Baker Wrestling Qualifies Four Wildcats for Nationals

Press release submitted by Tyler Price, Baker University Assistant Athletic Director

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DES MOINES, Iowa – The Baker University wrestling team competed at the 2017 NAIA Wrestling Central National Qualifier on Saturday and qualified four wrestlers for the 2017 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by USA Wrestling-Kansas.

The four Wildcats to qualify for the NAIA National Championships include 125-pound Zane Baugh, 149-pound and defending NAIA National Champion Victor Hughes, 157-pound Jonathan Blackwell and 197-pound David Dow.

To automatically qualify, wrestlers must finish in the Top 3 of its respective weight class at the regional qualifier.

Hughes will look to become the first athlete in the history of Baker Athletics to win two individual NAIA National Championships on March 3-4 in Topeka, Kansas at the Kansas Expocentre.

Number 1 Grand View took home first place as a team with 215 points, (RV) Baker University took second with 138 points and Number 11 Dickinson State University took third with 116 points. Number 16 Missouri Valley College placed fourth with University of Jamestown, William Penn University, Benedictine College, Graceland University, and Waldorf University finishing respectively.

A number of Baker wrestlers still have a shot at qualifying for Nationals, as the remaining 30 wrestlers to qualify are determined by a national selection committee. Up to 15 nominations from each area are considered by the committee. Those will be selected this Tuesday, Feb. 21.

 

Top Three Place Winner in each weight class

125 lbs-

            1. John Altieri (WPU)

            2. Number 16 Joey Murillo (UJ)

            3. Zane Baugh (BU)

133 lbs-

            1. Number 1 Jacob Colon (GVU)

            2. Number 8 Gresh Jones (DSU)

            3. Number 12 Cartlande Allen (GU)

141 lbs-

            1. Number 2 Josh Wenger (GVU)

            2. Dillion Kifer (UJ)

            3. Kevin Kelly (BC)

149 lbs-

            1. Number 4 Walker Marshall (GVU)

            2. Number 1 Victor Hughes (BU)

            3. Number 5 Seth Ehlang (DU)

157 lbs-

            1. Number 13 Tobias Barnes (MVC)

            2. Number 6 Sean Elkins (DSU)

            3. Number 14 Johnathan Blackwell (BU)

165 lbs-

            1. Number 1 Grant Henderson (GVU)

            2. Ryan Niven (GVU)

            3. Number 3 Andrew Simmons (MVC)

174 lbs-

            1. Number 1 Lawton Benna (GVU)

            2. Number 3 Dylan Blackford (GVU)

            3. Mike Zupan (UJ)

184 lbs-

            1. Number 3 Michael Pixley (GVU)

            2. Number 7 Jon Solano (DSU)

            3. Number 12 Lane Oversen (DSU)

197 lbs-

            1. Number 9 Evan Hansen (GVU)

            2. Number 2 Johnathen Dennis (GVU)

            3. Number 16 David Dow (BU)

285 lbs-

            1. Number 1 Dennis Broghammer (GVU)

            2. Number 2 Jacob Laden (GVU)

            3. Number 11. Justin Smith (MVC)