Wrestling Weekend That Was: Wartburg claims 13th NWCA National Duals title

Wartburg captured its 13th title, while Coe and Upper Iowa rebounded after opening-round losses at the NWCA Multi-Divisional Dual Championships at the UNI-Dome. Life University got a title sweep. Iowa State swept out west, UNI got its 800th dual win and the Alburnett boys and Decorah girls impressed during the Wrestling Weekend That Was.

Wartburg claims 13th NWCA National Duals crown

The National Wrestling Coaches Association Multi-Divisional National Duals returned to Cedar Falls for the first time since 2011. Like that previous trip to the UNI-Dome, Wartburg stood atop the NCAA Division III hill for the first time since 2020.

The Knights increased their NWCA record of multi-divisional national dual titles with their 13th championship. No. 2 Wartburg beat rival and top-seeded Augsburg (Minn.) University, 21-19, in the finals. The Knights’ top-ranked Massoma Endene posted a 14-2 major decision over No. 2 Parker Venz at 197 pounds to seal the win, rendering the dual-ending pin by heavyweight Tyler Raway a moot point.

“This is important to us,” Wartburg Coach Eric Keller told media in a post-tournament interview. “This event is a signature event we circle on our calendar and they do a great job running it.”

Wartburg 133-pounder Joe Pins, who has one of the best names in all of wrestling, provided a big boost in the finals and in the 20-17 semifinal win over No. 3 Wisconsin-La Crosse Saturday morning.

The former Dubuque Hempstead prep and third-ranked Knight posted a 21-5 technical fall over Augsburg’s Wyatt Kaczrowski. It came on the heels of a 16-0 tech over UWL’s Zachary Weiler. Pins has 10 technical falls this season, giving him a school record 35 for his career. Pins beat the old record of 34 held by Cross Cannone.

Wartburg’s Kyler Romero followed with an 11-4 win over Augsburg’s No. 8 Sam Stuhl at 141, putting the Knights up 11-0 through three bouts. Dan Meeker (157) and top-ranked 174-pounder Zane Mulder each won 7-2 decisions against ranked Augsburg foes. Unranked Meeker dropped No. 8 Blake Jagodzinske, while Mulder downed No. 3 Seth Goetzinger in the marquee matchup.

“You just saw it in a dual format,” Keller said. “Everybody’s got each other’s backs is what I love most about it. Honestly, I love how our guys compete because it’s going to be a war. You’re not ever going to have an easy championship. You’re going to have to fight for everything. I think that’s what we did there.”

Wartburg has won NWCA dual titles in 2003-04, 2006, 2008, 2011-17, 2020 and 2024.

Iowa State best out west

Iowa State made a western trip, wrestling No. 21 Arizona State on Friday and Cal Baptist Sunday. The fifth-ranked Cyclones earned two victories, improving their dual record to 8-1 overall.

Iowa State took eight of 10 matches against the Sun Devils for a 28-10 win. The performance was highlighted by wins by No. 20 Cody Chittum at 157 and heavyweight Yonger Bastida. Chittum knocked off No. 4 Jacori Teemer, 9-5. Chittum gave up the first takedown and outscored Teemer, 8-2, in regulation and received a point for riding time.

“He was excited to wrestle,” Iowa State Coach Kevin Dresser said of Chittum. “We all know Cody Chittum was going to step up at some point and make a statement. Tonight (Friday) was his night.”

Third-ranked Bastida edged NCAA finalist and No. 5 Cohlton Schultz, 4-3, to close the dual. Bastida came to Iowa State as a freestyle competitor, while Schultz is an accomplished Greco-Roman wrestler. Bastida tallied the first takedown and hung on for the notable decision.

“He did what he had to do to win, considering the style we’re wrestling,” Dresser said. “I think what we have to do next time is shoot different. If we get two takedowns on that guy it’s probably going to be a blowout.”

Iowa State handled Cal Baptist, 39-3, on Sunday.

UNI wins 800th dual

Northern Iowa split duals Saturday at Nebraska’s Devaney Center. The Panthers started with a 36-6 throttling of Wyoming in their Big 12 opener. The win over the Cowboys was the program’s 800th dual win in its 100 years of history.

“It’s a great time to be a UNI wrestling fan, as always” UNI Coach Doug Schwab said about the current Panthers’ trajectory during his weekly news conference Monday. “We have an incredible group of individuals.”

The Panthers nearly swept the double-dual, falling to No. 7 Nebraska, 18-17, on criteria. UNI won five matches, receiving a decision in an overtime thriller from Cael Happel at 141, an upset win from Ryder Downey at 157, a technical fall from No. 1 Parker Keckeisen (184) and a major decision from heavyweight Tyrell Gordon.

Happel came back from a 4-0 start and a 7-3 third-period deficit for a late reversal and then a takedown in the final seconds to force overtime. No. 8 Happel added a takedown in sudden victory to beat No. 6 Brock Hardy, 11-8. Downey scored a takedown and three escapes to bear No. 3 Peyton Robb, 6-5.

“I like how we competed,” Schwab said. “No doubt we’re improving as a team and getting better. Close gets old, though. I’ll tell you that.

“We had plenty of opportunities to win that Nebraska meet. Plenty of opportunities but we had some guys really step up and compete their tails off, too.”

Nebraska received a pin from Silas Allred at 197, getting the neutral-position fall over Wyatt Voelker. Gordon’s major tied the dual, 17-17, which sent it into criteria. Both teams were deducted a team point that prevented either from winning outright.

“I apologize to our team because there should never be a point where a coach takes away a team point because of how you’re acting or what you’re doing,” Schwab said. “You should never be a detriment to your team. You have to have constraint. You have to have a little more control than that. You can’t walk on the mat, even though I thought I was walking on the mat with blood time. The referee didn’t think so.

“I was definitely in ear quite a bit, but I have to have much better control than that. I ask my team to do that, so I have to be able to do that, too.”

Coe, Upper Iowa rebound to place

Coe and Upper Iowa received tough opening draws at the NWCA National Duals tournament. Coe opened with 2023 finalist and No. 8 seed Johnson & Wales in the D-III bracket. Upper Iowa had to wrestle No. 1 Central Oklahoma in the D-II first round.

After the Kohawks’ two-point loss, they bounced back with four straight wins to place fifth. Coe beat Cornell, 47-3, and survived No. 15 Wabash (Ind.) College, 20-18, thanks to a major decision by Mathieu Arsenault at 197 and heavyweight Damari Darcy’s technical fall in the final two matches.

On Saturday, Coe beat No. 17 Wisconsin-Whitewater, 26-10, and avenged its loss to J & W with a 33-10 triumph to place fifth.

Upper Iowa beat No. 20 Ashland University (38-4) and No. 18 Northern State (31-6) Friday after a loss to the Bronchos. The Peacocks won 20 of 30 matches on Day 1. James Davis (133), 165-pound NCAA champion and former Monticello prep Chase Luensman and Colter Bye went 3-0 Friday. Luensman and Davis went unbeaten during the two-day event.

Upper Iowa fell to Nebraska-Kearney and McKendree (Ill.) University on Day 2 but still managed to place eighth. The Peacocks have earned top-eight finishes in 14 of the last 16 years.

Sweep of a Life-time

Life (Ga.) University swept the NAIA men’s and women’s titles at the NWCA National Duals Saturday.

No. 2 Life defeated No. 1 Grand View, 24-17, to win the men’s bracket, avenging finals losses in the previous four NWCA finals. The victory snapped Grand View’s string of 11 straight NWCA duals crowns.

Life beat Menlo (Calif.) College, 25-21, to claim the women’s championship. Menlo won three of the first four weights, but Life came back with consecutive pins from Sarah Savidge (130) and Zaynah McBryde at 136. McBryde’s sisters, Jamilah McBryde (143) and Latifah McBryde at 155 followed with a technical fall and decision to give Life a lead it didn’t surrender.

This marks the first time a school has won both a men’s and women’s NWCA dual title in the same year.

Alburnett wins team title

Class 1A third-ranked Alburnett claimed the team title at Highland’s Gary Curtis Invitational on Saturday. The Pirates scored 272.5 points to top No. 2 Wilton by 40.5.

Alburnett received titles from Atlee DeWitt (106), Rowdy Neighbor (120), Tayten Coufal (126), 138-pounder Preston Klostermann, Reece Klostermann at 150 and 215-pounder Emmitt Fleshman.

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Stacked Anamosa field

Anamosa hosted its girls’ tournament Saturday. The field was packed with five of the state’s top 15 ranked teams.

Cedar Falls’ balance produced a team title with 229 points, edging No. 1 Decorah by nine. No. 3 East Buchanan was third with 192. Seventh-ranked Vinton-Shellsburg placed fourth at 180.

Decorah had a tournament-best five champions. Chloe Sheffield (100), Amelia Wadsworth (140), Anastasia Simon at 145, Lauren Luzum (155) and top-ranked 170-pounder Naomi Simon were first. Simon improved to 32-0 with a pin over Independence’s Izzy Strickert in the final.

Vinton-Shellsburg received titles from Ellie Weets (115), Bree Swenson (120) and 135-pounder Chloe Sanders. Teammate Kaelynn Roster was runner-up at 105.

Cedar Rapids Prairie state champion MacKenzie Childers won the 130 title. She posted a 12-2 major decision over Bettendorf’s Lexy Petersen in the final. Childers is 24-2 this year.

Mount Vernon crowned two champions. Kiersten Swart won at 110 and Libby Dix claimed gold at 190 for the Mustangs.

Iowa City High duo wins at Ames

Iowa City High top-ranked duo Cale Seaton and Kael Voinovich grabbed titles at the Jack Mendenhall Invitational on Saturday in Ames. They helped the Little Hawks finish fourth in the team race with 143.5 points.

Seaton, a 2023 state champion and South Dakota State signee, recorded three pins for the 132-pound title. He pinned Prairie’s Tyler Lee in 2:41 of the final, improving to 14-0 this season.

Voinovich also had a fall in the finals, stopping Prairie’s Wyatt Vlasek for the 157 championship. Voinovich opened with two technical falls, outscoring opponents, 43-12, in those bouts. He is 22-1.

Prairie placed fifth as a team. Four Hawks reached the finals. Dylan Munson (106) was Prairie’s lone champion, beating Ballard’s Easton Enyeart, 9-4, for the title. Munson (21-2) opened with a fall and edged Ames’ Braxton Winkey by one in the semifinal. Casey Kelley (150) was also second for Prairie.

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