The Chadron State wrestling team will put one of the college’s most hallowed athletic streaks on the line when it enters the NCAA Super Region 6 Tournament in Kearney on Saturday.
For 50 consecutive years, the Eagles have sent at least one wrestler to National Wrestling Tournaments. From 1969 through 1992 it was the NAIA showdown where the Eagles sought national honors. Since then, they have been striving to earn points at the NCAA II Nationals.
Although the Eagles have had just one national qualifier each of last four years, the skein has been maintained, thanks to Caleb Copeland in 2015, Taylor Summers in 2016, Chance Helmick in 2017 and Brock Thumm in 2018.
Coach Brett Hunter, a two-time NCAA II National Champion, says nothing will come easy at this year’s regionals, but he’s confident each of his nine entries will give it his best shot.
The action will begin at 10 a.m. (CST) with the finals set for 5 p.m. on the University of Nebraska-Kearney campus. Besides the host Lopers, the eight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference members with wrestling programs and Simon Fraser from British Columbia will participate.
Some alignment changes have been made since last year’s regionals. There were four regional tournaments a year ago while this year there are six.
In addition, last year’s winner of the West Regional Tournament, Cal Baptist, has moved to Division I. Three more West participants a year ago–Fort Hays State and Newman University in Kansas and Central Oklahoma–have been switched to Super Region 5.
The top three finishers in each weight class in each region will advance to the National Tournament, which will be March 8-9 in Cleveland.
The Eagles’ entries by weight and their records are:
133–Brandon Kile, 14-11; 141–Chance Karst, 8-12; 149–Chase Clasen, 14-5; 157–Jake Otuafi, 10-13; 165–Tate Allison, 7-12; 174–Matt Hebel, 11-12; 184–Herber Shepherd, 7-13; 197–Wade French, 13-7; and heavyweight–Rulon Taylor, 10-5.
Just two of the Super Region 6 teams are listed in the National Wresting Coaches Association’s top 25 rankings of February 4. Kearney is second and Colorado State-Pueblo is seventh.
St. Cloud State of Minnesota, which has won three of the last four national titles, leads the poll again. Its margin over UNK is 102 to 69 points. Wheeling Jesuit of West Virginia is third with 62 and Notre Dame of Ohio fourth with 61.
Fourteen wrestlers from Super Region 6 are among the 120 wrestlers who are nationally ranked among the top 12 in their weight classes. Five of them are from Kearney, including top-ranked Matt Malcolm at 157 pounds and Calvin Ochs at 165. Also heading a weight class from the region is Western Colorado’s 174-pounder Brandon Supernaw.
The only nationally ranked CSC grappler is Clasen, a junior from Moses Lake, Washington. He’s 11th at 149 pounds.