Wrestlers Vie For Title and NCAA Bids

Looking to qualify as many wrestlers as possible – and vie for a team conference and region championship – No. 7 Grand Canyon heads to Hays, Kan. for the NCAA Division II Super Region IV/Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships Saturday and Sunday at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

GCU heads into the meet with four wrestlers nationally ranked and two others that were ranked earlier in the season.

“The ultimate goal for us is to get as many guys through to the national tournament. That’s our primary goal,” said GCU head coach R.C. LaHaye.

Grand Canyon placed third in the tournament last year and advanced seven of its 10 wrestlers to the NCAA Division II Championships.

The Antelopes are one of six teams in the field ranked in the nation’s Top 20. Seventeen wrestlers are among the nation’s Top 8 in their respective weight classes. GCU and third-ranked Nebraska-Kearney have the most, four each.

“Nebraska-Kearney is obviously the favorite, but I think us, Kearney and Adams State are three teams that all can win it. It’ll be a tight team race,” said LaHaye.

UNK is the defending tournament champion. Adams State is the only other team ranked in the Top 10, at No. 9. Other ranked teams are Colorado Mesa (No. 16), Fort Hays State (No. 17) and Western State (No. 20). Colorado State-Pueblo is among those receiving votes.

Live results and live video will be available from the tournament. Links to the live action are available on www.GCULopes.com.

Action begins Saturday at 8 a.m. Arizona Time and Sunday at 11 a.m. First round, quarterfinals, semifinals and two consolation rounds will take place Saturday. The final three consolation rounds and finals are Sunday. The championship finals are scheduled to start at 4 p.m.

Eleven teams will compete in the event, including the previous mentioned schools, Colorado Mines, San Francisco State, New Mexico Highlands and Chadron State.

The top four in each weight class will advance to the NCAA Championships March 9-10 in Pueblo, Colo.

For more information about the tournament, click here.

Here’s a look at the GCU entrants and the rest of the field heading into this weekend’s event. Seeding and brackets will be determined Friday.
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Class: 125
GCU: Kyle McCrite (Rathdrum, ID, Lakeland, North Idaho CC)
Ranking: No. 5
Record (Overall/RMAC): 31-5/9-1
On McCrite: Moved into the national rankings for the first time this week...leads GCU in victories with 31 and tied for team lead in wins by technical fall (4)...has three wins by fall and four by major decision...only RMAC loss is to No. 3 Jerry Huff of Adams State (5-4)...two-time JUCO All-American.
LaHaye Says: “He’s definitely good enough to win the region and compete for a national title.”
The Field: Huff and McCrite are the only nationally-ranked wrestlers in the field. Huff is unbeaten against RMAC foes and hasn’t lost since Nov. 12, 2011.
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Class: 133
GCU: Lino Estrada (Hayden, AZ, Hayden)
Ranking: Unranked
Record (Overall/RMAC): 15-16/2-8
On Estrada: Has a win over previously-national-ranked Matt Oliver of Newberry...six of his losses have been by two points or less...has a win over Colorado Mesa’s Tyler Nelson (4-3), who is ranked No. 4 in the Basford Regional Poll..three RMAC losses by two points or less.
LaHaye Says: “If he wrestles well and lays it all on the line, he could qualify.”
The Field: Group has three nationally-ranked wrestlers, including No. 2 Jesse Hillhouse of Colorado State-Pueblo, No. 7 Chad Lousberg of Colorado Mines and No. 8 Ryan Fillingame of Adams State.
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Class: 141
GCU: Madison Gambrell (Clovis, CA, Clovis )
Ranking: Unranked
Record (Overall/RMAC): 0-0/0-0
On Gambrell: Is healthy after missing all regular season competition to injury...qualified for NCAA Championships in 2011 at 125 and was runner-up in last year’s RMAC/Super Region IV Championships...had 9-6 record last year.
LaHaye Says: “He’s proven he can go to the national tournament.”
The Field: Like 133, three nationally-ranked wrestlers in the class. Leading the way is No. 1 Dalton Jensen of Nebraska-Kearney. Colorado Mesa’s James Martinez (No. 7) and Fort Hays State’s C.J. Napier (No. 8) are also among the Top 8.
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Class: 149
GCU: Bobby Ward (Nazareth, PA, Nazareth, North Carolina State)
Ranking: No. 7
Record (Overall/RMAC): 29-6/10-1
On Ward: Four of six losses came in November when he wrestled matches at 157 and 165...had 18-match winning streak...after losing to then-No. 3 Raufeon Stotts of Nebraska-Kearney, 5-3, bounced back with an impressive 7-3 victory over then-No. 2 Mitchell Means of Fort Hays State...24-3 at 149...Division I NCAA qualifier at N.C. State.
LaHaye Says: “He’s a lot like McCrite, one loss in the conference and it was close. He has the ability to win the RMAC and compete for a national title.”
The Field: Stotts has since moved up to No. 2, while Means has dropped out of the rankings. One of the stronger classes in the tournament with unranked 2010 All-American Josh Hensley, who owns a win over Stotts, but also lost by fall to Means and Ward. San Francisco State has a 20-win wrestler in Dylan Phillipy.
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Class: 157
GCU: Ted Bristol (Santa Ana, CA, Temecula Valley, Santa Ana CC)
Ranking: Unranked
Record (Overall/RMAC): 12-10/3-4
On Bristol: Returning All-American that thrives in the post season...has recent win over No. 6 Bobby Williams of Ouachita Baptist...has beaten Mines’ Steven Kelly, who is ranked third in the Basford Regional poll...won 21 matches last season and was third at the RMAC/Super Region IV Championships.
LaHaye Says: “He’s right where he was last year. He’s a post season wrestler and has a couple wins over ranked kids and a couple close losses.”
The Field: At No. 2, UNK’s T.J Hepburn is the only ranked wrestler in the field.
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Class: 165
GCU: David Wilber (Cottonwood, AZ, Mingus)
Ranking: Unranked
Record (Overall/RMAC): 9-17/1-5
On Wilber: Lost only 5-3 to No. 2 Joey Wilson of Nebraska-Kearney...Eight of his losses have been by two points or less...all but one loss has been by decision...is a two-time high school state champion.
LaHaye Says: “He’s been fighting all year against the best guys in our conference. He’s also had some close losses. If he can turn it up, you never know what might happen.”
The Field: Wilson is the only ranked wrestler in the group.
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Class: 174
GCU: Victor Carazo (Modesto, CA, Grace M. Davis, Modesto College)
Ranking: No. 5
Record (Overall/RMAC): 20-1/10-0
On Carazo: Two-time All-American and two-time RMAC/Super Region IV Champion...is program’s winningest wrestler with 91 victories...is unbeaten against RMAC foes with 10 decisions by a combined score of 107-39...has won 18 straight matches...program’s all-time leader in pins (20)...finished third in the nation last year and fourth in 2010.
LaHaye Says: “His whole mindset is to dominate at the regional tournament and get momentum going into nationals. He’s dominated everyone he’s wrestled in the region this season and his sight is set on a national championship.”
The Field: Carazo will be the heavy favorite. His closest decisions were against UNK’s Mark Fiala (7-4) and Adams State’s Jarrod Purvis (10-6).
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Class: 184
GCU: Brett Sanchez (Clovis, CA, Clovis, Clackamas CC)
Ranking: No. 5
Record (Overall/RMAC): 20-8/8-2
On Sanchez: Coming off his biggest win of the year over then-No. 1 Walker Clarke of Fort Hays State (4-1), propelling him into that NWCA rankings...one of six wrestlers with 20 or more wins...two wins over RMAC competition by fall...has won four times by fall, once by technical fall and four times by major decision...is two-time JUCO All-American
LaHaye Says: “He’s had three or four big wins over RMAC wrestlers and a couple close losses. I think the weight class is up for grabs for anyone who steps up at the right time. I feel he has the ability to do it.”
The Field: Dropped to No. 3 after his loss to Sanchez, Clarke is the highest ranked wrestler in the class. Sanchez, UNK’s Ross Brunkhardt, Colorado Mesa’s Nick Peterson and Highlands’ Igor Gomzin are all viable candidates to take home the top prize and move on to nationals.
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Class: 197
GCU: Celic Bell (South Haven, MI, South Haven, North Idaho College)
Ranking: Unranked
Record (Overall/RMAC): 20-3/7-2
On Bell: Has flown under the ranking radar in spite of 20 wins...six of seven wins over RMAC foes have been by fall or major decision...beat two nationally-ranked Division I wrestlers (Ryan Smith, Cal Poly; Tommy Burriel, Arizona State) in November...tied for team lead with seven wins by fall and has team lead with seven wins by major decision.
LaHaye Says: “When he’s on his best, he’s very, very tough to beat. He’s really caught fire of late.”
The Field: Adams State’s Luke McPeek, No. 2, is the only ranked wrestler in field.
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Class: 285
GCU: Jordan Johnson (Bettendorf, IA, Bettendorf, Univ. of Iowa)
Ranking: Unranked
Record (Overall/RMAC): 26-4/9-2
On Johnson: Ranked No. 3 in the nation prior to two RMAC losses last week...tied with Bell for team lead in wins by fall with seven...three of four losses have been by two points or less...was champion at Roadrunner Open (Bakersfield, CA), Menlo Collegiate Invitational and Colorado Mesa Open.
LaHaye Says: “Outside of one bad night (last week), he has dominated all season. He knows that if he’s at his best regional and national titles are within his grasp.”
The Field: Fort Hays State’s Justin Glenn is lone ranked wrestler in weight class at No. 7. Johnson had been No. 3 prior to losses last week to Glenn (3-2) and UNK’s Kevin Barrett (3-1).

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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