Tanner Farmer (wrestler of the year) and Levi Calhoun (coach of the year) pulled in major honors from the GPAC. Meanwhile, Farmer was one of eight Bulldogs to earn All-GPAC recognition.
Tanner Farmer (wrestler of the year) and Levi Calhoun (coach of the year) pulled in major honors from the GPAC. Meanwhile, Farmer was one of eight Bulldogs to earn All-GPAC recognition.
Concordia will take eight qualifiers to the 2020 NAIA Wrestling National Championships. The Bulldog qualifying field grew on Tuesday (Feb. 25) when Deandre Chery was announced as an at-large selection.
A season of GPAC dominance was capped on Saturday (Feb. 22) with Concordia earning the conference tournament title behind three individual champions. Seven Bulldogs locked up bids to nationals.
With day one in the books, the 16th-ranked Bulldogs have ownership of first place at the GPAC Wrestling Championship. Nine Concordia grapplers have advanced to the conference semifinals.
With one trophy in hand, the Bulldogs hope to carry over their dual success into the postseason. Concordia will take 12 wrestlers to the GPAC championships hosted by Morningside on Friday and Saturday.
Head Coach Levi Calhoun wanted his guys to have some fun on Thursday (Feb. 6) evening. They did just that. The Bulldogs recorded four pins and blanked Bethany, 50-0, on senior night.
The final dual of the 2019-20 season will take place Thursday when the Bulldogs host Bethany College. Concordia is 5-0 at home this season. With one more win, Levi Calhoun's squad would tie a program record for dual wins in a season.
For the third time this season, Tanner Farmer has been named the GPAC Wrestler of the Week. He earned the award after winning the 285-pound title at the Sioux City Dave Edmonds Open with a 5-0 mark.
A group of 12 Bulldogs combined for three place finishes and 23 wins (10 by pin) at the Sioux City Dave Edmonds Open on Saturday (Feb. 1). Tanner Farmer captured his third tournament title this season.
Once again, the Concordia wrestling program has earned the label as undefeated and outright GPAC champion. While hosting a triangular on Thursday (Jan. 30), the Bulldogs defeated Dakota Wesleyan and York.
For Concordia Wrestling, the past couple of seasons have been about following the lead of standouts Mario Ybarra and Jacob Telles and building towards a return to conference supremacy. The Bulldogs believe they made steps forward this winter.
All-American Mario Ybarra and GPAC champion Jacob Telles return to form the backbone of a Concordia Wrestling program now led by first-year Head Coach Myron Bradbury. Bradbury has the task of bringing along a young team.
It wasn't always easy in 2020-21 considering all that the program dealt with, but the season may have been an important one for growth and reflection. It also ended with Mario Ybarra on the podium.
In terms of athletic and academic achievement, Mario Ybarra stands out among Bulldogs who make up a perennially strong wrestling program. He's ready to take the lead and make another big step forward.
The great heights reached by the Concordia Wrestling program mean that expectations are always high. Gabe Crawford and Mario Ybarra are the leaders of a youthful roster.
An accomplished collegiate wrestler, Concordia University graduate Ceron Francisco continues to chase his dreams on the mat while also coaching within the GPAC.
During a championship 2019-20 season, Coach Levi Calhoun's squad swept GPAC regular-season and tournament titles, sent eight qualifiers to nationals and placed 15th in the NAIA.
In his short time as a Concordia athlete, Farmer produced something that will never be forgotten, even if he did come up just a bit short of the ultimate goal. What he achieved was about more than winning wrestling matches.
It was a big season for the likes of Deandre Chery, Alberto Garcia and Michael Stann, who helped lead the Bulldogs to a GPAC dual title in 2018-19. Garcia then found his way onto the All-America podium.
At long last, Walker Fisher has accomplished a career long goal in his last opportunity to make it happen. The senior from Ashland, Neb., will take his shot at the NAIA Wrestling National Championships this Friday and Saturday.
Wrestling
Wrestling