UNK Wrestling: Lopers Finish 3rd at NCAA's

Mar 17, 2024 / UNK Athletics

The fourth-ranked Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team finished in third place and fifth-year senior Nick James was the 141-pound national runner up Saturday at the 2024 NCAA Division II Championships in Wichita.

MIAA-member Central Oklahoma (110.0) defended its national title with Lander (S.C.) University tallying 86.5 points to come in ahead of the Lopers (77.5). This marks UNK's 22nd top eight finish at this tournament; that includes 13 top three efforts (four first, six second and three third).

The Lopers had a solid Saturday as they "upset" six-higher seeded opponents. James (Kearney) is UNK's 22nd National Runner up and was joined as an All-American by Omaha fifth-year senior Billy Higgins (3rd/184 lbs.), Iowa redshirt sophomore Crew Howard (3rd/285 lbs.), Iowa redshirt sophomore Jackson Kinsella (4th/197 lbs.) and Omaha redshirt freshman Zack Ourada (5th/125 lbs.). In the program's history (NAIA plus Division II), the Lopers are now at 175 All-Americans.

The sixth-seeded James exacted some revenge to reach the national finals as rolled past seventh-seeded Tate Murty of Upper Iowa, 12-7, this morning. Murty had beaten James in each of the last two National Duals. This time, James had three takedowns in the first period to be in control.

In the finals, he faced the defending national champion and top-seeded Zack Donathan of Tiffin (Ohio) University. That would be a Loper trend this weekend as four different wrestlers squared off against last year's best. Donathan, with only one career loss to a D2 wrestler, had takedowns in each of the first two periods to grab a 7-3 lead. With time winding down, James tried a twister but that instead led to another takedown and 3-near fall points for Donathan (21-0).

Higgins, seeded eighth, capped his career by pinning MIAA rival and seventh-seeded Damon Ashworth of Central Missouri (1:54) and then having two takedowns to beat fifth-seed Reece Worachek of Wisconsin-Parkside, 7-3, for third. On Friday, Higgins "upset" sixth-seed Bryce Fitzpatrick (St. Cloud) to be an All-American.

At heavyweight, the fifth-seeded Howard got past second-seed Isaiah Vance of Pitt-Johnstown, 7-3, and then blanked La'Ron Parks of Notre Dame (Ohio), 4-0, for third. Howard won his last four matches by a combined 31-6 score as well as recording a 4:03 fall in the first round.

Next, the eighth-seeded Kinsella got past third-seed Dominic Murphy of St. Cloud State, 4-1 (TB-1), in the consolation semifinals. For third place, he fell to Logan Kvien of McKendree (Ill.), 2-0. Finally, Ourada ran into top-seed James Joplin of Lander in his 125-pound consolation sems match and lost, 7-2. He bounced back to place fifth thanks to a 5-3 decision over second-seeded Shane Corrigan of Parkside, 5-3. That included a takedown just 1:04 into the action.

The 2025 NCAA Championships will be in Indianapolis and part of the semi-annual D2 Winter Sports Festival.

Top Ten Teams (ranking coming into the meet)

#1 Central Oklahoma (110.0 points)
#2 Lander, S.C. (86.5)
#T-4 UNK (77.5)
#5 McKendree, Ill. (73.0)
#3 St. Cloud State (64.0)
#T-8 Pittsburgh-Johnstown (45.0)
#7 Wisconsin-Parkside (41.0)
#T-8 Augustana (40.05)
#T-16 Indianapolis (37.5)
Adams State (33.5)
North Carolina-Pembroke (33.5)
125 lbs. – 6th-seed Zach Ourada (23-7) placed 5th and scored 10.0 team points

Champ. Round 1 - Zach Ourada won by major decision over Zach Shupp (Newberry, S.C.) (MD 14-6)
Quarterfinal – 3rd-seed Christian Mejia (McKendree, Ill.) won in tie breaker over Zach Ourada (TB-1; 3-1)
Cons. Round 2 - Zach Ourada won by decision over 5th-seed Logan Seliga (UNC Pembroke) (Dec 5-2)
Cons. Round 3 – Zach Ourada won by decision over 10th-ranked Trevon Gray (Pitt-Johnstown) (Dec 8-2)
Cons. Semi – 1st-seed James Joplin (Lander) won by decision over Zach Ourada (Dec 7-2)
5th Place Match – Zach Ourada won by decision over 2nd-seed Shane Corrigan (Wisc.-Parkside) (Dec 5-3)
141 lbs. – 6th-seed Nick James (21-4) placed 2nd and scored 16.5 team points

Champ. Round 1 - Nick James won by tech fall over Mason Myers (Pitt-Johnstown) (TF-1.5 5:27; 21-6)
Quarterfinal - Nick James won in tie breaker - 1 over 3rd-seed Dylan Lucas (Central Oklahoma) (TB-1 2-1)
Semifinal – Nick James won by decision over 7th-seed Tate Murty (Upper Iowa) (12-7)
Finals – 1st-seed Zach Donathan (Tiffin) won by major decision over Nick James (MD 13-3)
149 lbs. - John Burger (16-7) medically forfeited

Prelim – 10th-ranked Jake Piccirilli (UNC Pembroke) won by medical forfeit over John Burger (M. For.)
Prelim - Dean Noble (Western Colorado) won by medical forfeit over John Burger (M. For.)
165 lbs. - Kaden Hart (16-8) went 1-2 scored 2.5 team points

Champ. Round 1 – 2nd-seed Chase Luensman (Upper Iowa) 25-5 won by dec over Kaden Hart (Dec 10-3)
Cons. Round 1 - Kaden Hart won by fall over Brandon Connor (Millersville, Pa.) (Fall 4:00)
Cons. Round 2 – 8th-seed Aaden Valdez (Adams St.) won in sudden victory - 1 over Kaden Hart (SV-1 6-3)
174 lbs. – 5th-seed Trenton Munoz (27-6) went 2-2 and scored 4.0 team points

Champ. Round 1 - Matt Ortiz (McKendree, Ill.) won by decision over Trent Munoz (Dec 7-3)
Cons. Prelim - Trenton Munoz won by fall over Cole Hivnor (Gannon, Pa.) (Fall 5:45)
Cons. Round 1 - Trenton Munoz won by major decision over Jon Parrilla (Millersville, Pa.) (MD 14-0)
Cons. Round 2 – 3rd-Seed Cole Hernandez (Western Colo.) won by decision over Trenton Munoz (Dec 8-4)
184 lbs. – 8th-seed Billy Higgins (16-3) placed 3rd and scored 16.5 team points

Champ. Round 1 - Billy Higgins won by fall over Cole Casilio (Gannon, Pa.) (Fall 1:42)
Quarterfinal – 1st-seed Ty McGeary (West Liberty, W.V.) won by major dec over Billy Higgins (MD 14-5)
Cons. Round 2 - Billy Higgins won by decision over ninth-ranked Cade Mueller (Augustana) (Dec 11-6)
Cons. Round 3 – Billy Higgins won by decision over 6th-seed Bryce Fitzpatrick (St. Cloud State) (Dec 12-10)
Cons. Semis – Billy Higgins won by fall over 7th-seed Damon Ashworth (Central Missouri) (Fall 1:54)
3rd Place Match – Billy Higgins won by decision over 5th-seed Reece Worachek (Wisc.-Parkside) (Dec 7-3)
197 lbs. – 8th-seed Jackson Kinsella (23-8) placed 4th and scored 12.5 team points

Champ. Round 1 - Jackson Kinsella won by major decision over Wayne McIntyre (Kutztown, Pa.) (MD 12-4)
Quarterfinal – 1st-seed Dalton Abney (Central Okla.) won by major decision over Jackson Kinsella (MD 8-0)
Cons. Round 2 - Jackson Kinsella won by decision over John Parker-Wilson (Newberry, S.C.) (Dec 8-4)
Cons. Round 3 – Jackson Kinsella won by dec over 5th-seed Dakoda Rodgers (Pitt-Johnstown) (Dec 5-1)
Cons. Semis – Jackson Kinsella won in tie breaker -1 over 3rd-seed Dominic Murphy (St. Cloud) (TB-1; 4-1)
3rd Place Match – Logan Kvien (McKendree, Ill.) won by decision over Jackson Kinsella (Dec 2-0)
285 lbs. – 5th-seed Crew Howard (26-3) placed 3rd and scored 15.5 team points

Champ. Round 1 - Crew Howard won by fall over Massimo Sullivan (UNC Pembroke) (Fall 4:03)
Quarters – 4th-seed Juan Edmond-Holmes (Lander, S.C.) won in tie breaker over Crew Howard (TB-1 3-2)
Cons. Round 2 - Crew Howard won by decision over Matt Long (Gannon, Pa.) (Dec 8-3)
Cons. Round 3 – Crew Howard won by major decision over 7th-seed Luke Tweeton (Mary, N.D.) (Maj 9-0)
Cons. Semis – Crew Howard won by decision over 2nd-seed Isaiah Vance (Pitt.-Johnstown) (Dec 7-3)
3rd Place Match – Crew Howard won by decision over La’Ron Parks (Notre Dame, Ohio) (Dec 4-0)