Loper Athletics
KEARNEY – The Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team heads into this weekend’s NCAA Division II Championships ranked fourth nationally and with six top seeds in the brackets.This year’s national meet will be held in Wichita at the Hartman Arena on March 15-16. A top eight-finish is good for All-American status. Live results and live video are available via Flo Wrestling with action starting at 10 a.m. each day and finals set for 7 p.m. on Saturday.
UNK tallied 50 points in the final edition of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Top 25 poll. West Liberty (W.V.) also tallied 50 points with Central Oklahoma (99), Lander, S.C. (83) and St. Cloud State (66) ahead of the Lopers and Mountaineers.The brackets are now seeded and cracking the top eight are sophomores Crew Howard (5th/285) and Trenton Munoz (5th/174 lbs.), senior Nick James (6th/141 lbs.) and redshirt freshman Zach Ourada (6th/125 lbs.), and senior Billy Higgins (8th/184 lbs.) and sophomore Jackson Kinsella (8th/197 lbs.). Also qualified are senior John Burger (149 lbs.) and sophomore Kaden Hart (165 lbs.). James and Higgins are two-time All-Americans, Munoz was a 2022 National Runner Up for Hastings, and both Burger and Hart are in the NCAA’s for a second straight year. This is the NCAA debut’s for Ourada, Howard, and Kinsella.
Below are the early-round matchups for each Loper. 125 lbs.6th-seed Zach Ourada (19-5) vs. Zach Shupp, Newberry, S.C. (20-7)2nd Round: 3rd-seed Christian Mejia, McKendree, Ill. (27-4) or Manuel Leija, Davenport, Mich. (3-1)141 lbs.6th-seed Nick James (19-4) vs. Mason Myers, Pitt-Johnstown (2-1)2nd Round: 3rd-seed Dylan Lucas, UCO (29-5) vs. Colton Stoneking, Fairmont St., W.V. (22-4)149 lbs.John Burger (16-7) vs. Jake Piccirilli, UNC-Pembroke (17-3) … pigtail1st Round: 7th-seed Colby Njos, St. Cloud (15-2), Cody Thompson, Colo. Mines (21-2) or Jackson Hoover, Indianapolis (23-1)165 lbs.Kaden Hart (15-6) vs. 2nd-seed Chase Luensman, Upper Iowa (25-3)2nd Round: 7th-seed Anthony Herrera, St. Cloud St. (16-4), Brandon Connor, Millersville, Pa. (2-1) or Alec Cook, West Liberty (20-10)174 lbs.5th-seed Trenton Munoz (25-4) vs. Matt Ortiz, McKendree, Ill. (22-10)2nd Round: 4th-seed Josh Kenny, Grand Valley St., Mich. (28-5) or Jon Parrilla, Millersville, Pa. (3-1)184 lbs.8th-seed Billy Higgins (11-2) vs. Seth Konynebelt, Grand Valley St., Mich. (27-14) or Cole Casilio, Gannon, Pa. (22-9)2nd Round: 1st-seed Ty McGeary, West Liberty, W.V. (29-0) or Tony Yacovetti, Lander, S.C. (3-0)197 lbs.8th-seed Jackson Kinsella (19-6) vs. Wayne McIntyre, Kutztown, Pa. (4-1) or Maston Christian, West Liberty, W.V. (27-9)2nd Round: 1st-seed Dalton Abney, UCO (14-0) or Nick Johnson, Glenville State, W.V. (13-5)285 lbs.5th-seed Crew Howard (24-2) vs. Massimo Sullivan, UNC-Pembroke (19-14)2nd Round: 4th-seed Juan Edmond-Holmes, Lander, S.C. (4-0) or Gave Bage, Frostburg St., Md. (19-8)