan Trowbridge	Jr.	Geneva, Neb.	Fillmore Central HS
197	Chason Turner	Fr.	Cheyenne, Colo.	County Line HS
285	Jeremiah Vasquez	5th	Edwards, Colo.	Battle Mountain HS
165	Brent Ward	5th	Tucson, Ariz.	Ironwood Ridge HS/IA Wesleyan Univ.
141	Aidan Watts	Fr.	Seward, Neb.	Seward HS
174	Hunter Weimer	5th	Porterville, Calif.	Monache HS
133	Grant Wells	Sr.	Lincoln, Neb.	Lincoln Lutheran HS
157	Aaron Wilson	Fr.	Cozad, Neb.	Cozad HS
184	Gatlin Wilson	Jr.	Stillwater, Okla.	Stillwater HS / Western Wyoming CC

STAFF

Josh Watts, Head Coach

Isaiah Crosby, Assistant Coach

Issiah Burks, Assistant Coach

Season Preview: 2025-26 Concordia Wrestling

 Oct. 21, 2025

2024-25 Dual Record: 6-2 overall, 6-2 GPAC (T-2nd); 3rd at GPAC tournament
2025 NAIA National Championships finish: T-17th
Head Coach: Josh Watts (2nd season; spent 13 seasons as head coach at Iowa Western CC)
Key Returners: 149 Steven Barnes; 184 Barret Brandt; 149 Hagen Heistand; 133 Bryce Karlin; 197 Torrance Keehn; 157 Cole Price; 184 Hunter Weimer; 133 Grant Wells.
Key Losses:  141 Creighton Baughman; 197 Mason Garcia; 165 Tommy Wentz.
2025 GPAC All-Conference: Creighton Baughman (First Team); Hagen Heistand (First Team); Cole Price (Second Team); Tommy Wentz (Second Team); Steven Barnes (Honorable Mention); Hunter Weimer (Honorable Mention).
2025 NAIA All-Americans: Creighton Baughman (141); Hagen Heistand (149).

Outlook

A return to the top 20 of the team standings at the NAIA National Championships is just a start in the minds of Head Coach Josh Watts and members of the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling program. Entering the 2025-26 season, the arrow is clearly pointed upward as the Bulldogs welcome back six national qualifiers to a roster as deep as the program has boasted in quite some time. Concordia landed at No. 19 in the NAIA’s preseason national ratings. With the right approach and progression, the Bulldogs believe they can outperform their preseason standing.

After 13 years as head coach at Iowa Western Community College, Watts took on a new challenge a year ago and began putting his stamp on Concordia Wrestling. Prior to last season, Watts convinced eventual All-American Creighton Baughman to return for one more year and secured late impact transfers such as Steven Barnes, Hagen Heistand and Cole Price. The results were impressive.

“I think we saw a lot of growth last year,” Watts said. “I’m proud of the effort the guys put in. It’s hard for them to have a new staff come in and go through those changes. The first semester was a bit up and down. We kind of hit our groove second semester. I was real happy with how they finished the season and how hard we competed.”

In addition to a share of 17th place at last season’s NAIA National Championships, the 2024-25 Bulldogs posted GPAC place finishes of tied for second in the regular season and third at the conference tournament. Seeded 11th, the 149-pound Heistand made waves by claiming national runner-up status. He was joined on the All-America podium by Baughman, who placed eighth nationally at 141 pounds. Heistand headlines the list of returning national qualifiers that includes Barnes (149), Barret Brandt (184), Torrance Keehn (197), Cole Price (157) and Hunter Weimer (184).

Each of the six returning national qualifiers appeared in both the GPAC and NAIA national rankings to begin this season. Cal Price (141) and Gabe Kant (285) also landed in the conference ratings within their respective weight classes. The roster of 31 includes 23 holdovers and eight newcomers (five transfers and three freshmen). Watt’s Iowa Western background proved fruitful once again as former Reivers Cannon Carey (165), Aaron Ohnoutka (133) and Paul Ruff (133) are among the new additions.

“I think our depth is significantly better than what we had last year,” Watts said. “I think there’s going to be a little more competition to be part of the 12 going into the conference tournament at the end of the year. Competition is great for everyone. We’ll have guys competing for spots to be in the 12 at the end of the year. We’ll see who puts together the best resume when it comes down to it.”

Competition is something Weimer (Porterville, Calif.) and his teammates have embraced. The Bulldogs are thriving on a healthy but intense environment that characterizes the daily routine within the program. Since arriving, Watts has instituted his “ladder system,” a movement-based system using patterns and sequencing that is tailored to suit each individual. Weimer stood out as just one example of the immense growth that took place throughout 2024-25. Weimer went from a 17-13 record in 2023-24 to a 21-7 record and a national tournament berth in 2024-25.

“He’s brought so much – so much structure and so much development,” Weimer said of Watts. “The ‘ladder system’ is something we’ve worked on. It makes me jealous of the freshmen and sophomores coming in. I’m so excited to see where those guys are going to be at over the next couple of years. Everyone’s gotten so much better. It’s made it tougher in the practice room. It’s just made us all better. He’s brought a huge development factor to the program for sure.”

A transfer from NCAA Division I Campbell University, Heistand waited until the second semester of last season to make his Concordia debut. It was worth the wait. He proceeded to go 20-4 overall and blaze his way to the 149-pound NAIA national championship match. He begins this season ranked No. 1 in the GPAC and No. 2 in the NAIA in his weight class. He became the fourth competitor in program history to reach the national finals.

The Dow City, Iowa, native Heistand will be gunning for a national title in year two as a Bulldog. Said Watts, “Hagen’s a really good wrestler. He was a state champ in Iowa coming out of high school. I’d known him since he was little. I knew what he was capable of. We were able to get him in a really good rhythm second semester. He was right there to win a title. We’re hoping we get over that hump in the next year or two.”

Heistand is one of four returners who won at least 20 matches last season. The others are Barret Brandt (21-9), Cole Price (21-11) and Weimer (21-7). The Syracuse, Neb., native Brandt broke the school record for pins in a single season with 24 in 2023-24. Meanwhile, Price reached the 157-pound GPAC title match in his first Concordia season and is another former Iowa Western wrestler. Other returners who seized at least 10 victories last season were Simon Arredondo (10-9), Barnes (17-10), Bryce Karlin (13-11), Keehn (15-8), Cal Price (12-3) and Grant Wells (11-7).

In the NAIA preseason national rankings, Barnes is 16th at 141, Heistand is second at 149, Cole Price is 17th at 157, Weimer is 19th at 174, Brandt is 16th at 184 and Keehn is 14th at 197. A Beatrice, Neb., native, Keehn put himself on the national radar last season when he won six matches at the Missouri Valley Invite. That tournament served as a breakthrough from a team perspective as the Bulldogs placed sixth out of 53 NAIA programs.

At 133, Ruff is a newcomer to watch. This past 2024-25 season, Ruff went 8-3 while competing for NCAA Division II University of Central Missouri. Ruff and Carey possess the ability to crack the NAIA rankings this season as they get acclimated with their new surroundings. As Watts said of the group of newcomers, “I think they complement our team well and fit in well with the dynamic on the roster.”

The talent level and progress made this preseason have convinced Weimer that Concordia can crash the top 10 of the national team standings come March of 2026. Says Weimer, “We’re stacked. We are stacked. I’m so excited for this year. We just keep getting better and better. We added Paul Ruff and have Gabe Kant coming in at heavyweight and Cannon Carey at 165. The list goes on and on. Every single year we get better. The room gets deeper, and it’s just a bunch of competition all around, not to mention the guys we already had last year. It’s about to be a big jump.”

In other words, the Bulldogs hope to challenge the highest of highs achieved in the program’s history. The program’s best national championship team finish remains the eighth-place claim in 2016. With the conference and national tournaments several months down the road, the focus must be placed on the day to day. Watts will be there to remind his team.

“We want to see continual improvement and buy-in,” Watts said. “If we can build on what we were doing last year and see them continue to grow individually, that would be great. They’re bonding really well already as a unit. That’s good to see. I just want to see them continue to get better week to week and competition to competition. If they do that, I think we’ll be in line to accomplish the goals that they set.”

The 2025-26 campaign is slated to officially get underway at the Friends Falcon Open on Saturday, Nov. 1. The season’s first home appearance will come on Nov. 13 in a dual versus Hastings. The complete schedule can be found HERE.

Three Bulldogs place top eight in in season opening tournament

 Nov. 1, 2025

PARK CITY, Kan. – It was a day of growth and development for a large number of underclassmen on the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling roster. The Bulldogs opened the 2025-26 season on Saturday (Nov. 1) with 16 competitors taking part in the Falcon Open hosted by Friends University. Park City Arena in Park City, Kan., hosted wrestlers from more than 30 collegiate programs in a largescale event. Concordia grapplers combined for 16 wins on the day.

The event marked the start of year two of Head Coach Josh Watts’ tenure leading the Bulldogs. Most of Watts’ top wrestlers will wait at least another week to officially begin their seasons.

“We brought mostly underclassmen to get them matches,” Watts said. “I thought the guys competed hard but when you bring a lot of young guys, you see a lot of young guy mistakes. We saw a lot of stuff that we need to work on but also some positive things. Aaron (Wilson), Simon (Arredondo) and Gabe (Kant) all had pretty good days. Gabe almost knocked off the No. 12 guy in the country. We saw some positives and learned a lot. We’ll get back to work on Monday.”

Bulldogs with multiple wins at the Falcon Open:

·        141 – Bryce Karlin: 2-2

·        149 – Kaden Gutsch: 2-2

·        157 – Aaron Wilson: 3-2 (finished top six)

·        165 – Simon Arredondo: 4-2 (finished top six)

·        285 – Gabe Kant: 2-2 (finished top eight)

A sophomore from Fresno, Calif., Simon Arredondo topped the Bulldogs with four wins on Saturday. Two of his victories came by major decision as he placed in the top six of the 165-pound weight class. A freshman out of Cozad High School, Wilson recorded a trio of victories and placed top six at 157 pounds in his first experience on the collegiate scene. Wilson earned a victory by technical fall. At heavyweight, Kant went 2-2 on the day (top eight of his class) with a pair of pins. In the match mentioned by Watts, Kant fell by a tight 14-11 score to NAIA 12th-ranked Emmett Bivens of Wayland Baptist University (Texas).

Two other Bulldogs emerged with multiple victories as Bryce Karlin went 2-2 (one pin) at 141 and Kaden Gutsch went 2-2 (one pin and one tech fall) at 149. Three additional Concordia competitors claimed one win at the Falcon Open: Cal Price (141), Francisco Mendez (165) and Ramon Arredondo (184). A total of four freshmen made their college debuts, including Coach Watts’ son Aidan.

Tournament No. 2 of the 2025-26 season will be next Saturday (Nov. 8)’s Dakota Wesleyan Open in Mitchell, S.D. The action is scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m. CT. Tournaments and duals can be followed live throughout the season via TrackWrestling.com.

Kant, Cole Price earn place finishes at DWU Open

 Nov. 8, 2025

MITCHELL, S.D. – The second weekend of the 2025-26 campaign saw seven Bulldogs make their season debuts in action that took place in Mitchell, S.D. Two individuals represented Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling with tournament place finishes at the Dakota Wesleyan University Open: Gabe Kant (third place at heavyweight) and Cole Price (sixth place at 165). The ten Bulldogs who took to the mats combined for 18 wins on Saturday (Nov. 8).

A week earlier, 16 Concordia competitors (mostly underclassmen) got the season started at the Friends Falcon Open. Head Coach Josh Watt’s squad (ranked No. 16 in the NAIA) is just beginning to take shape.

“Today was a lot of up and down,” Watts said. “We had a few guys who stood out. Gabe Kant wrestled really well. He went into overtime three or four times and really gutted out some good wins. Cole Price finished in the top six and wrestled extremely well. I thought Cal Price showed a good deal of improvement from last week to this week. With the rest of the guys, it was kind of a rollercoaster ride. We need to get back to work and keep improving.”

A junior who transferred from Labette Community College, Kant has already stacked seven wins this season. The Augusta, Kan., native went 5-1 on Saturday and was a semifinalist at heavyweight. Kant won twice in sudden victory and earned a first-period pin of Braden Shamp of MSU Moorhead. Kant was able to sew up third place with a pin (4:01) in his final bout on Saturday. He is ranked No. 19 in the NAIA at 285.

At 165, returning national qualifier Cole Price put together a strong day that featured four wins. He dominated his way through the first two rounds (pin and tech fall) before losing by decision. Price rebounded with two victories before finishing with an 8-3 defeat. Price won 21 matches last season for the Bulldogs.

Bulldogs with multiple wins at DWU Open:

·        285 – Gabe Kant: 5-1 (third place)

·        165 – Cole Price: 4-2 (sixth place)

·        197 – Barret Brandt: 2-2

·        141 – Cal Price: 2-2

Two other Concordia grapplers picked up two wins apiece: Barret Brandt (2-2 at 197) and Cal Price (2-2 at 141). Both of Cal Price’s wins came via pin while Brandt notched one of his own. Another five Bulldogs emerged with one victory each at the DWU Open: Stevie Barnes (141), Francisco Mendez (165), Evan Sepanlou (165), Hunter Weimer (174) and Grant Wells (133). The tournament marked the second outing for Kant, Mendez and Cal Price. The national runner up last season at 149, Hagen Heistand is still waiting to make his first appearance of 2025-26.

Said Watts, “We had some guys drop down to a lower weight class than they wrestled last year. We’re going to evaluate that and see if that’s something we want to continue or move back up. We have a lot to figure out and work on, but it’s early in the season. We’ll make the adjustments we need to make.”

The season’s first dual is coming up on Thursday (Nov. 13) when Hastings will make a visit to Friedrich Arena. The action is set to start at 7 p.m. CT. This past 2024-25 season, the Bulldogs went 6-2 in GPAC duals with a 33-22 victory at Hastings included in that record.

Price, Weimer, Keehn produce pins as Bulldogs take down Hastings

 Nov. 13, 2025

SEWARD, Neb. – Two sides just getting started with seasons full of promise met on Thursday (Nov. 13) inside Friedrich Arena for the first GPAC dual of the 2025-26 campaign. After Hastings struck first at the lighter weights, the 16th-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling team roared back with six wins, all coming with bonus points, and triumphed, 32-18. The dual featured four pins, including three by those wearing the Bulldog singlet. It was all over in barely more than an hour.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad began the ’25-26 season with two tournaments prior to the Thursday dual. In his first season leading the program, Concordia went 6-2 in GPAC duals (tied for second place).

“It felt like we were wrestling to score points,” Watts said. “I thought guys were initiating contact and closing space, which is something that’s been an emphasis for us. Overall, I was happy with how aggressive we were … I think he (Torrance Keehn) was pretty excited about it (being his first match this season). When he gets excited, I get excited. He’s fun to watch. He did a great job and came out super aggressive.”

Hastings held a 15-12 lead in the team score halfway through the dual. That’s when the Bulldogs got on a roll. NAIA 17th-ranked Cole Price (165) and Evan Sepanlou (174) just missed tech falls while posting major decisions. Price scored a takedown and five near-fall points in the first period alone before Sepanlou emerged with three takedowns and four near-fall points as part of his dominant performance. Then came the pins. No. 22 Hunter Weimer (174) and No. 14 Torrance Keehn, two returning national qualifiers, inspired some of the night’s loudest cheers by nailing their foes to the mat.

The fifth-year Bulldog Weimer (Porterville, Calif.) mounted a 13-1 lead before wiping out his counterpart in 3:58. Keehn didn’t even wait until the end of the first period to pin Conall Liburdi on the heels of three quick takedowns. Keehn clinched the team victory in what was his first appearance of the 2025-26 season.

Said Keehn, “I just wanted to go out there and set the tone for everybody and push the pace. It’s the first match back for me since March. I was just rearing to go. It’s just nice to be back on the mat … It’s always about getting to the next step. That’s what I’m striving to get.”

After falling behind 9-0 after 125 and 133, Concordia picked up its first team points at 141 when Cal Price pinned Dalton Michael at the 2:24 mark. Price recorded two takedowns prior to the fall. Steven Barnes was also credited with a win by forfeit at 149. Barnes is another of the six returning national qualifiers on the roster.

An ascending program in recent years, Hastings won four matches thanks to the work of Aidan Rodriguez (pin at 125), NAIA No. 16 Justin Rodriguez (5-1 decision at 133), Jordan Tobias (pin at 157) and Koen Mattern (11-6 decision at 285). The heavyweight battle marked the evening’s one ranked versus ranked matchup. A reigning GPAC champion, Mattern (ranked No. 8 in the NAIA) managed to hold off No. 19 Gabe Kant. A tournament placer twice already this season, Kant came through with a late takedown to get within one (7-6) before Mattern closed the door.

The development phase continues for this Bulldog team. Said Watts, “We’re just going to keep emphasizing what we have been this week and build off that. There are a couple things tonight that we identified that we need to add on to what we’re working on. As long as they keep listening and applying it in matches, I think we’ll make good progress in the first semester.”

Next up on the slate will be a Friday (Nov. 21) night dual at eighth-ranked Doane. The action is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. CT from the Haddix Center in Crete. It will mark the season’s first dual for the Tigers, who went a perfect 8-0 last season in conference duals.

Bulldogs take four matches from No. 8 Doane in team GPAC dual loss

Nov. 21, 2025

CRETE, Neb. – Stevie Barnes, Cole Price, Torrance Keehn and Gabe Kant each earned victories as Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling went up against reigning GPAC champion Doane in Crete, Neb., on Friday (Nov. 21). The NAIA eighth-ranked Tigers countered with bonus points in each of their six victories and won the conference dual, 33-17. Only four of the 10 matches on Friday went the full seven minutes.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad stands at 1-1 in GPAC duals having also earned a 32-18 win over Hastings on Nov. 13. Six more conference duals remain on the 2025-26 slate.

“I felt pretty good about those four matches,” Watts said. “There were another couple matches maybe we could have gotten if we had wrestled really well. At the end of the day, we’re making progress. We’re going in the right direction. Our first couple competitions were definitely a work in progress. There are things we need to work on. We have to wrestle better though situations. We need to learn to die a slow death sometimes. Meaning, if we’re losing a match, we’ve got to hang in there to give ourselves a chance in the later periods. We put ourselves in some bad situations and it cost us.”

Doane led the team scoring the entire way, but the Bulldogs managed to split the final eight matches of the night. Ranked 20th in the NAIA at 141, Barnes got Concordia on the board with a first-period pin of Shane Sherrill. Barnes earned a takedown and four near-fall points before finishing off his counterpart in 2:22. Doane then claimed back-to-back pins before Cole Price went to work at 165 pounds. The returning national qualifier used three takedowns as part of his 12-2 major decision over Cooper Spaulding.

The team outcome had been decided by the time the 17th-ranked Keehn stepped to the mat at 197 pounds, which featured the only ranked versus ranked matchup of the night. The Beatrice, Neb., native Keehn improved to 2-0 on the season as he took out No. 25 Chase Stieb by major decision, 16-4. Keehn notched four takedowns and collected two back points. To close the night, No. 19-ranked Kant held Colton McCutcheon without an offensive point in a 7-1 win. Kant owns a Bulldog best eight wins on the season.

A perennially mighty squad under Head Coach Dana Vote, Doane rolled out a lineup complete with seven nationally ranked competitors on Friday. The Tigers recorded pins at 149, 157 and 174, and emerged with technical falls at 125, 133 and 184. Benjamin Miller (157) and Tyson Beauperthy (184), both part of the season opening dual lineup for Doane, are returning GPAC champions. The Tigers went a perfect 8-0 in conference duals last season and went on to place fourth at the 2025 NAIA National Championships.

A select group of Bulldogs will be in action on Saturday at the Younes Hospitality Open hosted by the University of Nebraska Kearney. Wrestling is scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m. CT from the Kearney SportsPlex in Kearney, Neb. Live results can be followed via Track Wrestling.

Bulldogs combine for nine wins at Younes Hospitality Open

 Nov. 22, 2025

KEARNEY, Neb. – A crew of 13 Bulldogs represented the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling program at the Younes Hospitality Open hosted by the University of Nebraska Kearney on Saturday (Nov. 22). The Bulldog starters had the day off after competing in Friday’s dual at No. 8 Doane. The yields at the loaded Saturday tournament were nine Concordia wins. In making his Bulldog debut, transfer Cannon Carey finished one win away from a place finish. The event featured “Intermediate” and “Amateur” divisions.

Head Coach Josh Watt’s squad fell by a 33-17 score in Friday’s dual. The season to date has now included three tournaments and two duals (1-1 record).

Of the 13 Bulldogs who took to the mats at the Kearney SportsPlex in Kearney, Neb., eight emerged with at least one victory. A former Labette Community College competitor, Carey dropped his first match of the day by major decision before beginning to make his way through the back side of the Intermediate bracket. In round four of the consolation bracket, Carey earned a major decision over an NCAA Division II opponent. With a place finish on the line, Carey then dropped a 9-8 decision while up against another D2 foe.

At 157 pounds, Francisco Mendez (Norfolk, Neb.) posted two wins, including one via major decision, in the intermediate division. Mendez was eliminated in consolation round No. 4. The following Bulldogs recorded exactly one win on the day: Gabe Lujan (125), Aaron Ohnoutka (133), Braysen Salinas (149), Simon Arredondo (165), Ramon Arredondo (184) and Chason Turner (184).

Conference dual action will resume on Tuesday with GPAC Day of Duals No. 1 scheduled to take place at the Hindman-Hobbs Center in Sioux City, Iowa. As part of the event, the Bulldogs will take on Briar Cliff at 4 p.m. and Waldorf at 7 p.m. This will be the final event of November for Concordia.

Upper weights lead Bulldogs to 2-0 GPAC Day of Duals

 Nov. 25, 2025

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling went a combined 9-1 in the back half of its lineup on Tuesday (Nov. 25) while winning both of its matchups at GPAC Day of Duals No. 1. Morningside hosted the event, which featured all nine GPAC wrestling programs. The Bulldogs emerged from Sioux City, Iowa, with wins by scores of 27-13 over Briar Cliff and 32-16 over Waldorf. Concordia won 12 total matches on the day.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad has improved to 3-1 in conference duals. The Bulldogs, who also own a victory over Hastings, are still working to hit their stride and put the complete picture together.

“We need to finish matches better,” Watts said. “We seem to have 20-to-30 second mental lapses. We need to put together a full seven minutes, but we’re making progress. We had some guys get a little dinged up and so we juggled the lineup the second dual a little bit. The upper weights definitely came through. We’ll get healthy over Thanksgiving break and get ready for the Doane Open.”

In both duals, 165-pounder Cole Price turned the tide in favor of Concordia. The clash with Briar Cliff was tied, 13-13, after seven matches and Waldorf jetted out to a 16-3 advantage after the first five matches. A returning national qualifier, Price earned an 11-1 major decision over Briar Cliff’s Brandon Harris and later pinned Waldorf’s Ronald Hooten at the 3:44 mark. The La Vista, Neb., native Price has won with bonus points in each of his four GPAC dual matches so far this season.

Other Concordia winners over their Charger counterparts were Gabe Lujan (forfeit at 125), Cal Price (6-3 decision at 141), Hunter Weimer (19-0 technical fall at 184), Torrance Keehn (9-6 decision at 197) and Gabe Kant (forfeit at 285). A fifth-year Bulldog from Porterville, Calif., Weimer scored 12 back points and two takedowns in his dominant victory, which marked the 50th of his collegiate career. Meanwhile, Keehn is a perfect 3-0 on the season.

To cap the night in Sioux City, Concordia won at 133 via a 9-7 decision from Grant Wells before triumphing in each of the final five bouts versus Waldorf. Price started the dominoes that continued with wins from Cannon Carey (20-4 technical fall at 174), Blane Boehmer (pin at 184), Barret Brandt (pin at 197) and Kant (forfeit at 285). It was an easy 2-0 day for Kant, who simply walked onto the mat twice to have his arm raised. As for Brandt, he ran his career pin count to 37. Waldorf had built its lead to 16-3 after a pin by Dalton Thorson at 165.

Watts used 15 different competitors over the two conference duals. Ten of them came away with at least one win. Though he did not pull off the win, sophomore Aaron Ohnoutka gave NAIA 10th-ranked Dante Rigal of Briar Cliff a tight match at 133 pounds. Rigal held off Ohnoutka, 9-7.

Added Watts in closing of the team overall, “We’ve got to stop waiting for things to go wrong. It seems like we start off well and then the guys get tight trying to hang onto the lead instead of continuing to build the lead. We’ve got to stick with an aggressive offensive mindset.”

The Bulldogs will resume the season in the month of December with the Doane University Open slated for Saturday, Dec. 6 in Crete. Wrestling is scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m. CT. The event will mark the fourth tournament of the 2025-26 season for Concordia.

Wrestling competes at Conner Oppenheim Open

Dec. 6, 2025

CRETE, Neb. – Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling competed at the Doane Conner Oppenheim Open on Saturday (Dec. 6). The standouts for the Bulldogs were Cole Price and Gabe Kant finishing third and fourth in the tournament. The event featured “Open” and “Amateur” divisions.

Head Coach Josh Watts and his side sent 15 wrestlers to the open.

“It was up and down and all around,” Coach Watts said. “We had some guys that looked really really good. Cole lost in the first round to the guy who won it, and he lost in the last seconds. He came back and took third and didn’t give up an offensive point after that match. Gabe pinned the No. 6 guy in the country and lost to No. 11 and No. 3. He didn’t have an easy bracket at all. We got things to tweak and work on with him but effort isn’t one of them. A lot of our underclassmen looked like underclassmen. Consistently inconsistent. They looked really good one match and not the next match.”

Price, at 165, was the highest finisher for the Bulldogs going 3-0 after falling in the opening round match to reach third. He defeated Hayden Helgeson (Grand View) and Lincoln Krull (Cumberlands) and Jack Willen (Cumberlands) in three consecutive bouts. Price fell in slight decision loss (5-4) to Justin Windauer (Montana State-Northern).

Kant, at 285, won three-straight by fall moving into the semifinal but ran into ranked competition in the later rounds. He pinned Strider Williams (Colorado Northwestern CC), Carlos Ruiz (Graceland University) and Seth Suvak (Dickinson State). Both losses came by a decision.

In the open, Hunter Weimer (at 174) went 3-1 in his matches but then bowed out in a medical forfeit. Another at 174, Evan Sepanlou, went 2-2 in his matches.

Others who competed in the open were Aaron Ohnoutka, Bryce Karlin and Francisco Mendez.

In the amateur division, Gabe Lujan (at 125) went 4-2 making it to the semifinals by defeating two GPAC foes and two KCAC wrestlers. Kaden Gutsch (at 149), Ramon Arredondo (at 184) and Chason Turner (at 184) all went 2-2 at the open tournament.

Others competing at the amateur level were Blane Boehmer, Chase Groff, Brysen Salinas and Aidan Watts.

Concordia (3-1, 3-1 GPAC) will have the rest of the year off before hosting a triangular versus Friends University (Kan.), 0-0, and Midland (1-1). The Bulldogs will face the Falcons first and the Warriors in the second dual. The first dual starts at 5 p.m. CT and the second at 8 p.m.

Midseason update: Bulldogs eye strong second semester

 Dec. 17, 2025

SEWARD, Neb. – The meat of the 2025-26 season is yet to come for Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling. By the time the Bulldogs host a dual triangular on Jan. 8, they will have had more than a month between competitions. Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad has tested itself to this point in four tournaments and four duals. Concordia stands at 3-1 in duals and is situated just outside the NAIA top 25 team rating, as of mid-December.

In first semester duals, the Bulldogs earned wins over Hastings, 32-18, Briar Cliff, 27-13, and Waldorf, 32-16. The one loss came at the hands of then eighth-ranked Doane, 33-17. A theme that developed in those duals was Concordia rallying back with strong performances in the latter half of the lineup. The following Bulldogs boast undefeated dual records (with at least two matches) this season: Cole Price (4-0), Torrance Keehn (3-0) and Steven Barnes (2-0). Gabe Kant sports a 3-1 dual mark.

The two individuals who have stacked wins in the first semester are Cole Price at 165 pounds and Kant at heavyweight. The two standout wrestlers own 13 wins apiece and have earned their way into the NAIA national ratings. Four Concordia competitors are ranked on the national level: Barnes (23rd at 141), Price (21st at 165), Keehn (19th at 197) and Kant (15th at 285). So far this season, Keehn has been held out of tournament action. His overall record stands at 3-0. A returning national qualifier, Weimer (fifth year at Concordia) eclipsed 50 career wins during the first semester.

Watts and company hope to ramp things up in the second semester as the 2024-25 team did. Many potential impact wrestlers competed only sparingly during the first semester. Last year’s squad made waves in January when it placed sixth out of 53 NAIA teams at the Missouri Valley Invite. This January’s slate will also feature the Missouri Valley Invite (Jan. 23-24).

Ranked Bulldogs (rankings as of week of Dec. 8)
141 – Steven Barnes: 2nd GPAC | 23rd NAIA
141 – Cal Price: 6th GPAC
157 – Aaron Wilson: 6th GPAC
165 – Cole Price: 2nd GPAC | 21st NAIA
165 – Cannon Carey: 6th GPAC
174 – Hunter Weimer: 4th GPAC
197 – Torrance Keehn: 2nd GPAC | 19th NAIA
285 – Gabe Kant: 4th GPAC | 15th NAIA

Team wins leaders
Cole Price: 13-3
Gabe Kant: 13-6
Hunter Weimer: 6-4
Gabe Lujan: 6-8

The Bulldogs will knock off the rust on Thursday, Jan. 8 when they welcome Friends University (Kan.) and Midland to Friedrich Arena for a triangular. The schedule for that evening is included below. The GPAC dual schedule will wrap up on Feb. 7 with GPAC Day of Duals No. 2, which will be hosted by Doane. The 2026 GPAC Wrestling Championships will unfold at Northwestern on Feb. 20-21.

Jan. 8 triangular | Friedrich Arena
5:00 p.m. – Concordia vs. Friends
6:30 p.m. – Friends vs. Midland
8:00 p.m. – Concordia vs. Midland

Brandt makes waves as Bulldogs manhandle No. 17 Friends, Midland on senior day

Jan. 8, 2026 

SEWARD, Neb. – On a night that included a celebration of eight seniors, Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling treated Bulldog fans and the Seward Wrestling Club to two decisive victories. As part of a Thursday (Jan. 8) triangular inside Friedrich Arena, Concordia flexed its muscles with wins by scores of 37-13 over 17th-ranked Friends University (Kan.) and 46-3 over GPAC rival Midland. The Bulldogs triumphed in 16 of 20 individual matches with 12 wins coming via bonus points.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad impressively knocked off the rust after having had more than a month since its most recent outing. Concordia stands at 5-1 overall (4-1 GPAC) in 2025-26 dual matches.

“It’s been a month since we’ve competed, so there’s always a bit of a mystery on how that’s going to look,” Watts said. “The guys did well. We really worked on wrestling through transitions from positions, and we saw significant improvement in that. We just need to identify what we need to work on and keep improving.”

Halfway through his junior season, Syracuse, Neb., native Barret Brandt has already established himself as one of the most prolific pinners in school history. Among individuals, Brandt made the biggest statement on Thursday as he pinned 22nd-ranked Jason Bowers of Friends and won in sudden victory, 4-1, over 16th-ranked Nate McDonald of Midland.

Now the owner of 38 career pins (12 away from the program all-time record), Brandt did his damage at 184 pounds after wrestling at 197 for the first semester. His latest pin occurred in the first period. Brandt capped the evening by showing he could persevere in a tight match.

Said Brandt, “I didn’t know they were ranked until Coach told me after. It felt good coming from 97 to 84 and seeing some improvement in my wrestling. I don’t know if it was just weight management, but I felt a lot better. It was good to knock off a couple ranked guys.”

In its fifth year of existence, Friends has cracked the top 20 of the NAIA team ratings. The Falcons rolled out three nationally ranked individuals versus Concordia on Thursday. Two of them emerged with losses. In addition to Brandt’s pin of Bowers, the Bulldogs’ 19th-ranked Torrance Keehn toppled 18th-ranked Logan Davidson (former Concordia national qualifier) by decision, 11-7. Keehn came up with a third-period takedown that sewed up the victory. Other contested winners for the Bulldogs versus Friends were Steven Barnes (pin at 141), Hagen Heistand (major decision at 149) and Cole Price (pin at 165).

The NAIA national runner up at 149 last season, Heistand made his season debut in the triangular. The Dow City, Iowa, native scored five takedowns in his lone contested bout. He also earned a win by forfeit in the blowout of Midland. In other noteworthy efforts versus the Warriors, Bryce Karlin needed only 25 seconds to notch a pin at 141, Francisco Mendez earned a win by decision at 157, Keehn pinned his opponent at 197 (1:50) and heavyweight Jeremiah Vasquez produced a major decision, 12-1. Keehn sports a perfect 5-0 dual record this season.

Watts expects his team to make gains in the second semester. Not only did Heistand return to the mat, NCAA Division II transfer Paul Ruff made his first Concordia appearance. He won via forfeit at 133 versus Midland. The lineup is beginning to take shape with added reinforcements and the settling of key wrestlers at their most advantageous weight classes. Watts made sure Heistand paced himself in his first time out.

Said Watts, “Barret wrestled first semester at 197. We knew 184 was probably the better weight class for him. We got him down and he wrestled really well. He looked good and his positioning was good, so I’m really proud of what he put on the mat today. Hagen made his season debut. It was his first time down to 149 since nationals (last March). He did what we told him to do – kind of ease into it and control the pace of the match. He looked pretty good.”

Watts went on to commend the senior class. Six of the eight seniors competed in at least one of Thursday’s duals. The senior group includes Bryce Karlin, Torrance Keehn, Francisco Mendez, Cole Price, Cy Renney, Jeremiah Vasquez, Brent Ward and Hunter Weimer. Keehn, Price and Weimer are returning national qualifiers. Said Watts, “It’s been great working with those guys.”

Concordia’s first tournament of 2026 will take place this Saturday when it will be in Hastings for the Hastings Open. The action is slated to begin at 9 a.m. CT from Hastings Senior High Gymnasium. The event will mark the fifth tournament of the season for the Bulldogs.

Price, Ruff win titles; nine Bulldogs earn place finishes at Hastings Open

Jan. 10, 2026

HASTINGS, Neb. – The Hastings Open marked the most significant tournament of the 2025-26 season to date for Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling, in terms of both quality and quantity. Of the 22 Bulldogs that took to the mats at Hastings Senior High Gymnasium on Saturday (Jan. 10), nine emerged with top-four place finishes. The headliners were bracket champions Paul Ruff at 133 pounds and Cole Price at 165 pounds. Wrestlers from 13 institutions convened for the fast-moving tournament.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad is ramping things up in the month of January. Two days after dominating No. 17 Friends University (Kan.) and Midland in home duals, Concordia put forth a fine showing in Hastings.

“We’re starting to hit a little bit of a groove here,” Watts said. “This is a tournament I like to bring as many guys to as possible. We get to see guys in the same weight class wrestle the same competition and allows us to evaluate who to take to Mo-Val (Missouri Valley Invite) in a couple weeks. Our guys are making strides. We’ve been talking about wrestling through transitions and positions. They did a pretty good job of that today. That won us some matches in the last minute or 30 seconds today. The guys are doing a nice job.”

Below is a summary of the place finishers for the Bulldogs. Price, Ruff and Hunter Weimer (174) each advanced to title bouts at the Hastings Open while Barret Brandt (184) was awarded second place as part of a 3-1 day. Seven Concordia competitors reached the semifinals of their respective brackets.

Concordia place finishers:

·        Cole Price (165) – 1st

·        Paul Ruff (133) – 1st

·        Barret Brandt (184) – 2nd

·        Hunter Weimer (174) – 2nd

·        Ramon Arredondo (184) – 3rd

·        Stevie Barnes (141) – 3rd

·        Hagen Heistand (149) – 3rd

·        Torrance Keehn (197) – 3rd

·        Blane Boehmer (184) – 4th

A Gering, Neb., native and transfer from NCAA Division II University of Central Missouri, Ruff made his Bulldog debut on Thursday. In his run to a championship on Saturday, he won by technical fall and major decision before edging unattached Drew Garfield, 3-1, in the 133-pound final. Prior to that match, Garfield had majored NAIA No. 21st-ranked Justin Rodriguez of Hastings. As for Cole Price (undefeated this season versus NAIA foes), he went 4-0 at the Hastings Open. He put an exclamation point on his tournament by pinning Augustana College (S.D.)’s Caleb Durr in 4:37 for the 165-pound title.

A returning national qualifier now in his final collegiate season, Weimer of Porterville, Calif., pinned his quarterfinal and semifinal opponents. With a 174-pound title on the line, Weimer lost a narrow 4-3 decision to NCAA D2 University of Nebraska-Kearney’s Henry Reilly. At 184 pounds, Brandt pushed his career pin total to 40 by wiping out two teammates to open the tournament. Brandt also earned a tech fall over a Hastings opponent. The Syracuse, Neb., native ended his day with a loss at the hands of a D2 grappler.

Concordia claimed four third-place finishes in Hastings, courtesy of Stevie Barnes (141), Hagen Heistand (149), Ramon Arredondo (184) and Torrance Keehn (197). The Hastings Open marked the first tournament of the season for Heistand, the 2025 NAIA national runner up at 149. Heistand went 5-1 on Saturday with his only loss coming against a combatant from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Heistand reached the third-place match with a takedown that gave him a sudden victory over an NCAA D2 opponent. In other highlights, Barnes toppled a D2 foe in his third-place clash, Arredondo finished strong with two pins to close the day and Keehn quickly bounced back after opening up the tournament with a loss.

At 184 pounds, Blane Boehmer took fourth place with the help of a tech fall over a Hastings competitor. Though he did not earn a place finish, Concordia heavyweight Gabe Kant produced a signature victory by taking out Hastings’ NAIA sixth-ranked Koen Mattern by an 8-2 decision. Of the 22 Bulldogs who competed in Hastings, 18 came away with at least one victory. Concordia wrestlers with multiple wins were Heistand (five), Barnes (four), Cole Price (four), Brandt (three), Bryce Karlin (three), Keehn (two), Ruff (three), Ramon Arredondo (two), Cannon Carey (two), Cal Price (two), Cy Renney (two), Aidan Trowbridge (two), Jeremiah Vasquez (two) and Weimer (two).

Said Watts, “We’ve always geared ourselves towards the second semester. It’s a progression-based system. The goal is to get into a groove for the second semester and ride it … It was nice to get Paul into the competition and wrestle some matches. We also got Hagen some more matches. Having those two guys is going to help us out quite a bit.”

The Bulldogs have another break in the schedule as they look forward to an annual showcase tournament within the NAIA. The Missouri Valley Invite will take place on Jan. 23-24 in Marshall, Mo. At last season’s Missouri Valley Invite, Concordia turned heads by placing sixth out of 53 teams in the tournament field.

Three Bulldogs reach semifinals, team resides in fourth place after day one of MO Valley Invite

 Jan. 23, 2026

MARSHALL, Mo. – With day one in the books, Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling has put itself in the thick of the race for the team championship at the Missouri Valley Invite. As part of Friday (Jan. 23) action in Marshall, Mo., six Bulldogs reached the quarterfinals and three then advanced to the semifinals. Their efforts have helped position 22nd-ranked Concordia in fourth place (80.5 team points) out of 41 NAIA programs in the field at the Missouri Valley Invite. Six Bulldogs remain alive in their respective brackets heading into day two.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ program hopes to improve upon last season’s Missouri Valley Invite placement of sixth. The team’s top individual place finisher a year ago was Creighton Baughman, the 141-pound runner up.

A summary of Concordia’s 2026 Missouri Valley quarterfinalists is included below. Paul Ruff (133), Hagen Heistand (157) and Barret Brandt (184) will return to the mats on Saturday morning with a chance to advance to championship bouts. A semester addition to the lineup, Ruff remains unbeaten in the Bulldog singlet. He went 3-0 on Friday with a quarterfinal victory over No. 17 Dante Rigal of Briar Cliff. At 157, Heistand dominated with two tech falls and win by decision over a nationally ranked foe. At 184 pounds, Brandt wiped out all four of his Friday opponents by pin (each in the first period), pushing his career fall count to 44.

The other quarterfinalists were Cole Price (165), Torrance Keehn (197) and Jeremiah Vasquez (285). Those three Bulldogs will return to the mat on Saturday with hopes of maneuvering through the backside of their brackets. Price won his first three matches before running into No. 12 Justin Windauer of Montana-State Northern. At 197, Keehn posted a tech fall and a pin before also being defeated by a nationally ranked opponent. At heavyweight, Vasquez won twice and then was pinned in the quarterfinals.

Missouri Valley Invite quarterfinalists:

·        133 – Paul Ruff (made semis)

·        157 – Hagen Heistand (made semis)

·        165 – Cole Price (lost in quarters)

·        184 – Barret Brandt (made semis)

·        197 – Torrance Keehn (lost in quarters)

·        285 – Jeremiah Vasquez (lost in quarters)

Among other highlights, Stevie Barnes went 3-2 with three pins at 141 pounds while Cannon Carey (165) and Evan Sepanlou (174) won three matches apiece. Additionally, Hunter Weimer went 2-2 at 174 and Cal Price picked up a win at 149. Bryce Karlin dropped his two matches at 141.

With 80.5 team points, the Bulldogs are situated just 2.5 points behind host Missouri Valley College (83.0) and Southeastern University (Fla.) (83.0). Central Methodist University (Mo.) sits in third place with 81.0 points. The Missouri Valley Invite annually features many top individuals and teams from across the NAIA landscape.

The Missouri Valley Invite is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. CT from the Burns Athletic Complex. Live coverage is being supplied by Flo Wrestling. A comprehensive recap of the tournament with thoughts from Coach Watts will be posted to the Concordia Athletics website on Saturday evening.

Heistand wins 157-pound title; Bulldogs claim third at Missouri Valley Invite

Jan. 24, 2026

MARSHALL, Mo. – One of two Bulldogs to reach championship matches, Hagen Heistand celebrated a 157-pound title while leading Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling to a third-place finish at the Missouri Valley Invite. Twelve Bulldogs combined for 124 team points at the event that annually serves as a showcase for NAIA wrestling. While earning the program’s best ever finish at the Missouri Valley Invite, 22nd-ranked Concordia advanced six wrestlers to the quarterfinals and three to the semifinals. The tournament featured 41 NAIA wrestling programs.

Head Coach Josh Watts' squad is rounding into form with the conference championships roughly four weeks away. Watt’s additional place finishers in Marshall, Mo., included Paul Ruff (second at 133), Cole Price (fourth at 165), Barret Brandt (fourth at 184) and Torrance Keehn (eighth at 197).

“It was a bit of a rollercoaster with some ups and downs, but we had some pretty good performances,” Watts said. “We won some big matches and lost some we maybe shouldn’t have lost. We have a good idea of what we need to work on. We’re going in the right direction. We just have to keep building on it … it’s a tough tournament. I think it’s a good measuring stick for us. It should give our team some confidence that we can go and compete in a tournament format. Our team is definitely built for tournaments.”

Last season’s NAIA national runner up at 149, Heistand has made the move to 157 pounds. In his first tournament at that weight class, NAIA 10th-ranked Heistand took the crown while going 5-0 with three wins via bonus points. As part of his run, the Dow City, Iowa, native knocked off top 25 foes in No. 25 Ryan Graves of Montana State-Northern and No. 12 Josey Jernegan of Saint Mary (Kan.). In the title bout, Heistand scored a takedown to win in sudden victory over Jernegan. Heistand racked up 25.5 points towards the team scoring.

A former All-American at Iowa Western Community College, Ruff won his first eight matches as a Bulldog and made his way to the MO Valley championship match at 133 pounds. As a highlight of his tournament, Ruff toppled Briar Cliff’s 17th-ranked Dante Rigal by a 6-2 decision in the quarterfinals. Ruff then triumphed by major decision in the semifinals before running into Indiana Tech’s third-ranked Luke Rioux in a championship clash decided by technical fall.

One of the team’s two fourth-place finishers, Brandt continues to stack pins at 184 pins. The Syracuse, Neb., native has moved to No. 2 on the program’s all-time pins list (44 career pins) after notching four more at the Missouri Valley Invite. For the second time this season, Brandt managed to defeat nationally ranked Nate McDonald of Midland. Brandt reached the semifinals and wound up falling in the third-place match. He posted 21.5 team points.

Meanwhile, Cole Price (26-5) went 6-2 (21 team points) at 165 pounds. Price produced three pins on his way to his fourth tournament place finish of the season. Price’s loss in the quarterfinal round came against the NAIA’s No. 12-ranked competitor at 165.

At the upper weights, Keehn and Jeremiah Vasquez (285) both reached the quarterfinals before enduring defeat. All three of Keehn’s victories came with bonus points attached (including two pins). Keehn’s three losses were handed out by ranked foes. As for Vasquez, he started his tournament with back-to-back wins (one by pin) before falling short of a place finish.

Concordia place finishers at the Missouri Valley Invite:

·        133 – Paul Ruff: 2nd

·        157 – Hagen Heistand: 1st

·        165 – Cole Price: 4th

·        184 – Barret Brandt: 4th

·        197 – Torrance Keehn: 8th

Eleven of the 12 Bulldogs in the tournament field put team points on the board. Other contributors were Stevie Barnes (8.5 points at 141), Cal Price (1.0 point at 149), Cannon Carey (3.5 points at 165), Hunter Weimer (3.5 points at 174) and Evan Sepanlou (3.5 points at 174). Barnes notched three pins in the process of moving his season record to 11-5. The other Concordia competitor in Marshall was Bryce Karlin (141).

Added Watts in breaking down his two tournament finalists, “Hagen has looked a lot better (at 157). He’s moving more like himself. He wrestled well today, and he’ll continue to get better the more matches he gets here. Paul looked significantly better this weekend compared to last time out. Every match he gets, he’ll get a little better. We have plenty of time for those guys to jump a couple more levels. We have some good things going on. It will be fun to see how we progress over the next few weeks.”

Select Bulldogs will be in action again next Saturday when the Dave Edmonds Open takes place on the Morningside campus. The tournament is set to get underway at 9 a.m. CT in Sioux City, Iowa. Once the Edmonds Open wraps up, the lone remaining event prior to the GPAC Championships will be GPAC Day of Duals No. 2 on Feb. 7.

Bulldogs combine for 15 wins at Sioux City Open

Jan. 31, 2026

NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. – For some Bulldogs Saturday (Jan. 31)’s Sioux City Open represented one final chance this season to compete in tournament action. A group of 12 competitors from Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling combined for 15 wins at the tournament that featured wrestlers from more than 40 institutions. Simon Arredondo and Gabe Lujan paced the Bulldogs with three wins apiece in North Sioux City, S.D.

Head Coach Josh Watts and top assistant Isaiah Crosby used the tournament in part to evaluate which individuals are worthy of consideration for the GPAC Championships roster. The 12 Concordia grapplers who helped the team to a third-place finish at last week’s Missouri Valley Invite had the weekend off. In Saturday’s action, Watts saw growth from a young group deployed in North Sioux City.

Both Arredondo and Lujan were two wins away from reaching third-place matches within their respective brackets of the Sioux City Open. At 125 pounds, Lujan dropped his first match before rattling off three victories in a row. That run included a pin over teammate Aidan Trowbridge. Both of Lujan’s defeats came at the hands of foes outside of the NAIA. In the 165-pound bracket, Arredondo toppled two GPAC opponents (Hastings/Waldorf) and also took a 12-10 decision from an NCAA Division II foe.

A trio of Bulldogs came away with two wins each: Trowbridge (2-2 at 125), Aaron Wilson (2-2 at 157) and Ramon Arredondo (2-2 at 184). Concordia filled up the 157- and 184-pound weight classes with three wrestlers apiece. One win each was notched by Braysen Salinas (149), Blaine Boehmer (184) and Chason Turner (184). In sum, eight of the 12 Bulldogs entered into the Sioux City Open posted at least one victory.

In the final outing prior to the GPAC Championships, the Bulldogs will take on three conference foes as part of GPAC Day of Duals No. 2 hosted by Doane on Feb. 7. In Crete, Concordia (5-1, 4-1 GPAC) will clash with (in order) Northwestern, Morningside and Dakota Wesleyan. The first dual is slated to get underway at 11 a.m.

Bulldogs polish off dual season in dominant fashion, earn three GPAC wins

 Feb. 7, 2026

CRETE, Neb. – By the end of the afternoon on Saturday (Feb. 7), Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling stood alone in second place in the final GPAC dual standings. The NAIA 16th-ranked Bulldogs flexed their muscles at GPAC Day of Duals No. 2 hosted by Doane by cruising past Northwestern, 42-6, Morningside, 35-6, and Dakota Wesleyan, 32-16. Concordia won 24 of the 30 individual matches, including 17 with bonus points.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad closed the 2025-26 dual slate with an 8-1 overall record (7-1 GPAC). Each of the wins came by double-digit margins.

“The guys wrestled hard and wrestled well,” Watts said. “We’ve been getting better from competition to competition this semester. That’s kind of a trend with how we run things. We’re definitely looking forward to next week’s prep to get ready for conference, but we’re making pretty good strides … (the dual record) is an improvement from last year. We pulled off some pretty tough wins today. We’ll have to make some adjustments to create some distance between those guys and gain ground on the guys we did lose to.”

Saturday’s morning dual was no contest as the Bulldogs surrendered only one match to the Red Raiders (4-5 GPAC). Concordia put the exclamation point on the blowout with pins in each of the final three weight classes, via Barret Brant (184), Torrance Keehn (197) and Jeremiah Vasquez (285). Cannon Carey was also a winner by technical fall. Northwestern got on the board at 141 with a tech fall.

In the middle dual of the day, Concordia avenged one of its two GPAC losses from last season. The Bulldogs took all but two matches versus the Mustangs (4-4), who dropped back to fourth place in this season’s final dual standings. There were no pins in the dual, but the following Bulldogs each triumphed by technical fall: Gabe Lujan (125), Bryce Karlin (141), Heistand (157) and Gabe Kant (285). In addition, major decisions were posted by Paul Ruff (133), Brandt (184) and Hunter Weimer (174).

To cap the day, Concordia ran away from Dakota Wesleyan (5-3 GPAC), a team that was situated above the Bulldogs in the most recent GPAC ratings. Lujan and Brandt claimed pins and Heistand throttled his counterpart by technical fall. An especially noteworthy win was seized by Carey, who upset the Tigers’ 20th-ranked Jackson Remmers by a 4-2 decision at 165. Concordia won seven of the 10 matches while locking up second place in the GPAC.

Four Bulldogs went 3-0 for the day: Lujan (125), Ruff (133), Heistand (157) and Brandt (184). With two more pins, Brandt moved his career total to 46 (four shy of the all-time school record) while Heistand owns a near spotless 15-1 record on the season. In addition, Carey (165), Keehn (197) and Kant (285) all went 2-0 at the GPAC Day of Duals.

Said Watts in highlighting some individuals, “Gabe Lujan has really come a long ways. Last year he may have only won a couple matches. He’s grown a lot this year. He was scoring us some bonus points. I’m really proud of how he’s worked. Paul Ruff went 3-0 and is getting better each week. Hagen was very dominant today. Cal Price is improving a ton. He’s figuring that weight class out. Cannon Carey beat a nationally ranked guy and Barret did Barret things.”

Concordia has now placed second in the conference regular season standings in back-to-back years under Watts. During that time, the Bulldogs have gone a combined 13-3 in GPAC duals. The hunt for the program’s first conference championship since the 2019-20 season continues.

Postseason tournament action is up next. Twelve Bulldogs will take aim at podium finishes and national tournament bids when the 2026 GPAC Wrestling Championships unfold on Feb. 20-21. Northwestern will host this year’s conference tournament. Concordia placed third at the 2025 GPAC Championships.

Nine Bulldogs make push to semifinals; team sits second after GPAC day 1

 Feb. 20, 2026

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Through the first of two sessions at the 2026 GPAC Wrestling Championships, Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling is hanging tough near the top of the team leaderboard. The 16th-ranked Bulldogs racked up 66.5 points in Friday (Feb. 20)’s action at the conference tournament hosted in Orange City, Iowa, by Northwestern. Nine Concordia competitors have advanced to the semifinals within their respective brackets as they make their push for championships.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ program aspires to improve upon last year's yields, which included a third-place team conference finish and eight NAIA national qualifiers. Twenty-five automatic bids to the national tournament are on the line at the 2026 GPAC Championships.

The conference tournament’s first session navigated through the quarterfinals on the front side and the consolation second round of each bracket. The Bulldogs’ conference semifinalists, in order, are Paul Ruff (133), Stevie Barnes (141), Cal Price (149), Hagen Heistand (157), Cole Price (165), Hunter Weimer (174), Barret Brandt (184), Torrance Keehn (197) and Gabe Kant (285). Meanwhile, Evan Sepanlou (174) and Jeremiah Vasquez (285) will face elimination matches on Saturday. At 165, Cannon Carey was eliminated while falling in a tiebreaker to Dakota Wesleyan’s Jackson Remmers in consolation round two.

Heistand and Cole Price are both looking to ascend to the top of the podium after finishing as GPAC runners up in 2025. Both standout Bulldogs needed two victories on Friday to advance to the semis. Heistand (17-1) was utterly dominant in wiping out Hastings’ Nicholas Freeland by technical fall and Waldorf’s Marco Gandy by pin. As for Price (28-6), he took a 7-3 decision from Doane’s Edward Ramirez and then majored Briar Cliff’s Jackson Balmer, 14-3.

The other seven Concordia semifinalists, the path thus far has included both a contested win and a bye. Barnes (141), Weimer (174), Brandt (184) and Keehn (197) are seeking return trips to the national tournament along with Heistand and Price. At 133, Ruff (12-1) has pummeled the competition throughout the second semester. It took a takedown for Ruff to defeat Hastings’ Justin Rodriguez in sudden victory in Friday’s quarterfinal bout. Spots in the semifinals were sewn up with pins by Barnes, Heistand, Brandt, Keehn and Kant. The pin was No. 47 in the career of Brandt, who continues to creep up on the school record of 50.

Session II of the 2026 GPAC Wrestling Championships is slated to get underway at 10 a.m. CT on Saturday. All of the action can be watched live via the GPAC Network. Concordia’s semifinal matchups are listed below. Matchups between NAIA ranked foes are set to take place at 133 (No. 7 Ruff vs. No. 19 Kipp Cordes) and at 184 (No. 13 Brandt vs. No. 16 Nate McDonald).

The current top five in the team standings are Doane (76.0), Concordia (66.5), Dakota Wesleyan (49.0), Morningside (40.0) and Northwestern (29.5).

GPAC Semifinal Matchups

133 – No. 7 Paul Ruff (Concordia) vs. No. 19 Kipp Cordes (Dakota Wesleyan)

141 – Stevie Barnes (Concordia) vs. Ian Metz (Dakota Wesleyan)

149 – Cal Price (Concordia) vs. Tyson Johnson (Dakota Wesleyan)

157 – No. 8 Hagen Heistand (Concordia) vs. Gavin Braun (Dakota Wesleyan)

165 – No. 17 Cole Price (Concordia) vs. Carson Turnis (Morningside)

174 – Hunter Weimer (Concordia) vs. No. 25 Jake Prudek (Doane)

184 – No. 13 Barret Brandt (Concordia) vs. No. 16 Nate McDonald (Midland)

197 – No. 22 Torrance Keehn (Concordia) vs. Chase Stieb (Doane)

285 – Gabe Kant (Concordia) vs. Koen Mattern (Hastings)

Heistand, Cal Price seize titles; Bulldogs place second at GPAC Championships

 Feb. 21, 2026

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Compared to one year ago, the gap decreased considerably between Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling and the top spot in the GPAC team standings. The NAIA 16th-ranked Bulldogs finished 24 points out of first place while claiming second at the 2026 GPAC Men’s Wrestling Championships hosted by Northwestern. Six Concordia competitors advanced to conference title bouts with Cal Price (149) and Hagen Heistand (157) emerging as individual GPAC champions.

Based on the GPAC’s national tournament allocations, Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad has automatically qualified eight wrestlers for the upcoming NAIA Championships. Five (and possibly six) Bulldogs will be repeat national qualifiers from 2025.

“The guys competed hard,” Watts said. “We were winning ugly, but when it comes postseason time, it doesn’t really matter how the wins look. It just matters that you get them. We were finding ways to win. We just need to get back to work and get ready for nationals.”

Concordia GPAC place finishers:

·        *1st – Cal Price (149)

·        *1st – Hagen Heistand (157)

·        *2nd – Paul Ruff (133)

·        2nd – Stevie Barnes (141)

·        *2nd – Barret Brandt (184)

·        *2nd – Torrance Keehn (197)

·        *3rd – Cole Price (165)

·        *3rd – Hunter Weimer (174)

·        *3rd – Gabe Kant (285)

·        5th – Evan Sepanlou (174)

* = NAIA auto qualifier

The national runner up at 149 last season, Heistand claimed his first career GPAC title. The Dow City, Iowa, native dominated his way through the first three rounds, winning by technical fall, pin and major decision. Then in the 157-pound championship match, Heistand clipped defending GPAC titlist Benjamin Miller, 7-6. Miller (NAIA No. 3) tied the score, 6-6, on a late takedown before eighth-ranked Heistand earned the deciding point via an escape. Heistand pushed his overall season record to 19-1. He was the GPAC runner up at 149 in 2025.

Said Watts of Heistand, “Hagen was dominant all day until the finals. Ben Miller is a tough, tough wrestler. With Hagen moving up a weight class, we were kind of curious to see what that match would look like. We thought we had a couple more takedowns in there, but Hagen kept wrestling and did a great job.”

Cal Price put together an underdog run to a championship at 149 pounds. Ranked sixth in the GPAC at 149 entering the tournament, Price upset top-seeded and NAIA ninth-ranked Caden Eggleston of Morningside by pin (4:30) in the conference final. A round prior, Price dug deep and eked past Dakota Wesleyan’s Tyson Johnson, 5-2, in a tiebreaker. The La Vista, Neb., native Price earned the conference’s only auto bid to nationals at 149.

Said Watts of Price, “Cal started off a weight class lighter this year and at semester, we felt like his style matched up better up a weight class. It took him a little bit to figure it out. The past three or four weeks, he’s been trending up and things have started to click for him. In the finals today, Cal was in control of the match. Cal’s been really coming along well. He’s very coachable and works really hard.”

Out of the Bulldogs’ nine GPAC semifinalists, the four others that motored to championship bouts were Paul Ruff (133), Stevie Barnes (141), Barret Brandt (184) and Torrance Keehn (197). The former Iowa Western standout Ruff improved his season record to 13-1 when he quickly went from a cradle to pin in the semifinals. The seventh-ranked Ruff took out DWU’s No. 19 Kipp Cordes late in the third period. In the championship, Ruff fell (major decision) at the hands of Doane’s Matthew Terrence in a matchup of top 10 rated combatants.

Of the Bulldogs who dropped their championship matches, Barnes came the closest to tasting victory. The Pacific Junction, Iowa, native surrendered a late takedown that flipped the 141-pound title match in favor of Northwestern’s Noah Parmalee, a 9-6 winner. Barnes’ tournament included a pin and a win by decision in the previous rounds. Barnes is a hopeful at-large selection for the national tournament.

Barret Brandt (18-8) did Barret Brandt things as he pinned both Morningside’s Joseph Monge in the quarterfinals and Midland’s Nate McDonald in the semifinals (for his 47th and 48th career pins). In the championship, Brandt (Syracuse, Neb.) quickly took down Tyson Beauperthuy before the top-rated opponent responded emphatically. Beauperthuy ultimately won by pin while defending his GPAC title.

At 197, Keehn pinned Hastings’ Aiden Griffin in the quarterfinals and took a 9-6 decision from Doane’s Chase Stieb in the semifinals. In a ranked matchup in the championship, No. 22 Keehn was defeated by No. 10 Jaren Jackson of Doane via a first-period pin.

After falling in the semifinals, Cole Price, Hunter Weimer and Gabe Kant each came through with the wins they needed to secure national tournament bids. On the back side at 165, Price knocked off Doane’s Edward Ramirez, 9-7, and then Briar Cliff’s Jackson Balmer, 9-7. The final win marked Price’s 30th of the season (team high).

Weimer experienced similar success after dropping an 8-4 match to nationally ranked Jake Prudek in the semis. Weimer bounced back with a win over teammate Evan Sepanlou and then with a late pin of Dakota Wesleyan’s Teagan Foreman in the 174-pound third-place clash. At heavyweight, Kant won tight matches over Dakota Wesleyan’s Cole Hennings, 6-4, and over Northwestern’s Jaxson Hildebrand, 6-2. Kant is headed to the national tournament in his debut season as a Bulldog.

Added Watts, “It’s a tough thing to do what Cole, Hunter and Gabe did – to lose in the semis and turn around and know you have to be perfect the rest of the way. It’s tough to battle back like that. They had to fight some demons and find anyway to win. Those three came back and really helped us in the team race and gave themselves a chance to move on to the national tournament.”

Sepanlou wound up in fifth place in a 174-pound weight class with three NAIA auto bids. Meanwhile, Cannon Carey (165) and Jeremiah Vasquez (285) were eliminated from their brackets after going 0-2 at the conference tournament.

Concordia’s eight auto qualifiers would equal the number the 2025 team sent to the national stage. As a ’25 qualifier with a 13-6 record, Barnes has a strong case as a potential at-large choice and ninth Bulldog qualifier. The complete field will be announced next week.

For the qualifiers, the 2026 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championship (March 5-7) is up next. A 16-member committee consisting of conference raters and oversight members will meet to select the remaining at-large qualifiers, which will be released Tuesday, February 24, 2025, by 5 p.m. (CST), while the preliminary brackets and seeding will be announced on NAIA.org by 5 p.m. (CST) on Friday, February 27, 2025. All weight classes will consist of 32 wrestlers.

Watts voted GPAC Coach of the Year; eight Bulldogs earn 2026 all-conference awards

 Feb. 25, 2026

GPAC Coach of the Year: Josh Watts
First Team: Hagen Heistand (157); Cal Price (149); Paul Ruff (133)
Second Team: Stevie Barnes (141); Barret Brandt (184); Torrance Keehn (197); Cole Price (165)
Honorable Mention: Gabe Kant (285)

SEWARD, Neb. – For his work leading an ascending program, Josh Watts was honored on Wednesday (Feb. 25) by the league office as the GPAC Wrestling Coach of the Year. In addition, eight Bulldogs from the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling program were named 2025-26 GPAC All-Conference award winners. The honor roll includes first team selections in Hagen Heistand, Cal Price and Paul Ruff, second teamers Stevie Barnes, Barret Brandt, Torrance Keehn and Cole Price and honorable mention choice Gabe Kant.

Watts’ program has qualified nine individuals for the upcoming 2026 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships. The accomplishments this season include GPAC runner-up placements in both the regular season and tournament. The Bulldogs landed at No. 16 in the most recent official NAIA ratings. Watts is in his second season at the helm of Concordia. He coached Heistand to a national runner-up and has guided Bulldog wrestlers to a combined three GPAC individual championships. Watts is the fourth different Concordia wrestling coach to be honored as GPAC Coach of the Year.

In moving up to 157 pounds, Heistand earned his first career GPAC title while defeating Doane’s Benjamin Miller in the championship match, 7-6. A native of Dow City, Iowa, Heistand will take a sparkling 20-1 overall record into national tournament action. As part of the 2025-26 season, Heistand has produced tournament place finishes of third at the Hastings Open, first at the Missouri Valley Invite and first at the GPAC Championships. He went 5-0 in dual meets. Of his 20 wins, 11 have come with bonus points (two pins). Heistand owns a 40-5 record since transferring to Concordia. He is a two-time First Team All-GPAC honoree.

Cal Price joined Heistand at the top of the podium at the conference championships. The La Vista, Neb., native entered the GPAC tournament ranked sixth in the conference at 149 pounds. Price went 3-0 at the conference championships and upset NAIA ninth-ranked Caden Eggleston of Morningside with a pin in the title match. Price owns a record of 12-11 on the season and has recorded 24 wins over two seasons at Concordia. Price will make his first appearance on the national stage.

A former Iowa Western Reiver along with Watts, Ruff has made an immediate impact in his first season as a Bulldog. Ruff placed as the conference 133-pound runner up and boasts an overall record of 13-2. The Gering, Neb., native also won a championship at the Hastings Open and placed second at the Missouri Valley Invite. Ruff is currently ranked seventh nationally in his weight class. He has won six matches with bonus points.

Barnes emerged as one of Concordia’s four conference runners up. The Pacific Junction, Iowa, native has gone 13-6 with eight pins. The season for Barnes also included a third-place finish at the Hastings Open and a Missouri Valley Invite tournament run that included three pins. Barnes has earned a national tournament bid (at-large in 2026) for a second straight year. He moved up to the GPAC’s second team after earning honorable mention status last season.

The pins keep coming for Brandt, who leads the team in that category with 13 in his junior season. Brandt was the GPAC runner up at 184 pounds. He owns an overall record of 18-8 (6-0 in duals). In addition to reaching the GPAC finals, Brandt placed second at the Hastings Open and fourth at the Missouri Valley Invite. He rose to 13th in the latest NAIA ratings. The Syracuse, Neb., native has won 68 career matches and his 48 career pins rank second in program history (two shy of the all-time record). Brandt will be headed to the national tournament for a second year in a row.

The GPAC runner up at 197 pounds, Keehn has enjoyed his best season as a senior. The Beatrice, Neb., native has put together a 15-5 record that includes seven pins. Keehn went a perfect 7-0 in dual meets. His conference placement locked up a second career trip to the NAIA National Championships. Over the past two seasons, Keehn has gone a combined 30-13.

Cole Price owns a team-high 30 wins following his third-place finish at the GPAC Championships. He has been named to the conference’s second team in back-to-back years. The La Vista, Neb., native and former Reiver also placed third at the Oppenheim Open, first at the Hastings Open and fourth at the Missouri Valley Invite. Price has racked up 10 pins on the season. His two-year record as a Bulldog stands at 51-19. An NWCA Scholar All-American, Price will be headed to the national tournament for a second year in a row.

As a transfer from Labette Community College, Kant helped solidify the heavyweight spot in the Concordia lineup. He was ranked 10th nationally in the most recent NAIA release. Kant will take a 21-9 record to the national tournament after he placed third at the GPAC Championships. Kant was also a third-place finisher at the Dakota Wesleyan Open and a fourth-place finisher at the Oppenheim Open. He has notched eight pins.

Next up will be the 2026 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships. The event is scheduled for March 5-7 at Heartland Credit Union Arena in Park City, Kan.

Heistand, Ruff storm to quarterfinals on NAIA Championship day one

 Mar. 5, 2026

PARK CITY, Kan. – Five of the nine Bulldogs who made their way to the Wichita area remain alive in their respective brackets at the conclusion of day one at the 2026 NAIA Wrestling National Championships. Both Hagen Heistand and Paul Ruff went 2-0 on Thursday (March 5) in representation of Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling. Heistand (157) and Ruff (133) will wrestle in the quarterfinals on Friday while Stevie Barnes (141), Barret Brandt (184) and Torrance Keehn (197) will attempt to winning in the consolation rounds.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad has tallied 21.0 team points and sits in 12th place with two days remaining in the championship event.

“This tournament is always a rollercoaster ride,” Watts said. “You have the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. We’re competing hard and fighting through. I think we have two more guys advancing to day two than we had last year. We just need to keep them alive as long as possible.”

A two-time junior college All-American, Ruff is seeded eighth at 133 pounds. The Gering, Neb., native had little trouble in the first round as he schooled Missouri Baptist’s John Davis by a 17-0 technical fall. Then in round two, Ruff met up with familiar foe Justin Rodriguez of Hastings and eked by, 1-0. The results will set Ruff (15-2) up with the top seed in the bracket on Friday morning.

Said Ruff, “That match (versus Rodriguez) – I’ve wrestled the kid three times. He knew what I was going to do, and I also knew what he was going to do. I knew it was going to be a tough match … I just have to have a gameplan, hydrate correctly, and that’s pretty much it.”

The NAIA national runner up last season at 149, Heistand is hoping to make a return to the finals, this time at 157. The Dow City, Iowa, native pulverized his two Thursday foes, winning by scores of 22-5 over both. The GPAC champion Heistand (22-1) is the No. 4 seed in his weight class.

Said Watts of Ruff and Heistand, “They have both been wrestling well. Hagen has been dominant and Paul’s been finding ways to win. They’ve been consistent all year for us as far as performing on the mat. Hopefully we can secure them on the podium tomorrow morning. They’re both doing a good job.”

The fight continues for Barnes, Brandt and Keehn. All three Bulldogs won in consolation round two as part of session II on Thursday evening. Seeded 13th at 184, Brandt fell in his second match to the No. 4 seed. He then collected the 49th pin (one shy of a school record) of his career to close the day. The path was slightly different for Barnes and Keehn, both of whom began the tournament with a loss to a ranked foe before collecting two victories. Unfortunately, it was the end of the line for senior Hunter Weimer at 174. He sandwiched a pin between two losses. As part of Weimer’s challenging draw, he fell at the hands of opponents seeded 11th and 12th, respectively.

Three Bulldogs saw their seasons end in session I. While faced with difficult draws of their own, Cal Price (149), Cole Price (165) and Gabe Kant (285) each went 0-2 on Thursday. All three faced top-five seeds in their first round matches. Kant was narrowly edged by Emrbry-Riddle (Ariz.)’s second-seeded Kenneth Copley, 2-1, in a tussle without an offensive point scored. The highlights of this season for the Price brothers included a GPAC championship for Cal and a team-high 30 wins for Cole.

The action will resume with session III beginning at 11 a.m. CT on Friday from Heartland Credit Union Arena. All matches can be viewed live via NAIAnetwork.com.

Brandt collects 50th career pin; Bulldogs eliminated from national field

 Mar. 6, 2026

PARK CITY, Kan. – Day two at the 2026 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships yielded a series of frustrating moments. The final remaining Bulldogs were eliminated from the national field in Session IV, dashing hopes of podium place finishes. Three competitors from Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling advanced to Friday (March 6)’s evening session: Paul Ruff (133), Hagen Heistand (157) and Barret Brandt (184). A total of nine Bulldogs qualified for the NAIA Championships held at Heartland Credit Union Arena in Park City, Kan.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ squad amassed 23.5 team points, which put it in 19th place at the conclusion of day two action. The results leave Concordia balancing this weekend’s disappointments with the reality of an altogether successful season.

Said Watts, “The guys competed hard. I can’t complain with the effort. They weren’t shying away from competition, and they were aggressive. I have to evaluate things.”

Five Bulldogs survived day one of the national tournament. The group included Stevie Barnes (141) and Torrance Keehn (197), in addition the three competitors already mentioned. Ultimately, Ruff, Heistand and Brandt each finished one win shy of garnering All-America accolades. The team’s other four qualifiers were Cal Price (149), Cole Price (165), Hunter Weimer (174) and Gabe Kant (285).

Ruff was more competitive on Friday than the final results would indicate – two losses by fall. Up against the No. 1 seed, Southeastern University (Fla.)’s Aaron Lucio, in the 133-pound quarterfinals, Ruff engaged in a 0-0 stalemate into the third period. The pin for Lucio came at the 6:50 mark. With his season on the line in consolation round four, Ruff picked up an early takedown of Doane’s third-ranked Matthew Terrence before being pinned in the second period. Ruff finished his first season as a Bulldog at 15-4 after going 2-2 at the national tournament.

It was a tough day for Heistand, the 2025 NAIA national runner up at 149 pounds. The Dow City, Iowa, native was dominant on day one, winning both matches by technical fall on his way to the 157-pound quarterfinals. A late takedown allowed No. 4 Bryce Boumans of Grand View University (Iowa) to claim a 4-1 victory that bumped Heistand to the consolation bracket. Then in an elimination match with Southern Oregon University’s No. 7 Avant Stepherson, Heistand held a 1-0 lead when he got caught in an unfortunate position from he which he couldn’t escape. Stepherson got the pin in 4:42. A GPAC champion, Heistand enjoyed a stellar season that featured a 22-3 record.

A pinning machine, Brandt went 3-2 at the national tournament with two of his wins coming via fall. Brandt supplied Friday’s one feel-good moment when he pinned Georgetown College (Ky.)’s Doug Dittmer (4:15) in consolation round three. The pin increased Brandt’s career total to 50, drawing him even with Deandre Chery for the program’s all-time career record. In Session IV, Brandt was defeated in a major decision, 13-4, by No. 2 Kendall Norfleet of Life University (Ga.). Brandt went 21-10 with a team-high 15 pins. The Syracuse, Neb., native will have to wait until next season to break Concordia’s pins record.

Session III of the NAIA Championships marked the end of the journey for Barnes and Keehn, both of whom won on Thursday in consolation rounds one and two. The competition stiffened on Friday morning. Barnes was eliminated by 16th-seeded Drew Jones of Southeastern by an 8-3 final score. Meanwhile, Keehn battled to the wire in consolation round three with fourth-seeded Elijah Hynes of Missouri Valley College. One takedown was enough to lift Hynes to a 4-2 win over Keehn. A senior from Beatrice, Neb., Keehn made back-to-back appearances at nationals to conclude a strong career.

In addition to sending nine wrestlers to nationals, the Bulldogs placed second in the GPAC in both the regular season and postseason. Concordia went 8-1 (7-1 GPAC) in dual meets and also earned the program’s highest ever place finish at the Missouri Valley Invite (fourth). For his work in building up the program, Watts was recognized as the GPAC Coach of the Year.

Three Bulldogs honored by NWCA as 2025-26 Scholar All-Americans

 Mar. 16, 2026

SEWARD, Neb. – Three Bulldogs represented the Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling program on the honor roll announced on March 13 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). The following Concordia student-athletes were named 2025-26 NAIA Scholar All-Americans by the NWCA: junior Gabe Kant, senior Cole Price and sophomore Cal Price. Cole Price has earned Scholar All-American status for the second year in a row.

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 2026 NAIA All-American

·        Must have a 3.25 GPA and be a 2026 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.

All three Bulldog award winners appeared at the 2026 NAIA National Championships. Cal Price earned his way there with a 149-pound GPAC title while Kant and were automatic qualifiers based on their placements at the conference championships. Cole Price is also a two-time national qualifier and was tabbed a 2025-26 NAIA Scholar-Athlete.

Head Coach Josh Watts’ program concluded the 2025-26 season with a 20th-place team finish at the national tournament. Concordia qualified nine individuals for the national championships. Other team accomplishments included second-place GPAC finishes in the regular season and postseason, a third-place claim at the Missouri Valley Invite and an 8-1 overall dual record.

Season-In-Review: 2025-26 Concordia Wrestling

Mar. 25, 2026

The GPAC Coach of the Year honor for Josh Watts reflected the progress made by Concordia University, Nebraska Wrestling over the past two seasons. Nine Bulldogs ended their seasons at the 2026 NAIA National Championships in one of the most successful campaigns for the program in recent years. Upon the announcement of Watts’ recognition, the second-year Bulldog coach credited his staff that includes Isaiah Crosby, Issiah Burks and Collin Schwartzkopf.

Collectively, they have helped lay the groundwork for a program with aspirations of making a big splash on the national landscape. There’s still work to be done after a disappointing finish to the national tournament. It wasn’t for lack of effort.

“I felt like the team went out and competed hard,” said Watts in recapping the NAIA Championships. “We lost some matches early and when you’re on the backside and fighting your way back, you’re kind of living dangerously. The guys went out and were aggressive. They wrestled to win. We had some bad breaks come our way at the end.”

Three Bulldogs lost in the blood round of the national tournament, meaning they were each one win short of reaching the All-America podium. Those results will undoubtedly light a fire under Concordia throughout its offseason training. Though the ending didn’t go as scripted, Concordia enjoyed a strong 2025-26 season by many markers. The Bulldogs placed second in the GPAC for the regular season and tournament, went 8-1 in duals (7-1 GPAC), recorded the program’s highest ever finish at the Missouri Valley Invite (third), had two GPAC champions and sent nine competitors to the national stage in Park City, Kan., where they finished 20th as a team.

Individual highlights were plentiful. The team’s GPAC champions were Cal Price at 149 pounds and Hagen Heistand at 157 pounds. Heistand finished his season at 22-3 overall (42-7 in two seasons at Concordia) and was the No. 4 seed in the 157-pound bracket of the national tournament. Heistand, Paul Ruff (133) and Barret Brandt (184) each came up one win short of All-America honors. At the national tournament, Brandt, a junior from Syracuse, Neb., notched his 50th career pin, equaling the program all-time record (shared with Deandre Chery). In his final collegiate season, Cole Price (165) led the team with 30 wins.

Price joined Torrance Keehn (197) and Hunter Weimer (174) as seniors who had the opportunity to finish their careers at the national tournament. Six of the nine Bulldog qualifiers won at least one match in Park City while combining for 23.5 team points. The draws were exceedingly difficult for the six unseeded Concordia wrestlers, who all went up against opponents seeded 11th or higher. On a positive note, Heistand and Ruff made their way to the quarterfinals before tasting defeat. Heistand had been the national runner up at 149 a year earlier.

In breaking down the national tournament further, Watts stated, “Paul competed well. He probably did some of the best wrestling he’s had this season. He was starting to hit a groove. Hagen lost a tough one in the quarters to Grand View. We had plenty of opportunities to finish shots, and we just weren’t able to finish them. That guy took one shot the whole match and happened to win. Hagen turned around and kind of got caught in a bad situation in the blood round match. It cost us being an All-American there. Barret was doing Barret things. He’s a dangerous wrestler. He did a really good job. In the blood round, he got unlucky with the No. 2 seed getting knocked off. We lost a tough match there.”

The GPAC Championships at Northwestern yielded some of the season’s most thrilling moments. Cal Price upset his way to a GPAC title as the No. 6 seed in the 149-pound weight class while Heistand managed to edge Doane’s Ben Miller, 7-6, in the 157-pound title bout. Additionally, four Bulldogs placed as conference runners up: Ruff (133), Stevie Barnes (141), Brandt (184) and Keehn (197). Another three Concordia wrestlers placed third: Cole Price (165), Weimer (174) and Gabe Kant (285). The Bulldogs amassed 146 team points, 24 shy of GPAC champion Doane, in a narrowing of the gap at the top of the standings.

In duals, Concordia triumphed comfortably in all eight of its wins. Watts’ crew ended the dual slate emphatically when it toppled Northwestern, Morningside and Dakota Wesleyan by a combined score of 109-27 at GPAC Day of Duals No. 2. Roughly a month earlier, the Bulldogs celebrated their seniors by thumping both No. 17 Friends University (Kan.), 37-13, and Midland, 46-3. The seniors who were honored as part of the evening inside Friedrich Arena were Bryce Karlin, Torrance Keehn, Francisco Mendez, Cole Price, Cy Renney, Jeremiah Vasquez, Brent Ward and Hunter Weimer.

Said Watts of the seniors who qualified for the national tournament, “They’re probably a little disappointed that they didn’t get on the podium, but they went out and wrestled. I don’t think they can be upset with the effort they put in and the attempts they made. Those guys worked hard all season. My hope is that they look back and don’t have any regrets and feel like they put everything out there.”

The Missouri Valley Invite results helped solidify Concordia as one of the NAIA’s top 20 teams. At the prestigious NAIA showcase tournament, Heistand earned a title at 157 and three teammates placed top four in their weight classes: Ruff (second at 133), Brandt (fourth at 184) and Cole Price (fourth at 165). The results pushed Concordia from 22nd to 16th in the NAIA team rankings. In the final ratings of the regular season, six Bulldogs appeared among the NAIA’s top 25 within their respective weight classes. Ruff, Heistand and Kant each held down top 10 rankings.

The success in the regular season had Concordia thinking big heading into the 2026 national tournament. Since it ended on March 6, the Bulldogs have been left to process the disappointment. The lack of All-Americans hasn’t set well with Watts. These sentiments will motivate the program as Watts and company begin preparing for 2026-27.

Says Watts of the offseason plan, “We’re back to lifting and the guys will start getting back on the mat soon. We’ll keep training and keep getting better until the school year is out. Hopefully we’ll have a large group of guys sticking around and training during the summer … Definitely still work to do. Recruiting is a never-ending machine. We anticipate a lot more recruits coming in over the next few weeks.”

The Concordia Wrestling program’s updated record book can be found HERE. Notably, Watts has led the program to back-to-back NAIA top 20 finishes for the first time since the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. Not only is Brandt tied for the most pins in school history, he also ranks tied for eighth in career wins. Meanwhile, Weimer moved into a tie for 11th on the career wins list with 63.

Keep up with the wrestling program throughout the offseason by following the team’s website homepage. The 2026-27 schedule will be made available to the public sometime following the conclusion of the 2025-26 academic year.