Northwest Tech edged Northeastern Oklahoma A&M to win the NJCAA titleLOUISVILLE, Ky. -- First-time winners Northwest Tech and McKendree were among the five National Duals champions crowned on Saturday at the Kentucky Expo Center and Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky as NUWAY hosted the 2019 NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals presented by the United States Marine Corps and Defense Soap.
St. Cloud State, Augsburg and Grand View also wrestled their way to championships as 84 teams in five collegiate divisions ended the 18th annual multi-divisional event. All three schools were repeat winners.
McKendree became just the sixth school to win an women's National Duals title. The Bearcats topped perennial power King 24-17 in the championship final. The two teams battled back-and-forth for the first seven weights before McKendree won the final three to claim victory.
Individually, McKendree's key wins came at 116 pounds with Felicity Taylor topping Makayla Welch with a 14-3 technical fall and Brenda Reyna topping Allison Petix 5-1 at 130 in a matchup of All-Americans. King made things interesting as the Tornado registered a fall at 136 pounds by top-ranked Nicole Joseph and then freshman Ashlynn Ortega upended top-ranked Alexis Porter of McKendree at 143 pounds 5-1.
Ortega's win gave King its last lead. McKendree's Alex Glaude shut out Ana Luciano at 155 pounds 8-0 to prevent King from scoring a team point. In freestyle wrestling, team points are scored similarly to that of collegiate wrestling, with one exception -- athletes can score one team point in a loss if they score without being pinned. Technical falls are also a difference of 10 points.
Sydnee Kimber and Destane Garrick carried the Bearcats to the team title with wins at 170 and 191 pounds, giving the program an elusive title. McKendree was second the previous two seasons at the National Duals.
For Northwest Tech, located in Goodland, Kansas, it was not just the first title in program history, it was the first National Duals placement of any kind. After upending second-seeded Western Wyoming 29-18 in the semifinals, key victories by Jordan Marshall at 125 pounds and Darius Hamilton at 197 were pivotal in Northwest Tech's 20-19 win over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in the finals.
Key victories, of course, coupled with heavyweight Elwin Trejo's ability to not get pinned.
Marshall opened up the dual, knocking off Mason Naifeh, a past NAIA All-American, 5-2. Northwest Tech then earned a forfeit at 133 pounds from Munkhbat Bat-Erdene, one of four Mongolians in the lineup. After Bat-Eredene Boldmaa's win at 141, Northwest Tech led 13-0 before three straight NEO wins closed the gap to 13-12. Tsogtbayar Tserendagua's major decision at 174 gave Northwest Tech the lead 17-12 before NEO's Alex Kauffman drew the dual to within two after a 4-3 win over Charles Small at 184. But Hamilton won a wild 9-7 bout over Colben Dodson at 197 to set the stage for 285 pounds.
Trejo gave up four stalling calls and was turned twice for six points in the third, but NEO's Antonio Andrade, who already collected three bonus victories in the tournament, was unable to give NEO a championship-winning fall and had to settle for a 12-0 major decision. It was the third straight season the Golden Norsemen finished second in the event.
Augsburg captured the NCAA Division III titleThings were also tight in Division III where top-seeded Augsburg won its seventh National Duals title and its second in a row with a 20-13 win over Johnson & Wales. The final marked the first time in the event's history Wartburg failed to reach the championship final. Johnson & Wales edged Wartburg 18-17 in the semifinals.
It might appear as if a team other than a Burg would win the Division III title as Johnson & Wales jumped out to a 7-0 lead after back-to-back victories by Jay Albis and Bobby Jordan. Both beat returning All-Americans. Albis majored Victor Gliva, while Jordan got up 6-0 on returning runner-up Sam Bennyhoff and ended up taking a 13-7 decision.
At 141, Augsburg's Ryan Flynn edged Joe Ferinde 2-1 in a matchup of All-Americans. At 149, it appeared the momentum was teetering back towards Johnson & Wales after Da'mani Burns used a second chance in sudden victory to knock off Alex Wilson 8-6. Wilson was awarded two on the edge in sudden victory, but the takedown was wiped away after video review. Burns took advantage of the new opportunity, shooting after a restart and converting the takedown to give Johnson & Wales a 10-3 lead.
Augsburg found its groove with three straight wins, highlighted by Tanner Vassar's technical fall over Michael Gargano at 174 pounds. A Khamri Thomas win cut Augsburg's lead to 14-13 before 197-pounder Lance Benick's 7-3 win over Michael DiNardo put the Auggies somewhat firmly in position to win the dual.
Up 17-13, Augsburg's Ethan Hofacker didn't just avoid bonus, he picked up the 2-0 win to cement Augsburg's seventh National Duals title.
In the NAIA, Grand View extended the nation's longest current college wrestling dual meet win streak to 71 after going 4-0 on the weekend. The Vikings defeated Life 23-12 in the championship final to win the program's eighth straight National Duals crown, setting a new National Duals record. The old record of seven in a row was owned by Grand View and fellow Iowa school, Wartburg, in Division III.
It was business as usual for the Vikings as they jumped out to a 9-0 lead after wins by Justin Portillo at 125 pounds and top-ranked Shiquan Hall at 133. Life and Grand View split the next six bouts. The Eagles, coached by Grand View alum Omi Acosta, drew within 15-9 before three straight wins ended Life's chances at the upset. Two-time NAIA champion Evan Hansen of Grand View officially put things out of reach with his fourth victory of the weekend, an 8-4 decision over Diallo Matsimella.
Life was the lowest-seeded team to reach the finals across any division. The sixth-seeded Running Eagles upset second-seeded Indiana Tech 25-13 in the semifinals. Statistically, Grand View was as dominant as always. According to Des Moines Register writer Cody Goodwin, the Vikings went 30-10 individually with 12 falls.
In Division II, another streak continued as St. Cloud State extended its dual meet win streak to 39 in a row and won the program's third straight National Duals title with a 35-6 win over Notre Dame College on Saturday afternoon.
The Huskies (11-0) needed to get past a game Nebraska-Kearney in the semifinals, but wins by Kolton Eischens, Chance Helmick and Vince Dietz at 174, 184 and 197 pounds rallied St. Cloud State into the finals.
In the final, the Huskies won eight-of-10 bouts and collecting five bonus victories to win the school's fifth overall National Duals title 35-6.
St. Cloud State stole, and kept, the momentum with a pair of wins over Notre Dame College All-Americans. Travis Swanson's fall at 141 pounds over Kelen McKenna and James Pleski's win at 149 over Taylor Misuna were crucial. The Huskies closed things out winning 165 through 197.
All-Time National Duals Championship Leaders, By Division
Division II: Nebraska-Omaha* & St. Cloud State 5
Division III: Wartburg 11, Augsburg 7
NAIA: Grand View 8, Lindenwood**
NJCAA: Clackamas 6, Iowa Central 5
Women: Oklahoma City 5, King 4
*-Nebraska-Omaha no longer sponsors wrestling
**-Lindenwood is now a Division II program
NUWAY hosts the 2019 NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals
Presented by the United States Marine Corps and Defense Soap
Kentucky Expo Center & Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Division II
Final- No. 1 St. Cloud State 35, No. 3 Notre Dame College 6
125 - Brett Velasquez (St. Cloud State) over Robert Campos (NDC) Maj 8-0
133 - Hunter Bray (NDC) over Brandon Briggs (St. Cloud State) Dec 4-0
141 - Travis Swanson (St. Cloud State) over Kelen McKenna (NDC) Fall 5:38
149 - James Pleski (St. Cloud State) over Taylor Misuna (NDC) Dec 3-2
157 - Jake Barzowski (St. Cloud State) over Zach Kelly (NDC) Dec 5-2
165 - Devin Fitzpatrick (St. Cloud State) over Jashon Hubbard (NDC) Fall 2:00
174 - Kolton Eischens (St. Cloud State) over Cornell Beachem (NDC) Dec 2-1
184 - Chance Helmick (St. Cloud State) over Logan Hall (NDC) Maj 12-2
197 - Vince Dietz (St. Cloud State) won by forfeit
285 - Kameron Teacher (NDC) over Noah Ryan (St. Cloud State) Dec 13-6
3rd- No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney 23, No. 2 McKendree 17
5th- Wheeling Jesuit 32, No. 6 Lindenwood 13
7th- No. 7 Central Oklahoma 24, No. 8 Upper Iowa 12
Semifinals
No. 1 St. Cloud State 22, No. 14 Nebraska-Kearney 15
No. 3 Notre Dame College 21, No. 2 McKendree 15
Division III
Final- No. 1 Augsburg 20, No. 3 Johnson & Wales 13
125 - Jay Albis (Johnson & Wales) over Victor Gliva (Augsburg) Maj 11-2
133 - Bobby Jordan (Johnson & Wales) over Sam Bennyhoff (Augsburg) Dec 13-7
141 - David Flynn (Augsburg) over Joseph Ferinde (Johnson & Wales) Dec 2-1
149 - Da`mani Burns (Johnson & Wales) over Alex Wilson (Augsburg) SV-1 8-6
157 - Ryan Epps (Augsburg) over Thomas Grippi (Johnson & Wales) Dec 4-0
165 - Lucas Jeske (Augsburg) over Adrian Gonzalez (Johnson & Wales) Dec 9-2
174 - Tanner Vassar (Augsburg) over Michael Gargano (Johnson & Wales) TF 17-2
184 - Khamri Thomas (Johnson & Wales) over Solomon Nielsen (Augsburg) Dec 8-4
197 - Lance Benick (Augsburg) over Michael DiNardo (Johnson & Wales) Dec 7-3
285 - Ethan Hofacker (Augsburg) over Jayson Gomez (Johnson & Wales) Dec 2-0
3rd- No. 2 Wartburg 27, No. 5 Wabash 13
5th- No. 7 Baldwin Wallace 18, No. 6 Mount Union 16
7th- No. 9 UW-La Crosse 22, No. 10 Coe 21 (Criteria A, most wins)
Semifinals
No. 1 Augsburg 26, No. 5 Wabash 9
No. 3 Johnson & Wales 18, No. 2 Wartburg 17
NAIA
Final- No. 1 Grand View 23, No. 6 Life 12
125 - Justin Portillo (Grand View) over Randy McCray Jr. (Life) Dec 6-1
133 - Shiquan Hall (Grand View) over Lucas Patterson (Life) Fall 6:36
141 - David Chase Zemenak (Life) over Eric Clarke (Grand View) Dec 5-3
149 - Devin Reynolds (Grand View) over Mason Calvert (Life) Dec 10-5
157 - Syd Ohl (Life) over Steven Lawrence (Grand View) Dec 9-5
165 - Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (Grand View) over Osvani Ley (Life) Dec 4-3
174 - Lucius Van Rensburg (Life) over Lawton Benna (Grand View) Dec 9-2
184 - Artie Bess (Grand View) over Yakariel Judah (Life) TF 16-0
197 - Evan Hansen (Grand View) over Diallo Matsimella (Life) Dec 8-4
285 - Jimsher Sidhu (Life) over Cooper Thomas (Grand View) Dec 4-2
3rd- No. 4 U. of the Cumberlands 20, No. 2 Indiana Tech 19
5th- Southeastern 26, Missouri Valley 13
7th- No. 5 Lindsey Wilson 27, Campbellsville 13
Semifinals
No. 1 Grand View 27, No. 4 U. of the Cumberlands 12
No. 6 Life 25, No. 2 Indiana Tech 13
NJCAA
Final- No. 3 Northwest Tech 20, No. 1 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M 19
125 - Jordan Marshall (Northwest Tech) over Mason Naifeh (NEO) Dec 5-2
133 - Munkhbat Bat-erdene (Northwest Tech) won by forfeit
141 - Bat-Erdene Boldmaa (Northwest Tech) over Jory Brumnett (NEO) Maj 16-7
149 - Kendon Lee (NEO) over Enkhbold Sukhbaatar (Northwest Tech) Dec 6-0
157 - Jonny Trowbridge (NEO) over antony kinsey (Northwest Tech) Dec 5-4
165 - Kyle Caldwell (NEO) over Bowman Ellis (Northwest Tech) Fall 3:36
174 - Tsogtbayar Tserendagua (Northwest Tech) over Kalin Winkler (NEO) Maj 13-5
184 - Alex Kauffman (NEO) over Charles Small (Northwest Tech) Dec 4-3
197 - Darius Hamilton (Northwest Tech) over Colben Dodson (NEO) Dec 9-7
285 - Antonio Andrade (NEO) over Elwin Trejo (Northwest Tech) Maj 12-0
3rd- No. 2 Western Wyoming 31, No. 4 Nassau 16
5th- Southwestern Oregon 24, No. 5 Barton 18
7th- No. 6 Harper 33, Cowley 18
Semifinals
No. 1 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M 37, No. 4 Nassau 6
No. 3 Northwest Kansas Tech 29, No. 2 Western Wyoming 18
Women
Final- No. 1 McKendree 24, No. 3 King 17
101 - Jaclyn McNichols (King) over Natalie Reyna (McKendree) Dec 4-2
109 - Vanessa Ramirez (McKendree) over Lesly Hernandez (King) TF 10-0
116 - Felicity Taylor (McKendree) over Makayla Welch (King) TF 14-3
123 - Cheyenne Sisenstein (King) over Alexia Ward (McKendree) Dec 8-4
130 - Brenda Reyna (McKendree) over Allison Petix (King) Dec 5-1
136 - Nicole Joseph (King) over Michelle Camacho (McKendree) Fall 2:00
143 - Ashlynn Ortega (King) over Alexis Porter (McKendree) Dec 5-1
155 - Alexandria Glaude (McKendree) over Ana Luciano (King) Dec 8-0
170 - Sydnee Kimber (McKendree) over Hailey Cancelleri (King) TF 10-0
191 - Destane Garrick (McKendree) over Nia Crosdale (King) Dec 6-2
3rd- No. 2 Wayland Baptist 23, No. 4 Emmanuel 21
5th- No. 6 U. of the Cumberlands 24, No. 5 Campbellsville 20
7th- No. 7 Life 22, No. 8 Southern Oregon 21
Semifinals
No. 1 McKendree 22, No. 4 Emmanuel 17
No. 3 King 26, No. 2 Wayland Baptist 20
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