|
Jager Receives Coaching Excellence Award
Smith Named To Academic All-District Second-Team
Mustangs Have Second Highest GPA In NAIA
Smith Receives Mustangs' MVP Award
Three Mustangs Earn All-America Honors At NAIA Championships
Three Mustangs Named Scholar-Athletes
Knight Named National Wrestler Of The Week
Mustangs Make Debut In NAIA Top 10 At No. 7
Mustangs Win NAIA North Region Crown
McManigal Named GPAC Wrestler Of The Week
Thompson Is GPAC Wrestler Of The Week
Sievert Is NAIA National Wrestler Of The Week
Smith Is GPAC Wrestler Of The Year; Jager Is GPAC Coach Of The Year
Mustangs Capture GPAC Crown
Smith Is GPAC Wrestler Of The Week
Tim Jager is the 2011 NAIA recipient of the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award presented by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA).
The award is presented annually in each division of college wrestling to a coach who epitomizes the qualities and characteristics of a role model and mentor for developing student-athletes.
Jager has guided Morningside to a 66-35-2 record for a .650 winning percentage over the past seven seasons since starting up the Mustangs’ varsity program. Morningside had a 10-3-1 dual record this past season and Jager was named both the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and NAIA North Region Coach of the Year after he guided the Mustangs to the GPAC and NAIA North Region championships.
He was also named the GPAC Coach of the Year in 2008 after he led the Mustangs to a second place finish at the GPAC Championships and a 12-7 regular season dual record.
Jager has coached 12 NAIA All-Americans in his seven seasons at Morningside. Under Jager, the Mustangs received the NAIA Buffalo Funds Five Star Champions of Character Award in 2006, 2008, and 2010. Three of his wrestlers were named 2011 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes and nine Mustang wrestlers have received that distinction over the past three seasons.
 Drew Smith, a senior wrestler from Milburn, Neb., has been named to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-District VII College Division Men’s At-Large Second-Team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Smith has a 3.76 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with majors in biology and chemistry.
Smith had a 38-7 record with eight falls this past season en route to a sixth place finish in the 141 lb. division at the NAIA Wrestling National Championships to earn NAIA All-America honors. He led the Mustangs with his 38 victories and was an individual champion at the NAIA North Region Championships, the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Championships, the Iowa Lakes Community College Laker Open, and the Buena Vista University Open.
He finished his career with a 122-46 record for the second highest victory total in Morningside history.
Sports in the men’s at-large category include fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling.
Athletes must be of at least sophomore academic status, be a starter or significant reserve, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher to be eligible for Capital One Academic honors.
Morningside College had the second highest team grade point average (GPA) among NAIA wrestling institutions during the 2010-11 season.
The Mustangs had a team GPA of 3.21 to trail only Hastings College, which had a 3.41.
Morningside had five wrestlers make the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Academic NAIA team comprised of national tournament qualifiers with at least a 3.25 GPA and NAIA All-Americans with at least a 3.0 GPA.
The Mustang wrestlers on the NWCA All-Academic team are:
Drew Smith, a senior from Milburn, Neb., who has a 3.76 GPA with majors in biology and chemistry.
Ben Knight, a senior from Sioux City, who has a 3.63 GPA with majors in biology and chemistry.
Brian Block, a sophomore from Sibley, Iowa, who has a 3.34 GPA with a major in business administration.
Justin Truckenmiller, a sophomore from Sibley, who has a 3.91 GPA with a major in engineering physics.
Kory Kistner, a sophomore from Sioux City, who has a 3.37 GPA with a major in mathematics teaching.
 |
Drew Smith |
Drew Smith, a senior from Milburn, Neb., received the Most Valuable Player award for the Morningside College 2010-11 wrestling season at the Mustangs’ post-season awards banquet on Sunday.
Smith had a 38-7 record with eight falls this past season en route to a sixth place finish in the 141 lb. division at the NAIA Wrestling National Championships to earn NAIA All-America honors. Smith led the Mustangs in victories with his 38 triumphs and was an individual champion at the NAIA North Region Championships, the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Championships, the Iowa Lakes Community College Laker Open, and the Buena Vista University Open.
Smith finished his four-year career with a record of 122-46 for the second highest victory total in Morningside history.
Morningside’s other award winners were:
Hustle Award – Ben Knight, a senior from Sioux City.
Most Improved – Tyler Thompson, a freshman from Norwalk, Iowa.
Sportsmanship – Justin Truckenmiller, a sophomore from Sibley, Iowa.
Oustanding Junior Varsity – Taylor Phipps, a freshman from Crete, Neb.
Coaches Appreciation – Knight and Smith.
 |
Ben Knight |
Knight finished his career with a school-record 28 falls and moved into fifth place on Morningside’s all-time victory list with a career record of 92-38.
Andrew Anthofer, a sophomore from Coon Rapids, Iowa, set a school record with 17 2-point near falls this season to break the former Morningside single-season record of 16 by Jake Stevenson in 2005-06 and Matt Gustafson in 2006-07.
Morningside’s other statistical category leaders were:
Falls – 13, Thompson.
Fastest Fall – 17 seconds, Joe Sievert, a sophomore from Akron, Iowa, vs. Kale Foster of the University of Sioux Falls on Nov. 17, 2010.
3-Point Near Falls – 22, Brian Block, a sophomore from Sibley, Iowa.
Escapes – 55, Truckenmiller.
Reversals – 23, John Sievert, a sophomore from Akron, Iowa.
Take Downs – 63, Knight.
Morningside posted a 10-3-1 dual record during the 2010-11 season and was the team champion at the GPAC Championships and the NAIA North Region Championships. The Mustangs had three wrestlers earn NAIA All-America honors at the 2011 NAIA Wrestling National Championships when Block placed fifth at 174 lbs., Smith placed sixth at 141 lbs., and Knight placed sixth at 165 lbs.
 |
 |
Brian Block |
Drew Smith |
Morningside College had three wrestlers earn All-America honors at the 2011 NAIA Wrestling National Championships held Thursday through Saturday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Mustangs’ All-Americans are Brian Block, a sophomore from Sibley, Iowa, who placed fifth at 174 lbs.; Drew Smith, a senior from Milburn, Neb., who placed sixth at 141 lbs.; and Ben Knight, a senior from Sioux City who placed sixth at 165 lbs.
Block, ranked fifth in the nation, pinned 12th-ranked Alex McKinney of Missouri Valley College in 4:37 in Saturday’s fifth place consolation match to finish the campaign with a record of 33-9. Block was pinned in 3:00 by eighth-ranked Jon Bittenger of Notre Dame College in Saturday’s consolation semifinals.
Block had advanced to the 174 lb. semifinals before he had a 21-match winning streak snapped when he lost a 13-2 major decision against No. 1-ranked Chris Chionuma of Lindenwood University in Friday evening’s semifinals.
 |
Ben Knight |
Block won two matches on Thursday when he pinned Ben Wood of West Virginia Tech in 4:51 and routed 10th-ranked Josh Ashbrook of Campbellsville University by a 13-0 major decision. He earned his spot in the semifinals with an 8-3 decision against 12th-ranked Alex McKinney of Missouri Valley College in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Smith, ranked third in the nation, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-1 decision against Justin Eldred of Southern Oregon and a 5-2 decision against Jesse Knott of Missouri Valley College. Smith had a 22-match winning streak snapped when he lost a 7-5 decision against sixth-ranked Anthony Varnell of the University of Great Falls in the quarterfinals.
He won two matches in Friday evening’s consolation action with a 2-0 decision against 11th-ranked Marty Carlson of Notre Dame and a 2-1 decision against No. 1-ranked Brett Freeman of Notre Dame.
Smith lost a 5-3 decision against fourth-ranked Kyle Wirkuty of Southern Oregon University, last year’s 141 lb. runner-up, in Saturday’s consolation semifinals and dropped an 8-2 decision against eighth-ranked Myles Mazurkiewicz of the University of Great Falls in the fifth place consolation match. Smith finished the season with a record of 38-7.
Knight, ranked No. 2 in the nation, advanced to the 165 lb. quarterfinals after he pinned Tyson Campbell of Oklahoma City University in 54 seconds and won a 9-3 decision against David Clemens of Campbellsville on Thursday. Knight dropped into the consolation bracket after he lost a 3-1 decision against 10th-ranked Noah Hatton of Great Falls in the quarterfinals.
Knight stayed alive when he defeated Mustang teammate Joe Sievert, ranked No. 7 in the nation, by a 3-2 decision in Friday’s consolation action, followed by a 4-2 win against James Casadaban of Cumberland.
Knight lost an 11-0 major decision against No. 1-ranked Kevin Hardy of Notre Dame College in Saturday’s consolation semifinals and lost a 6-3 decision against Drae Cox of Lindenwood University in the fifth place consolation match. Knight finished the season with a record of 29-9.
Joe Sievert, a sophomore from Akron, Iowa, had two victories on Friday before he was eliminated after the loss against Knight. He won an 8-4 decision against fifth-ranked Ty Knowler of Grand View University and pinned ninth-ranked Raleigh Abbott of Shorter University in 5:22. Sievert also defeated Knowler by the same 8-4 margin when they met during the regular season at the Wartburg College Desert Duals in Las Vegas, Nev.
Sievert won his Thursday opener when he pinned Cumberland’s Zeke Hunt in 1:18 before an 11-7 second round loss against eighth-ranked Jake McCoy of York College dropped him into the consolation bracket.
The Mustangs’ John Sievert, a sophomore from Akron, Iowa, was eliminated after he lost a 6-3 decision against Andrew Hairston of Lindsey Wilson College in Friday’s 184 lb. consolation bracket action. Earlier in the day he won a 5-4 decision against Jamel Wheatley of York. Sievert was 1-1 against Wheatley during the regular season after he dropped a 10-8 decision against Wheatley at the Dakota Wesleyan University Open and then pinned him in 2:08 when they met in a dual four days later.
Sievert, who is ranked 12th in the nation, won a 19-4 technical fall against Cumberland’s Scott Stewart in his first match on Friday.
Morningside’s Kory Kistner, Jake McManigal, Justin Truckenmiller, Jared Wildeboer, Andrew Anthofer, Tyler Kacmarynski, and Tyler Thompson were all eliminated when they lost their first matches in Friday’s consolation action.
Kistner, a sophomore from Sioux City, lost an 11-7 decision against Peter Martinez of the University of the Cumberlands.
McManigal, a junior from Center, Neb., lost by fall in 3:31 against Cumberland’s Joshua Chappa.
Truckenmiller, a sophomore from Sibley, Iowa, lost a 12-4 major decision against Zach McCormick of Lindsey Wilson College.
Wildeboer, a junior from Parkersburg, Iowa, lost a 12-0 major decision against eighth-ranked Brad Cusatis of Hastings College.
Anthofer, a sophomore from Coon Rapids, Iowa, lost a 7-3 decision against Dan Capp of Hannibal-LaGrange University.
Kacmarynksi, a sophomore from Spencer, Iowa, lost 2-1 decision against 10th-ranked Levi Morgan of Great Falls.
Thompson, a freshman from Norwalk, Iowa, lost a 6-4 decision against Cody Jamtgaard of Dickinson State University.
Results
125- Jason Moorhouse (Menlo) def. Kory Kistner (Morningside), 9-1; Peter Martinez (Univ. of the Cumberlands) def. Kistner, 11-7.
133- Jake McManigal (Morningside) def. Calob Perkins (Univ. of the Cumberlands), 7-3; Alfonso Valles (Embry-Riddle) def. McManigal, 11.3; Joshua Chappa (Cumberland) pinned McManigal, 3:31.
141- Drew Smith (Morningside) def. Justin Eldred (Southern Oregon), 6-1; Smith def. Jesse Knott (Missouri Valley), 5-2; Anthony Varnell (Great Falls) def. Smith, 7-5; Smith def. Marty Carlson (Notre Dame), 2-0; Smith def. Brett Freeman (Notre Dame), 2-1; Kyle Wirkuty (Southern Oregon) def. Smith, 5-3; Myles Mazurkiewicz (Great Falls) def. Smith, 8-2. Smith placed sixth.
149- Justin Truckenmiller (Morningside) def. Matthew Hamilton (Embry-Riddle), 5-3; Eric Burgey (William Penn) def. Truckenmiller, 15-5; Zach McCormick (Lindsey Wilson) def. Truckenmiller, 12-4.
157- Jared Wildeboer (Morningside) def. Conor Young (Campbellsville), 8-3; Jeremy Padilla (Waldorf) def. Wildeboer, 2-1; Brad Cusatis (Hastings) def. Jared Wildeboer, 12-0.
165- Ben Knight (Morningside) pinned Tyson Campbell (Oklahoma City), 0:54; Knight def. David Clemens (Campbellsville), 9-3; Noah Hatton (Great Falls) def. Knight, 3-1; Knight def. Joe Sievert (Morningside), 3-2; Knight def. James Casadaban (Cumberland), 4-2; Kevin Hardy (Notre Dame) def. Knight, 11-0; Drae Cox (Lindenwood) def. Knight, 6-3. Knight placed sixth. Joe Sievert (Morningside) pinned Zeke Hunt (Cumberland), 1:18; Jake McCoy (York) def. Sievert, 11-7; Sievert def. Ty Knowler (Grand View), 8-4; Sievert pinned Raleigh Abbott (Shorter), 5:22; Ben Knight (Morningside) def. Sievert, 3-2.
174- Brian Block (Morningside) pinned Ben Wood (West Virginia Tech), 4:51; Block def. Josh Ashbrook (Campbellsville), 13-0; Block def. Alex McKinney (Missouri Valley), 8-3; Chris Chionuma (Lindenwood) def. Block, 13-2; Jon Bittenger (Notre Dame) pinned Block, 3:00; Block pinned McKinney, 4:37. Block placed fifth. Andrew Anthofer (Morningside) pinned Gabe Vasquez (Waldorf), 2:31; Dirk Hurrin (Lindenwood) def., Anthofer, 9-2; Dan Capp (Hannibal-LaGrange) def. Anthofer, 7-3.
184- Clete Hanson (Simon Fraser) def. John Sievert (Morningside), 9-5; Sievert def. Scott Stewart (Cumberland) by technical fall, 19-4; Sievert def. Jamel Wheatley (York), 5-4; Andrew Hairston (Lindsey Wilson) def. Sievert, 6-3.
197- Shawn Michalek (Embry-Riddle) def. Tyler Kacmarynski (Morningside), 6-2; Levi Morgan (Great Falls) def. Kacmarynski, 2-1.
Hwt.- John Lopez (Central Baptist) def. Tyler Thompson (Morningside), 12-4; Cody Jamtgaard (Dickinson State) def. Thompson, 6-4.
 |
 |
 |
Ben Knight |
Matt Mueller |
Drew Smith |
Ben Knight, Matt Mueller, and Drew Smith have been named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes in the sport of wrestling.
Knight, a senior from Sioux City, has a 3.63 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with majors in biology and chemistry.
Mueller, a senior from Malcolm, Neb., has a 3.62 cumulative GPA with a major in elementary education.
Smith, a senior from Milburn, Neb., has a 3.76 cumulative GPA with majors in biology and chemistry.
All three wrestlers were also Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes as juniors.
Student-athletes must be of at least junior academic status and have a minimum GPA of 3.50 in order to be eligible for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Click here for the complete list of 2011 Daktronics-NAIA Wrestling Scholar-Athletes.
 Ben Knight, a 165 lb. senior from Sioux City, has been named the NAIA National Wrestler of the Week and the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Wrestler of the Week.
Knight was named the Outstanding Wrestler at last Saturday’s NAIA North Region Tournament in Orange City, Iowa, after he defeated three nationally ranked opponents en route to the 165 lb. individual title. Knight, who was unranked going into the tournament, vaulted all the way to No. 2 in the final NAIA national rankings.
Knight went 4-0 at the NAIA North Region Tournament to improve his season’s record to 25-6 and stretch his winning streak to eight matches. He pinned Justin Narduzzo of Hastings College in 5:38 in his first match, followed by a 4-2 decision against 12th-ranked Pat Nord of Jamestown College in the quarterfinals, a 2-1 decision against No. 1-ranked Joe Sievert of Morningside in the semifinals, and a 16-3 rout of fifth-ranked Jameon Rush of Hastings College in the title bout.
A Morningside wrestler has earned the GPAC Wrestler of the Week honor each of the last four weeks.
Morningside is ranked seventh nationally in the final 2011 NAIA poll.
 Morningside College is ranked seventh nationally in the final 2011 NAIA Wrestling Coaches Top 20 Poll released on Feb. 22.
The Mustangs, the 2011 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and NAIA North Region champions, were ranked 12th in the previous poll. Morningside is ranked in the NAIA Top 10 for the first time in school history and finished the dual meet portion of its schedule with a 10-3-1 record.
The Mustangs have five athletes in the NAIA individual rankings. Ben Knight, a senior from Sioux City, is ranked second at 165 lbs.; Drew Smith, a senior from Milburn, Neb., is third at 141 lbs.; Brian Block, a sophomore from Sibley, Iowa, is fifth at 174 lbs.; Joe Sievert, a sophomore from Akron, Iowa, is seventh at 165 lbs.; and John Sievert, a senior from Akron, Iowa, is 12th at 184 lbs.
Knight, who was unranked in the previous poll, vaulted into the national rankings after he won the 165 lb. championship at last Saturday’s NAIA North Region Tournament. He has a 25-6 record with four falls.
Smith is the Mustangs’ leader in victories with a 34-4 record with eight falls and is riding a 20-match winning streak. Block has an 18-match winning streak and has a 29-7 record with seven falls. Joe Sievert is 22-4 with 10 falls and John Sievert is 20-15 with 12 falls.
Click here for the complete NAIA rankings.
 |
 |
Ben Knight |
Drew Smith |
Morningside College’s Ben Knight received the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler Award and Tim Jager received the NAIA North Region Coach of the Year Award after the Mustangs captured the team championship at Saturday’s NAIA North Region Tournament in Orange City, Iowa.
Morningside scored 149 points to edge Dickinson State University by two points for the team title in the 10-team field.
Knight, a senior from Sioux City, reigned in the 165 lb. division and was one of three Morningside individual champions. The Mustangs’ other individual champions were Drew Smith, a senior from Milburn, Neb., at 141 lbs. and Brian Block, a sophomore from Sibley, Iowa, at 174 lbs.
In addition to their three champions, the Mustangs also had runner-up finishes from Jared Wildeboer, a junior from Parkersburg, Iowa, at 157 lbs. and John Sievert, a sophomore from Akron, Iowa, at 184 lbs.
Knight came through the 165 lb. bracket as the No. five seed. Knight pinned Justin Narduzzo of Hastings College in 5:38 in his first match and won a 4-2 decision against Pat Nord of Jamestown College in the quarterfinals. Knight won a 2-1 decision in the semifinals against Morningside teammate Joe Sievert and routed Jameon Rush of Hastings by a 16-3 major decision in the championship match to improve his season’s record to 25-6. Sievert and Rush are ranked first and fifth, respectively, in the NAIA national rankings.
Smith, 34-4, pinned two of his four opponents on the way to the 141 lb. title with disposal times of 3:37 against Devin DeRocher of Briar Cliff University and 3:26 against Justin Ferguson of Hastings in the first two rounds. Smith won a 6-1 decision against Matt Dowell of Northwestern College in the semifinals and edged Midland University’s Eddie McCray by a 5-2 decision in the title bout.
 |
Brian Block |
Block won all three of his matches to raise his season’s record to 29-7. He won a 6-2 decision against Brady Burgess of Dickinson State University and a 9-4 decision against Anthony Clay of Jamestown to reach the 174 lb. final, where he edged fourth-ranked Cameron Schrempp of Dickinson State by a 6-5 decision.
Wildeboer reached the 157 lb. championship match as the fifth seed. He won a 2-0 decision against Nick Hutcheson of Dakota Wesleyan and won a 5-4 decision against Zach Mullins of Briar Cliff before he dropped an 11-1 major decision against Brad Cusatis of Hastings in the championship match.
John Sievert pinned Ronald Willison of Briar Cliff in 2:15 and won a 9-3 decision against Steven Urquizzo of Dickinson State to reach the 184 lb. title match, where he lost a 6-4 decision against Luke Evjen of Northwestern.
Morningside had third place finishes from Joe Sievert at 165 lbs., Andrew Anthofer, a sophomore from Coon Rapids, Iowa, at 174 lbs., and Tyler Thompson, a freshman from Norwalk, Iowa at heavyweight. Jake McManigal, a junior from Center, Neb., was fourth at 125 lbs.; Justin Truckenmiller, a sophomore from Sibley, Iowa, was fifth at 149 lbs.; and Tyler Kacmarynski, a sophomore from Spencer, Iowa, was sixth at 197 lbs.
Results
 Jake McManigal, a 133 lb. junior from Center, Neb., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Wrestler of the Week.
McManigal won both of his matches last week to help lead the Mustangs’ to a 45-3 victory against Hastings College and a 37-9 triumph against Concordia University. He pinned Jake Burke of Hastings in 1:32 and won a 10-3 decision against Travis Patrick in the victory against Concordia.
McManigal raised his season’s record to 23-10 with 10 falls.
Morningside, ranked 12th nationally in the NAIA, will compete in this Saturday’s NAIA North Region Tournament in Orange City, Iowa.
 Tyler Thompson, a freshman from Norwalk, Iowa, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Wrestler of the Week.
Thompson went 2-0 last week to help lead the Mustangs to dual meet victories against Northwestern College and Buena Vista University. He pinned both of his opponents with fall times of 6:42 against Brad Hughes of Northwestern and 4:50 against Matt Sefcik of Buena Vista. Thompson has an 18-15 record with a team-high 12 falls this season.
Morningside defeated Northwestern 36-10 and Buena Vista 40-9 to improve its season’s record to 8-3-1.
 Joe Sievert, a sophomore from Akron, Iowa, has been named the NAIA National Wrestler of the Week and the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Wrestler of the Week for his performance at last Saturday’s GPAC Wrestling Championships in Hastings, Neb.
Sievert, ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 165 lb. division, was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the GPAC Championships after he pinned three of his four opponents en route to the 165 lb. individual title. Sievert advanced to the 165 lb. championship match with fall times of 3:53 against Ben Taylor of Briar Cliff University, 5:20 against Tanner LaValliere of Dakota Wesleyan University, and 2:43 against Blake Augustyn of Concordia University. He won a 12-8 decision against sixth-ranked Jameon Rush of Hastings College in the championship match.
Sievert has a 16-3 record with seven falls this season. He will take a nine-match winning streak into duals against Northwestern College and Buena Vista University on Thursday in Storm Lake, Iowa.
 |
 |
Drew Smith |
Tim Jager |
Morningside College had three athletes named to the 2011 All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Wrestling First-Team.
The headliner is Drew Smith, a 141 lb. senior from Milburn, Neb., who was named the 2011 Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Wrestler of the Year. The Mustangs’ other wrestlers named to the All-GPAC First-Team are Joe Sievert, a 165 lb. sophomore from Akron, Iowa, and Brian Block, a 174 lb. sophomore from Sibley, Iowa.
In addition to the three wrestlers named to the All-GPAC First-Team, the Mustangs’ Tim Jager was named the 2011 Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Wrestling Coach of the Year after he guided Morningside to its first-ever GPAC title at last Saturday’s GPAC Wrestling Championships. Jager has led the Mustangs to a 62-35-2 dual record in his six plus seasons as their head coach, including a 6-3-1 mark this year.
Smith, this year’s GPAC 141 lb. individual champion, has a 26-4 record with four falls and is ranked fourth nationally in the latest NAIA ratings. He was also an individual champion at this season’s Buena Vista University Open and Iowa Lakes Community College Laker Open. Smith ranks third on Morningside’s all-time victory list with 110 career triumphs.
 |
 |
Joe Sievert |
Brian Block |
Sievert is ranked No. 1 in the NAIA and is this year’s GPAC 165 lb. individual champion. He has a 16-3 record with seven falls. Sievert earned NAIA All-America honors last year with a third place finish in the 165 lb. division at the NAIA National Championships.
Block, this year’s GPAC 174 lb. individual champion, has a 22-7 record with five falls. He also won tournament titles at this season’s Buena Vista Open and Iowa Lakes Laker Open.
In addition to their three first-team selections, the Mustangs placed Ben Knight, Tyler Kacmarynski, John Sievert, and Tyler Thompson on the All-GPAC Second-Team.
Knight, a 157 lb. senior from Sioux City, has a 19-6 record with two falls. He is Morningside’s all-time leader with 25 career falls.
Kacmarynski, a 197 lb. sophomore from Spencer, Iowa, has a 23-9 record with seven falls. He was an individual champion at this year’s Minnesota West Community College Worthington Open.
Sievert, a 184 lb. sophomore from Akron, Iowa, has a 14-11 record with eight falls.
Thompson, a freshman heavyweight from Norwalk, Iowa, has a 16-15 record with a team-high 10 falls. He was an individual champion at this season’s Augsburg College Open.
Morningside’s Justin Truckenmiller, a 149 lb. sophomore from Sibley, Iowa, was named to the All-GPAC honorable mention list. Truckenmiller has a 23-12 record with three falls. He was an individual champion at this season’s Buena Vista Open.
Click here for the complete 2011 All-GPAC Wrestling Team.
 |
 |
Drew Smith |
Joe Sievert |
Morningside College won its first Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) wrestling championship in school history at Saturday’s 2011 GPAC Wrestling Championships in Hastings, Neb.
The Mustangs scored 165 points to reign over the eight-team field. Midland University was the runner-up with 150 points.
Morningside crowned three individual champions and also had three runner-ups. The Mustangs’ individual GPAC champions were Drew Smith, a senior from Milburn, Neb., at 141 lbs.; Joe Sievert, a sophomore from Akron, Iowa, at 165 lbs.; and Brian Block, a sophomore from Sibley, Iowa at 174 lbs. Sievert was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler.
The Mustangs’ runner-ups were John Seivert, a sophomore from Akron, Iowa, at 184 lbs.; Tyler Kacmarynski, a sophomore from Spencer, Iowa, at 197 lbs.; and Tyler Thompson, a freshman from Norwalk, Iowa, at heavyweight.
Smith won a 4-2 decision against Matt Dowell of Northwestern College in the 141 lb. title bout to raise his season’s record to 26-4 and extend his winning streak to 12 matches. Smith pinned Robbie Resendiz of Concordia University in 2:28 in the quarterfinals and won an 11-3 major decision against J.L. Mayo of Northwestern in the semifinals.
Sievert pinned his first three opponents to reach the 165 lb. championship match, where he won a 12-8 decision against Jameon Rush of Hastings College. Sievert’s falls came in times of 3:53 against Ben Taylor of Briar Cliff University, 5:20 against Tanner LaValliere of Dakota Wesleyan University, and 2:43 against Blake Augustyn of Concordia. Sievert, the nation’s No. 1-ranked wrestler at 165 lbs., stretched his winning streak to nine matches and improved his season’s record to 16-3.
 |
Brian Block |
Block won an 11-9 decision against Midland’s Kody Kersten in the 174 lb. championship match to improve his season’s record to 22-7. Block pinned Concordia’s Ryan Perez in 2:59 in the quarterfinals and won a 16-1 technical fall against Hasting’s Jairin Potter in the semifinals. Block has won his last 11 matches.
John Sievert pinned Ronnie Willison of Briar Cliff in 3:35 and Kevin Young of Midland in 2:06 before he dropped an 11-10 verdict against Luke Evjen of Northwestern in the 184 lb. title match.
Kacmarynski won a 4-3 decision against Julian Silvia of Concordia in the semifinals in his only match prior to the 197 lb. final, where he lost a 9-5 decision against Jon Wilbourne of Midland.
Thompson advanced to the heavyweight final after he won a 15-5 major decision against Cody Millard of Midland, won a 6-4 decision against Joe Skow of the University of Sioux Falls, and pinned Concordia’s Frank Avala in 4:31. Thompson lost a 10-7 decision against Midland’s Levi Roberson in the championship match.
The Mustangs had third place finishes from Justin Truckenmiller, a sophomore from Sibley, Iowa, at 149 lbs.; Ben Knight, a senior from Sioux City, at 165 lbs.; and Andrew Anthofer, a sophomore from Coon Rapids, Iowa, at 174 lbs.
Truckenmiller won a 3-0 decision against Ariel Bosque of Northwestern before he dropped a 9-6 verdict against Brandon Starkey of Concordia in the semifinals. Truckenmiller won a 9-0 major decision against Alex Stepanek of Concordia and a 6-0 decision in a rematch against Bosque in the consolation bracket.
Knight won a 10-5 decision against Tyler Sarringar of Dakota Wesleyan before he lost 4-3 against Jameon Rush of Hastings in the semifinals. Knight won a 10-7 decision against Tanner LaValliere of Dakota Wesleyan and a 14-4 major decision in a rematch against Sarringar in the consolation bracket.
Anthofer lost an 8-2 decision against Midland’s Kody Kersten in the semifinals before he defeated Ryan Perez of Concordia by a 20-5 technical fall and pinned Jairin Potter of Hastings in 2:45.
Morningside had fifth place finishes from Jake McManigal, a junior from Center, Neb., at 133 lbs.; Taylor Phipps, a freshman from Crete, Neb., at 141 lbs.; and Jared Wildeboer, a junior from Parkersburg, Iowa, at 157 lbs.
Results
 Drew Smith, a senior from Milburn, Neb., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Wrestler of the Week.
Smith was the 141 lb. champion at last Saturday’s Buena Vista Open, where he won three matches to raise his season’s record to 14-3. Smith, ranked sixth nationally in the NAIA in the 141 lb. division, won a 2-1 decision against Bradley Wisdom of Missouri Baptist University in the Buena Vista Open title bout. Wisdom wrestled for NCAA Division I University of Missouri last season.
Prior to the championship match, Smith’s victories at Buena Vista included an 8-1 decision against Devin Terry of NCAA Division II Southwest Minnesota State University and a 12-4 major decision against Morningside’s Taylor Phipps.
|
