CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Results of the American Rivers Conference Wrestling Preseason Poll (as voted on by the league's head coaches):
| 2019-20 American Rivers Conference Coaches' Preseason Wrestling Poll |
| Rank |
School (1st place votes) |
Points |
2018-19 Dual Meet Record |
| 1. |
Loras (5) |
61 |
13-2, 7-1 A-R-C (NCAA Runner-up) |
| 2. |
Wartburg (4) |
59 |
16-1, 8-0 A-R-C (A-R-C & Regional Champions) |
| 3. |
Coe |
50 |
14-7, 6-2 A-R-C |
| 4. |
Central |
41 |
13-3, 5-3 A-R-C |
| 5. |
Luther |
38 |
10-8, 4-4 A-R-C |
| 6. |
Dubuque |
27 |
10-8, 2-6 A-R-C |
| 7. |
Nebraska Wesleyan |
23 |
4-8, 2-6 A-R-C |
| 8. |
Buena Vista |
14 |
5-8, 2-6 A-R-C |
| 9. |
Simpson |
11 |
1-14, 0-8 A-R-C |
*Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own teams.
Loras, who finished second at the 2019 NCAA
DIII Championships, was picked first in the preseason coaches' poll. The
Duhawks garnered 61 points and five first-place votes.
Loras is not only pursing their first conference title in program history but looks to dethrone Wartburg, winners of 27-straight conference championships. The Knights finished second in the poll with 59 points and four first-place votes. Wartburg will fight to keep their perch atop the conference in addition to their streak of 213 straight conference dual wins. A streak that began on February 1, 1994 against Luther.
Loras' last win over the Knights came on January 23, 1992. Capsules on all nine teams -- follow here:
New Coaches: Dylan Peters, Simpson College. Peters is the
18th coach in program history and arrived after serving as an assistant coach at Central Michigan University over the last two seasons. He attended the University of Northern Iowa, where he earned two All-American honors and was a four-time NCAA qualifier. Peters climbed the record books with the Panthers and graduated in fourth place with 18 pins in a season and ended fifth all-time with 38 career pins. His 38 pins were the third most among active Division I wrestlers when he graduated in 2017. The Denver, Iowa native graduated in 2017 from Northern Iowa with a degree in human movement and exercise science.
The Schedule: The 2019-20 season kicks off Saturday, November 2 with Central and Nebraska Wesleyan in action. The Dutch will wrestle at the UW-Stevens Point Open and the Prairie Wolves will compete at the RCTC Yellow Jacket Open in Rochester, Minnesota. Thursday, November 7 will see Simpson take the mat for a home dual with Cornell College and Loras will host Buena Vista to start the season with a conference dual.
Wartburg unveils their 2019-20 line-up Saturday, November 9 in an A-R-C dual at Nebraska Wesleyan. On the same day, Dubuque will get their season underway at the UW-Platteville invite. Luther and Coe hit the mat for the first time in 2019-20 on Saturday, November 16. Coe will wrestle at the Luther College open, a tournament that will also see Loras, Simpson, and Wartburg.
Simpson’s first league dual of the year will be at Wartburg on Wednesday, November 20. Coe and Central square off in their first A-R-C dual of the season on November 21. The
Dutch will be traveling to Cedar Rapids for the match-up.
Dubuque, Iowa will be the site for Luther and Dubuque's first conference dual. The Norse and Spartans square off on Saturday, December 14.
The annual Conference duals will bring the league's nine institutions into action on Saturday, January 25. Five teams (Coe,
Loras, Luther, Nebraska Wesleyan, Simpson) will face off against each other at Nebraska Wesleyan University in
Lincoln, Neb., while the other four teams (Buena Vista, Central, Dubuque, Wartburg) will compete at Central College in Pella, Iowa.
The path to the 2020 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships will begin with the NCAA Lower Midwest Regional on February 29 – March 1 at the Five Flags Center in Dubuque, Iowa. The Lower Midwest Regional is hosted by
Loras College. The top three wrestlers from each weight class earn the privilege to compete at the NCAA Championships. Additionally, the top three wrestlers at each weight class, from the American Rivers Conference, earn All-Conference honors.
A year ago, the league claimed 23 of the 30 national qualifying spots available to the Lower Midwest Region. Of those 23, 13 captured All-American honors. The conference saw three wrestlers take home third-place in
Loras'
Clint Lembeck (
141lbs.) and Wartburg's
Cross Cannone (
157lbs.) and
Kyle Briggs (
174lbs.). Additionally, two wrestlers finished fourth, one earned fifth, four finished in sixth and three took eighth. Fourth place finishers were
Brandon Murray (
157lbs.) and
Eddie Smith (
165lbs.) of
Loras. Coe's
Taylor Mehmen (
197lbs.) was the lone fifth place finisher.
Cam Timok (
125lbs.) of Central,
Guy Patron Jr. (
197lbs) of
Loras,
Brady Fritz (
141lbs.) of Wartburg and teammate
Bo Wileman (
285lbs) all took home sixth.
Eron Haynes (
125lbs.) picked up Nebraska Wesleyan's first All-American honor with an eight-place finish. Also earning eight-place were Loras’
Jacob Krakow (
174lbs.) and Coe's
Josh Edel (
184lbs.).
Wrestlers of the American Rivers Conference will look to fight their way back to the top the national championship award stand in 2020; as 2019 marked the first time since 1973 a wrestler from the league did not make the finals. There will be no better stage for the league's wrestlers to reclaim the top of the podium, as the American Rivers Conference serves as host of the 2020 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. This year's championship will be held March 13-14 at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The American Rivers Conference will also serve as host of the 2022 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, also at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
| 1st |
|
Loras College
Head Coach: TJ Miller (4th Season)
2018-19 Dual Record: 13-2, 7-1 A-R-C (NCAA Runner-up)
2018-19 Conference Finish: 2nd
2018-19 NCAA Finish: Runner-up
Returning All-American(s): 5
All-American(s) Lost: 0
Returning All-Region: 7
Returning NCAA Qualifiers: 6
TJ Miller - “I’m excited for this upcoming season. I’m looking forward to seeing if we can carry last year’s momentum into the start of this season. Right now, we are taking it one day at a time and looking forward to a few weeks of good practices. I have a great group of assistant coaches that I’m excited to go to work with. Probably the most veteran group I have been a part of, but what we accomplished last year was last year. Time to get to work.” |
| Key Returners: |
|
| Jacob Hiles - 125lbs. (Jr.) |
8th at 2019 NCAA Regional |
| Brice Everson - 133lbs. (Sr.) |
2019 NCAA Qualifier |
| Clint Lembeck - 141lbs (Sr.) |
2x All-American: 2019 (3rd), 2016 (5th) |
| Brandon Murray - 157lbs. (Sr.) |
2019 All-American (4th) |
| Eddie Smith - 165lbs. (Sr.) |
2019 All-American (4th) |
| Jacob Krakow - 174lbs. (Jr.) |
2019 All-American (8th) |
| Guy Patron Jr. - 197lbs. (Sr.) |
3x All-American: 2019 (6th), 2018 (2nd), 2017 (3rd) |
| 2nd |
|
Wartburg College
Head Coach: Eric Keller (10th Season)
2018-19 Dual Record: 16-1, 8-0 A-R-C (A-R-C & Regional Champions)
2018-19 Conference Finish: 1st
2018-19 NCAA Finish: 6th
Returning All-American(s): 4
All-American(s) Lost: 2
Returning All-Region: 7
Returning NCAA Qualifiers: 5
Eric Keller - “Wartburg Wrestling is simply focused on getting better each and every day and reaching our full potential. The one thing we can control is our day to day focus, fight, and effort. Our goal is to enjoy the journey, which means having fun every step of the way.
The American Rivers Conference is the best wrestling conference in the nation. We feel fortunate to be a part of a conference that understands, appreciates, and values this great sport." |
| Key Returners: |
| Brady Kyner - 125lbs. (Jr.) |
2019 NCAA Qualifier: Round of 12 |
| Brennen Doebel - 125/133lbs. (Sr.) |
2018 NCAA Qualifier: Round of 12 |
| Brock Rathbun - 133/141lbs. (Jr.) |
2018 NCAA National Champion, 2019 NCAA Qualifier |
| Brady Fritz - 141/149lbs. (So.) |
2019 NCAA All-American (6th) |
| Kristian Rumph - 149lbs. (So.) |
2019 NCAA Qualifier: Round of 12 |
| Kyle Briggs - 174lbs. (Jr.) |
2019 NCAA All-American (3rd) |
| Isaiah Cox - 184lbs. (Sr.) |
5th at 2019 NCAA Regional, 2019 record: 20-11 |
| Kobe Woods - 197lbs. (Jr.) |
4th at 2019 NCAA Regional |
| 3rd |
|
Coe College
Head Coach: John Oostendorp (19th Season)
2018-19 Dual Record: 14-7, 6-2 A-R-C
2018-19 Conference Finish: 3rd
2018-19 NCAA Finish: 22nd
Returning All-American(s): 3
All-American(s) Lost: 1
Returning All-Region: 4
Returning NCAA Qualifiers: 3
John Oostendorp - "We are very excited and looking forward to the 2019-20 wrestling season. This will be one of our most talented and deepest teams we have had in some time. We have a good mix of proven, experienced competitors and a strong group of incoming freshmen. There will be some great competition in the room. The Conference will be tough as ever so the competition in our own room will help prepare us for the season." |
| Key Returners: |
|
| Brock Henderson - 133lbs. (So.) |
4th at 2018 NCAA Regional, Ranked 3rd in 2019 before season ending injury |
| Cole Erickson - 157lbs. (Sr.) |
2x All-American: 2019 (5th), 2018 (3rd) |
| Josh Edel - 184lbs. (Sr.) |
2019 All-American (8th) |
| Taylor Mehmen - 197lbs. (Sr.) |
2019 All-American (5th) |
| Kaleb Reeves - 285lbs. (So.) |
5th at 2019 NCAA Regional, U23 Greco All-American (4th) |
| 4th |
|
Central College
Head Coach: Eric Van Kley (13th Season)
2018-19 Dual Record: 13-3, 5-3 A-R-C
2018-19 Conference Finish: 4th
2018-19 NCAA Finish: 33rd
Returning All-American(s): 0
All-American(s) Lost: 1
Returning All-Region: 5
Returning NCAA Qualifiers: 0
Eric Van Kley - "American Rivers Conference continues to be premier Wrestling Conference in the Country. We look forward to another challenging year and are excited about the depth and leadership we have returning." |
| Key Returners: |
|
| Daniel Radcliffe - 141lbs. (Sr.) |
2017 NCAA Qualifier, 4th at 2019 NCAA Regional |
| Rob Areyano - 149lbs. (So.) |
5th at 2019 NCAA Regional |
| Nathan Fritz - 174lbs. (Sr) |
2018 NCAA Qualifier, 4th at 2019 NCAA Regional |
| Grifen McBride - 184lbs. (Jr.) |
7th at 2019 NCAA Regional |
| Gavin Babcock - 197lbs. (Jr.) |
7th at 2019 NCAA Regional |
| 5th |
|
Luther College
Head Coach: Dave Mitchell (24th Season)
2018-19 Dual Record: 10-8, 4-4 A-R-C
2018-19 Conference Finish: 5th
2018-19 NCAA Finish: 55th
Returning All-American(s): 0
All-American(s) Lost: 0
Returning All-Region: 3
Returning NCAA Qualifiers: 0
Dave Mitchell - "We are excited to make a jump this season. We have a nice group of returning guys who are focused on earning All-American honors. We also had a nice recruiting class with some guys who will be in the mix to contribute at a high level early in their careers. The conference will be as strong as ever and we look forward to the challenge that will present." |
| Key Returners: |
| Tyler DiFiore - 133lbs. (So.) |
6th at 2019 NCAA Regional, 2019 record: 22-19 |
| Michael Petersen - 149lbs. (Sr.) |
2019 record: 23-11 |
| Teagen Millers - 157lbs. (So.) |
7th at 2019 NCAA Regional, 2019 record: 17-12 |
| Ira Kuehn - 184lbs. (Jr.) |
4th at 2019 NCAA Regional, 2019 record: 25-10 |
| Keenan Feldausch - 285lbs. (Sr.) |
6th at 2017 NCAA Regional, 2019 Scholar All-American, 2019 record: 14-3 |
| 6th |
|
University of Dubuque
Head Coach: Jon McGovern (16th Season)
2018-19 Dual Record: 10-8, 2-6 A-R-C
2018-19 Conference Finish: t-6th
2018-19 NCAA Finish: NA
Returning All-American(s): 0
All-American(s) Lost: 0
Returning All-Region: 3
Returning NCAA Qualifiers: 1
Jon McGovern - “Excited to add an outstanding recruiting class to a solid base of Juniors and Seniors on our roster. We had a young team last year and graduated only one senior. The guys have been working year-round competing and training. We are looking for great effort and results from this team." |
| Key Returners: |
| Jessy Diaz - 157lbs. (Jr.) |
6th at 2019 NCAA Regional |
| Zarik Anderson - 165lbs. (Jr.) |
8th at 2019 NCAA Regional |
| Tevin Bailey - 184lbs. (So.) |
2019 NCAA Qualifier |
| Ethan Cain - 197lbs. (Sr.) |
2x Scholar All-American, 5th at 2018 NCAA Regional |
| Robert Melise - 285lbs. (Jr.) |
5th at 2018 NCAA Regional |
| 7th |
|
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Head Coach: Brandon Bradley (4th Season)
2018-19 Dual Record: 4-8, 2-6 A-R-C
2018-19 Conference Finish: t-6th
2018-19 NCAA Finish: 36th
Returning All-American(s): 1
All-American(s) Lost: 0
Returning All-Region: 1
Returning NCAA Qualifiers: 1
Brandon Bradley - "We look to have another break out season while returning an all- American to the line- up and a solid core of seniors to lead the program. As always the conference is one of the best in nation and we are excited to compete against the best." |
| Key Returners: |
|
| Eron Haynes - 125lbs. (So.) |
2019 All-American (8th), 2nd at 2019 NCAA Regional, 2019 record: 28-8 |
| Justin Hennessy - 285lbs. (Sr.) |
8th at 2019 NCAA Regional, 2019 record: 23-10 |
| 8th |
|
Buena Vista University
Head Coach: Mark Rial (2nd Season)
22018-19 Dual Record: 5-8, 2-6 A-R-C
2018-19 Conference Finish: t-6th
2018-19 NCAA Finish: NA
Returning All-American(s): 0
All-American(s) Lost: 0
Returning All-Region: 1
Returning NCAA Qualifiers: 0
Mark Rial - "We are excited for the season. We lost five seniors from the starting line up, so I am looking forward to some younger guys stepping in and making an impact. The conference will be strong as always and should be very competitive throughout." |
| Key Returners: |
| Collin Stilson - 149lbs. (Sr.) |
8th at 2019 NCAA Regional |
| 9th |
|
Simpson College
Head Coach: Dylan Peters (1st Season)
2018-19 Dual Record: 1-14, 0-8 A-R-C
2018-19 Conference Finish: 9th
2018-19 NCAA Finish: NA
Returning All-American(s): 0
All-American(s) Lost: 0
Returning All-Region: 0
Returning NCAA Qualifiers: 0
Dylan Peters - "I’m excited for our competition schedule to begin. We have a young team made up of 22 freshmen, 5 sophomores, and one lone senior. The American Rivers Conference will offer plenty of opportunities for our young guys to prove themselves." |
| Key Returners: |
|
| Sam Mathis - 197lbs. (Sr.) |
Moving to 197lbs. in 2019, Finished with a Hwt. record of 13-21 in 2019 |
| Spencer Anderson - 125lbs. (So.) |
2019 record: 4-5 |
| Dylan McChesney - 125lbs. (So.) |
2019 record: 14-26 |
| Jason Padilla - 133lbs. (So.) |
2019 record: 10-27 |
| Jakob Slavin - 149lbs. (So.) |
2019 record:9-24 |
| Shyler Langley - 184lbs. (So.) |
2019 record:10-13 |
