Grand View, Gutches win fourth-straight NAIA National titles
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by Alan Grosbach NAIA
Brock Gutches of Southern Oregon won his fourth NAIA title with victory at 174 pounds. Mark Lundy photo.
• Eight different schools end 2015 with a national champion
TOPEKA, Kan. – History was made Saturday night in the final session of the 2015 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by Blue Chip Wrestling, as Grand View (Iowa) won its fourth-straight team title, while Brock Gutches of Southern Oregon ended his collegiate career with a fourth-consecutive title at 174 pounds.
Despite only having two individuals advance into the title round, the Vikings cruised to the team title with 147.5 points – 38.5 points better than second-place Southern Oregon.
“All four titles we’ve won have been totally different,” said Grand View head coach Nick Mitchell, “and this year was not an exception. It was a really tough tournament. We only had two in the finals, which was the least over the last four years, but I really thought our team wrestled well having eight guys in the Top 4.”
With the win, Grand View joins former member Central State (Okla.) (1984-1987) to win four-consecutive banners.
“There’s a lot of good history with NAIA wrestling, and for us to be part of that history is awesome. We’re excited to make our mark in the NAIA,” said Mitchell.
Both of the Viking finalists accomplished their mission of repeating as national champion. Ryak Finch at 125 pounds ended a stellar two-year career with Grand View by beating Aaron LaFarge of Oklahoma City, 10-1. The senior from Reading, Ariz., is the fourth two-time national champion for Grand View and ends his two-year career with a 55-0 record.
“It feels awesome,” said Finch. “First year there wasn’t a lot of pressure. I wasn’t really nervous and did not have a lot of expectations, so I went out there and just wrestled. I had to force myself to do the same thing this weekend, especially with everyone talking about not losing for Grand View. I ended up closing my college career with a title, and it felt really good.”
Brandon Wright at 141 pounds was Grand View’s other champion. Wright’s title bout against Kyle Wilson of Great Falls (Mont.) came down to an extra point for riding time, 4-3. The win made him the fifth two-time champion in program history and 15th overall – tied for ninth most in NAIA history.
The other major story at the championships was the conclusion of a collegiate career of arguably one of the most dominant wrestlers in NAIA history. Gutches, who had an 8-0 major decision against Campbellsville’s (Ky.) Travis McIntosh, is only the seventh grappler in NAIA history to win four consecutive titles. Turk Lords of Montana State-Northern (1998 – 2001) is the most recent wrestler to accomplish this feat.
“It was a long and stressful journey,” said Gutches. “I had a lot of fun and got to be on some great teams. I enjoyed the ride with a lot of great people.”
Gutches was named both the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the National Championship and the National Wrestling Coaches Association Outstanding NAIA Wrestler of the Year at the awards ceremony following the event.
As a team, Southern Oregon finished second with 109 points. The Raiders have claimed the runner-up trophy in five of the last seven seasons.
Joe Cozart of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and Jake Williams of Cumberland (Tenn.) were the other two repeat winners at this year’s championships. Cozart downed Dalton Urrutia of Southern Oregon, 8-2, to become one of the most decorated wrestlers in Blue Raider history. He is the first three-time All-American in program history and joins former teammate Jameel Bryant as a two-time national champion.
“Last year was my first national title ever as a wrestler,” said Cozart, “so there’s no beating that moment. There have been many ups-and-downs with my wrestling this season, and to come here and really prove myself among the doubters and critics is just an awesome feeling.”
Williams claimed a 7-5 sudden victory over Jake Ekster of Missouri Valley. The Mid-South Conference also had a champion from Campbellsville, as Davion Caston defeated top-ranked Michael Ruiz of Great Falls (Mont.), 10-6. Caston is the third national champion for the Tigers, first since Tommy Pretty in 2010.
Overall, the league had three national champions and three runners-up.
In addition to Caston, four other individuals earned their first-ever national title – Ricky McCarty of Oklahoma City, Jose Cruz III of Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), Charles Johnson of Southern Oregon and Gabi Musallam of Missouri Valley.
Musallam is the 15th national champion from Missouri Valley, which is the eighth most all-time and third most among active NAIA programs.
Outside of Grand View and Southern Oregon in the team standings, Lindsey Wilson took third with 104.5 points, Great Falls claimed fourth with 87.5 points and Oklahoma City came in fifth with 71.
125 pounds
1st Place Match
Ryak Finch (Grand View) 24-0, Sr. over Aaron LaFarge (Oklahoma City) 39-12, RS Sr. (MD 10-1).
3rd Place Match
Jake Sinkovics (Cumberlands) 33-5, Fr. over Isaiah Johnson (Williams Baptist) 24-10, Fr. (Dec 7-1).
5th Place Match
Dennis Welch (Missouri Valley) 31-18, Sr. over James Flint (Lindsey Wilson) 36-11, Fr. (For.).
7th Place Match
Devane Dodgens (Life) 26-7, So. over Michael Andreano (Baker) 20-11, Fr. (SV-1 10-8).
133 pounds
1st Place Match
Davion Caston (Campbellsville) 17-4, Jr. over Michael Ruiz (Great Falls) 31-5, Sr. (Dec 10-6).
3rd Place Match
Keaton Thomas (Lindsey Wilson) 17-3, Jr. over Jacob Colon (Grand View) 29-11, So. (Dec 9-2).
5th Place Match
Mitch Pawlak (Indiana Tech) 11-3, So. over Adrian Gains (Oklahoma City) 34-25, So. (MD 20-10).
7th Place Match
Brian Ha (Menlo) 19-17, Jr. over Kodie Cole (Concordia) 17-8, So. (Fall 5:00).
141 pounds
1st Place Match
Brandon Wright (Grand View) 33-4, Sr. over Kyle Wilson (Great Falls) 30-6, Sr. (Dec 4-3).
3rd Place Match
Scottie Bonds (William Penn) 29-5, So. over Daniel Leonard (Lindsey Wilson) 33-13, So. (Fall 6:57).
5th Place Match
Andrew Schulte (Concordia) 20-4, So. over Steele Escobedo (Menlo) 14-10, So. (Fall 2:23).
7th Place Match
Garret Lambrecht (Morningside) 14-11, Sr. over Tyler Hinton (Ottawa) 23-12, Jr. (Fall 2:22).
149 pounds
1st Place Match
Jake Williams (Cumberland ) 26-2, Sr. over Jake Ekster (Missouri Valley) 36-8, Jr. (SV-1 10-5).
3rd Place Match
Ryan Martin (Great Falls) 27-10, Sr. over Gustavo Martinez (Grand View) 38-5, Sr. (Fall 5:25).
5th Place Match
Tyler Cowger (Southern Oregon) 29-11, So. over Dallas Brown (Life) 16-12, Fr. (Fall 2:16).
7th Place Match
Isaac Thomas (Lindsey Wilson) 20-14, Sr. over Victor Hughes (Bethany) 25-18, So. (Dec 8-5).
157 pounds
1st Place Match
Joe Cozart (Lindsey Wilson) 28-5, Sr. over Dalton Urrutia (Southern Oregon) 32-8, Sr. (Dec 8-2).
3rd Place Match
Sean Elkins (Dickinson State) 33-7, Jr. over Dallas Houchins (Grand View) 22-3, Jr. (Fall 2:05).
5th Place Match
Zach Skates (Oklahoma City) 44-7, RS Jr. over Shawn Mcghee (Campbellsville) 31-8, Jr. (Fall 3:23).
7th Place Match
Kyle Gerlach (Dakota Wesleyan) 28-13, Sr. over Nick Haugen (Baker) 24-14, Sr. (Dec 6-3).
165 pounds
1st Place Match
Ricky McCarty (Oklahoma City) 35-11, So. over Michael Nord (Jamestown) 27-5, Jr. (Dec 7-2).
3rd Place Match
Jimmie Schuessler (Grand View) 34-5, Sr. over Eric Lopez (Menlo) 27-8, Sr. (SV-1 3-1).
5th Place Match
Ethan Hinebauch (Montana State-Northern) 50-7, RS Sr. over Brock Picard (Great Falls) 23-24, Sr. (Dec 6-3).
7th Place Match
Garrett Urrutia (Southern Oregon) 20-10, So. over Oliver Brukardt (Life) 20-6, Fr. (Dec 3-1).
174 pounds
1st Place Match
Brock Gutches (Southern Oregon) 31-3, Sr. over Travis McIntosh (Campbellsville) 26-8, Sr. (MD 8-0).
3rd Place Match
Tyler McMichael (Midland) 42-11, Jr. over Thomas Moman (Grand View) 32-4, Sr. (TB-3 5-3).
5th Place Match
Shawn Lau (Great Falls) 22-5, Sr. over Bryant Guillen (Baker) 28-17, So. (Dec 6-2).
7th Place Match
Kevin Corbett (Doane) 25-4, Jr. over Tyler Brown (Dickinson State) 29-14, Sr. (Dec 3-1).
184 pounds
1st Place Match
Jose Cruz, III (Embry-Riddle) 32-2, Sr. over Michael Pixley (Lindsey Wilson) 21-1, Fr. (Dec 7-5).
3rd Place Match
Jacob Abrams (Southern Oregon) 30-8, Sr. over Kyle Delaune (Cumberland ) 23-13, So. (Dec 7-2).
5th Place Match
Derek Sivertsen (Oklahoma City) 39-13, RS So. over Christian Mays (Grand View) 26-8, Sr. (Dec 3-1).
7th Place Match
Sterling Terry (Midland) 44-10, Sr. over Rulin Pederson (Morningside) 27-7, Sr. (Dec 5-2).
197 pounds
1st Place Match
Charles Johnson (Southern Oregon) 28-5, Sr. over Garrett DeMers (Montana State-Northern) 48-10, RS So. (Dec 11-7).
3rd Place Match
Kolton Kersten (Midland) 19-6, Sr. over Hudson Buck (Dickinson State) 26-3, So. (MD 13-4).
5th Place Match
Stephen Loosbrock (Benedictine) 35-7, Jr. over Jake Maupin (Lindsey Wilson) 24-12, So. (Dec 2-1).
7th Place Match
Brandon Sunday (Indiana Tech) 13-11, So. over Ken Burkhardt Jr (Concordia) 33-18, So. (Fall 0:31).
285 pounds
1st Place Match
Gabi Musallam (Missouri Valley) 28-6, Jr. over Scott Stewart (Cumberland ) 20-3, Sr. (Dec 3-2).
3rd Place Match
Toby Cheff (Montana State-Northern) 20-1, RS Jr. over Dean Broghammer (Grand View) 51-8, Fr. (Fall 1:28).
5th Place Match
Denzel Vaughan (St. Andrews) 24-6, Sr. over Ceron Francisco (Concordia) 31-17, So. (Fall 1:08).
7th Place Match
James Jones (Midland) 20-11, Jr. over Chico Adams (Lindsey Wilson) 30-15, Fr. (Dec 4-1).
Team Scores
1. Grand View 147.5
2. Southern Oregon 109.0
3. Lindsey Wilson 104.5
4. Great Falls 87.5
5. Oklahoma City 71.0
6. Campbellsville 61.0
7. Missouri Valley 58.5
8. Montana State-Northern 57.5
9. Cumberland 55.5
10. Midland 48.5
11. Dickinson State 46.5
12. Concordia 43.0
13. Menlo 36.5
14. Baker 34.0
15. Embry-Riddle 33.0
16. Indiana Tech 32.5
17. Life 31.5
18. Jamestown 25.0
19. William Penn 23.5
20. Cumberlands 22.0
21. Morningside 20.0
22. Williams Baptist 16.5
23. Benedictine 14.5
24. Ottawa 13.0
24. St. Andrews 13.0
26. Dakota Wesleyan 12.0
27. Doane 10.5
28. York 9.5
29. Bethany 7.5
30. Missouri Baptist 5.0
31. Briar Cliff 3.0
31. Graceland 3.0
31. Hastings 3.0
34. Wayland Baptist 2.5
35. Simpson 2.0
36. Bacone 1.0
36. Northwestern 1.0
36. Waldorf 1.0
• Eight different schools end 2015 with a national champion
TOPEKA, Kan. – History was made Saturday night in the final session of the 2015 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, presented by Blue Chip Wrestling, as Grand View (Iowa) won its fourth-straight team title, while Brock Gutches of Southern Oregon ended his collegiate career with a fourth-consecutive title at 174 pounds.
Despite only having two individuals advance into the title round, the Vikings cruised to the team title with 147.5 points – 38.5 points better than second-place Southern Oregon.
“All four titles we’ve won have been totally different,” said Grand View head coach Nick Mitchell, “and this year was not an exception. It was a really tough tournament. We only had two in the finals, which was the least over the last four years, but I really thought our team wrestled well having eight guys in the Top 4.”
With the win, Grand View joins former member Central State (Okla.) (1984-1987) to win four-consecutive banners.
“There’s a lot of good history with NAIA wrestling, and for us to be part of that history is awesome. We’re excited to make our mark in the NAIA,” said Mitchell.
Both of the Viking finalists accomplished their mission of repeating as national champion. Ryak Finch at 125 pounds ended a stellar two-year career with Grand View by beating Aaron LaFarge of Oklahoma City, 10-1. The senior from Reading, Ariz., is the fourth two-time national champion for Grand View and ends his two-year career with a 55-0 record.
“It feels awesome,” said Finch. “First year there wasn’t a lot of pressure. I wasn’t really nervous and did not have a lot of expectations, so I went out there and just wrestled. I had to force myself to do the same thing this weekend, especially with everyone talking about not losing for Grand View. I ended up closing my college career with a title, and it felt really good.”
Brandon Wright at 141 pounds was Grand View’s other champion. Wright’s title bout against Kyle Wilson of Great Falls (Mont.) came down to an extra point for riding time, 4-3. The win made him the fifth two-time champion in program history and 15th overall – tied for ninth most in NAIA history.
The other major story at the championships was the conclusion of a collegiate career of arguably one of the most dominant wrestlers in NAIA history. Gutches, who had an 8-0 major decision against Campbellsville’s (Ky.) Travis McIntosh, is only the seventh grappler in NAIA history to win four consecutive titles. Turk Lords of Montana State-Northern (1998 – 2001) is the most recent wrestler to accomplish this feat.
“It was a long and stressful journey,” said Gutches. “I had a lot of fun and got to be on some great teams. I enjoyed the ride with a lot of great people.”
Gutches was named both the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the National Championship and the National Wrestling Coaches Association Outstanding NAIA Wrestler of the Year at the awards ceremony following the event.
As a team, Southern Oregon finished second with 109 points. The Raiders have claimed the runner-up trophy in five of the last seven seasons.
Joe Cozart of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and Jake Williams of Cumberland (Tenn.) were the other two repeat winners at this year’s championships. Cozart downed Dalton Urrutia of Southern Oregon, 8-2, to become one of the most decorated wrestlers in Blue Raider history. He is the first three-time All-American in program history and joins former teammate Jameel Bryant as a two-time national champion.
“Last year was my first national title ever as a wrestler,” said Cozart, “so there’s no beating that moment. There have been many ups-and-downs with my wrestling this season, and to come here and really prove myself among the doubters and critics is just an awesome feeling.”
Williams claimed a 7-5 sudden victory over Jake Ekster of Missouri Valley. The Mid-South Conference also had a champion from Campbellsville, as Davion Caston defeated top-ranked Michael Ruiz of Great Falls (Mont.), 10-6. Caston is the third national champion for the Tigers, first since Tommy Pretty in 2010.
Overall, the league had three national champions and three runners-up.
In addition to Caston, four other individuals earned their first-ever national title – Ricky McCarty of Oklahoma City, Jose Cruz III of Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), Charles Johnson of Southern Oregon and Gabi Musallam of Missouri Valley.
Musallam is the 15th national champion from Missouri Valley, which is the eighth most all-time and third most among active NAIA programs.
Outside of Grand View and Southern Oregon in the team standings, Lindsey Wilson took third with 104.5 points, Great Falls claimed fourth with 87.5 points and Oklahoma City came in fifth with 71.
125 pounds
1st Place Match
Ryak Finch (Grand View) 24-0, Sr. over Aaron LaFarge (Oklahoma City) 39-12, RS Sr. (MD 10-1).
3rd Place Match
Jake Sinkovics (Cumberlands) 33-5, Fr. over Isaiah Johnson (Williams Baptist) 24-10, Fr. (Dec 7-1).
5th Place Match
Dennis Welch (Missouri Valley) 31-18, Sr. over James Flint (Lindsey Wilson) 36-11, Fr. (For.).
7th Place Match
Devane Dodgens (Life) 26-7, So. over Michael Andreano (Baker) 20-11, Fr. (SV-1 10-8).
133 pounds
1st Place Match
Davion Caston (Campbellsville) 17-4, Jr. over Michael Ruiz (Great Falls) 31-5, Sr. (Dec 10-6).
3rd Place Match
Keaton Thomas (Lindsey Wilson) 17-3, Jr. over Jacob Colon (Grand View) 29-11, So. (Dec 9-2).
5th Place Match
Mitch Pawlak (Indiana Tech) 11-3, So. over Adrian Gains (Oklahoma City) 34-25, So. (MD 20-10).
7th Place Match
Brian Ha (Menlo) 19-17, Jr. over Kodie Cole (Concordia) 17-8, So. (Fall 5:00).
141 pounds
1st Place Match
Brandon Wright (Grand View) 33-4, Sr. over Kyle Wilson (Great Falls) 30-6, Sr. (Dec 4-3).
3rd Place Match
Scottie Bonds (William Penn) 29-5, So. over Daniel Leonard (Lindsey Wilson) 33-13, So. (Fall 6:57).
5th Place Match
Andrew Schulte (Concordia) 20-4, So. over Steele Escobedo (Menlo) 14-10, So. (Fall 2:23).
7th Place Match
Garret Lambrecht (Morningside) 14-11, Sr. over Tyler Hinton (Ottawa) 23-12, Jr. (Fall 2:22).
149 pounds
1st Place Match
Jake Williams (Cumberland ) 26-2, Sr. over Jake Ekster (Missouri Valley) 36-8, Jr. (SV-1 10-5).
3rd Place Match
Ryan Martin (Great Falls) 27-10, Sr. over Gustavo Martinez (Grand View) 38-5, Sr. (Fall 5:25).
5th Place Match
Tyler Cowger (Southern Oregon) 29-11, So. over Dallas Brown (Life) 16-12, Fr. (Fall 2:16).
7th Place Match
Isaac Thomas (Lindsey Wilson) 20-14, Sr. over Victor Hughes (Bethany) 25-18, So. (Dec 8-5).
157 pounds
1st Place Match
Joe Cozart (Lindsey Wilson) 28-5, Sr. over Dalton Urrutia (Southern Oregon) 32-8, Sr. (Dec 8-2).
3rd Place Match
Sean Elkins (Dickinson State) 33-7, Jr. over Dallas Houchins (Grand View) 22-3, Jr. (Fall 2:05).
5th Place Match
Zach Skates (Oklahoma City) 44-7, RS Jr. over Shawn Mcghee (Campbellsville) 31-8, Jr. (Fall 3:23).
7th Place Match
Kyle Gerlach (Dakota Wesleyan) 28-13, Sr. over Nick Haugen (Baker) 24-14, Sr. (Dec 6-3).
165 pounds
1st Place Match
Ricky McCarty (Oklahoma City) 35-11, So. over Michael Nord (Jamestown) 27-5, Jr. (Dec 7-2).
3rd Place Match
Jimmie Schuessler (Grand View) 34-5, Sr. over Eric Lopez (Menlo) 27-8, Sr. (SV-1 3-1).
5th Place Match
Ethan Hinebauch (Montana State-Northern) 50-7, RS Sr. over Brock Picard (Great Falls) 23-24, Sr. (Dec 6-3).
7th Place Match
Garrett Urrutia (Southern Oregon) 20-10, So. over Oliver Brukardt (Life) 20-6, Fr. (Dec 3-1).
174 pounds
1st Place Match
Brock Gutches (Southern Oregon) 31-3, Sr. over Travis McIntosh (Campbellsville) 26-8, Sr. (MD 8-0).
3rd Place Match
Tyler McMichael (Midland) 42-11, Jr. over Thomas Moman (Grand View) 32-4, Sr. (TB-3 5-3).
5th Place Match
Shawn Lau (Great Falls) 22-5, Sr. over Bryant Guillen (Baker) 28-17, So. (Dec 6-2).
7th Place Match
Kevin Corbett (Doane) 25-4, Jr. over Tyler Brown (Dickinson State) 29-14, Sr. (Dec 3-1).
184 pounds
1st Place Match
Jose Cruz, III (Embry-Riddle) 32-2, Sr. over Michael Pixley (Lindsey Wilson) 21-1, Fr. (Dec 7-5).
3rd Place Match
Jacob Abrams (Southern Oregon) 30-8, Sr. over Kyle Delaune (Cumberland ) 23-13, So. (Dec 7-2).
5th Place Match
Derek Sivertsen (Oklahoma City) 39-13, RS So. over Christian Mays (Grand View) 26-8, Sr. (Dec 3-1).
7th Place Match
Sterling Terry (Midland) 44-10, Sr. over Rulin Pederson (Morningside) 27-7, Sr. (Dec 5-2).
197 pounds
1st Place Match
Charles Johnson (Southern Oregon) 28-5, Sr. over Garrett DeMers (Montana State-Northern) 48-10, RS So. (Dec 11-7).
3rd Place Match
Kolton Kersten (Midland) 19-6, Sr. over Hudson Buck (Dickinson State) 26-3, So. (MD 13-4).
5th Place Match
Stephen Loosbrock (Benedictine) 35-7, Jr. over Jake Maupin (Lindsey Wilson) 24-12, So. (Dec 2-1).
7th Place Match
Brandon Sunday (Indiana Tech) 13-11, So. over Ken Burkhardt Jr (Concordia) 33-18, So. (Fall 0:31).
285 pounds
1st Place Match
Gabi Musallam (Missouri Valley) 28-6, Jr. over Scott Stewart (Cumberland ) 20-3, Sr. (Dec 3-2).
3rd Place Match
Toby Cheff (Montana State-Northern) 20-1, RS Jr. over Dean Broghammer (Grand View) 51-8, Fr. (Fall 1:28).
5th Place Match
Denzel Vaughan (St. Andrews) 24-6, Sr. over Ceron Francisco (Concordia) 31-17, So. (Fall 1:08).
7th Place Match
James Jones (Midland) 20-11, Jr. over Chico Adams (Lindsey Wilson) 30-15, Fr. (Dec 4-1).
Team Scores
1. Grand View 147.5
2. Southern Oregon 109.0
3. Lindsey Wilson 104.5
4. Great Falls 87.5
5. Oklahoma City 71.0
6. Campbellsville 61.0
7. Missouri Valley 58.5
8. Montana State-Northern 57.5
9. Cumberland 55.5
10. Midland 48.5
11. Dickinson State 46.5
12. Concordia 43.0
13. Menlo 36.5
14. Baker 34.0
15. Embry-Riddle 33.0
16. Indiana Tech 32.5
17. Life 31.5
18. Jamestown 25.0
19. William Penn 23.5
20. Cumberlands 22.0
21. Morningside 20.0
22. Williams Baptist 16.5
23. Benedictine 14.5
24. Ottawa 13.0
24. St. Andrews 13.0
26. Dakota Wesleyan 12.0
27. Doane 10.5
28. York 9.5
29. Bethany 7.5
30. Missouri Baptist 5.0
31. Briar Cliff 3.0
31. Graceland 3.0
31. Hastings 3.0
34. Wayland Baptist 2.5
35. Simpson 2.0
36. Bacone 1.0
36. Northwestern 1.0
36. Waldorf 1.0
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