TOPEKA, Kan. –
The Baker
University wrestling team had a historic night on Saturday, as 157-pound
wrestler Colby Crank and 149-pound wrestler Victor Hughes each captured
national championships in their respective
brackets of the 2016 NAIA National Championship inside the Kansas
Expocentre.
No. 4 ranked Crank took on No. 2 ranked Grant Henderson of Grand View in the national championship match and 4-3 decision.
No.
9 ranked Hughes faced off against No. 3 rated Tyler Cowger of Southern
Oregon in the national finals and defeated Cowger by a 4-3 decision.
For the first time in program history Baker had two wrestlers advance all the way to the national finals.
The
last Wildcat to advance to the finals was 133-pound Bryce Shoemaker who
won the NAIA National Championship in 2014. Crank, Hughes and Shoemaker
are the only Wildcats to win a wrestling
national title in program history.
With
their appearances in the national finals, Crank became a four-time NAIA
All-American, while Hughes became a two-time All-American.
Senior
Connor Middleton advanced all the way to the fifth-place bout of the
165-pound bracket and defeated No. 6 ranked Sean Black of Campbellville,
3-2, in that fifth-place match, earning
him his first All-America honor.
141-pound Tyler Dickman and 197-pound Kyler Atwood also competed for Baker on day one.
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