Wartburg Men's Wrestling Tops American Rivers Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll

10/17/2024 11:55:00 AM

By: Ali Wilson, A-R-C Assistant Commissioner

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – After winning their 41st conference title in program history last season, the Wartburg College Knights were selected to do it all over again this upcoming season as the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) releases the men’s wrestling preseason poll. Read below about the Knights and the entire A-R-C as the league prepares for another exciting college wrestling season.

2024-25 American Rivers Conference Men's Wrestling Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Rank

School (1st place votes)

Points

1.Wartburg College (8)64
2.Coe College55
3.Loras College (1)48
4.Luther College42
5.Central College39
6.University of Dubuque31
7.Simpson College18
8.Buena Vista University16
9.Nebraska Wesleyan University11

The Poll: 

Leading the way this season, Wartburg College, the defending conference champion and national runner-up, has been voted the preseason favorite. The Knights were selected first on eight ballots and earned 64 points. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own teams. Coe College garnered 55 points. The Loras College Duhawks picked up 48 points and one first place vote to be selected to finish third. Luther tallied 42 points to put them at the No. 4 spot. The Dutch of Central recorded 39 points to put them at the No. 5 spot and the University of Dubuque picked up 31 points to earn sixth. Simpson, Buena Vista, and Nebraska Wesleyan finished seventh, eighth, ninth, respectively. 

New Head Coaches:

Landon Williams - Central College

Colton McCrystal - Nebraska Wesleyan University

National Spotlight: 

The NWCA has not released preseason polls yet. 

The Schedule: 

The 2024-25 kicks off on Saturday, November 2 with Central, Nebraska Wesleyan, and Simpson competing at the Luther Hill Invitational while Dubuque and Loras begin their seasons at the University of Dubuque Open. The Luther Open will feature Buena Vista, Coe, Dubuque, Loras, Luther, and Wartburg on Saturday, November 9. 

The conference slate will begin on Thursday, November 7 with Dubuque heading to Simpson. 

Later this season, Iowa PBS will begin streaming college wrestling again which will include five A-R-C schools featured. On January 21, 2025, Loras versus Coe will be live. On January 30, 2025 the annual “Battle of the Burg’s” will be featured between Wartburg and non-conference Augsburg and closing it out on February 6, 2025 with Central and Luther. 

The annual A-R-C duals will bring the league’s nine institutions into action on Saturday, January 25th. This year’s conference duals will take place at Central and Simpson. 

The path to the 2024 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships will begin with the NCAA Lower Midwest Regional. 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. 

Preseason No. 1 | Wartburg College Knights

Eric Keller is entering his 15th season as the head coach for the Knights program. Last season, Wartburg finished the season 15-1 in dual action and 8-0 in the league to claim their 41st conference title. They went on to finish runner-up on the national stage. 

Wartburg will return Kyler Romero, Charlie Dojan, Nathan Fuller, and Massoma Endene, who have each earned All-American honors. James Levy, Daniel Meeker, Kasey Ross, and Mitchell Williamson as returning All-Region honorees. 

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 part of a conference that understands, appreciates, and values this great sport. We are also thankful for the leadership in the A-R-C and the support they continue to provide for wrestling.
Eric Keller, Wartburg College Head Men's Wrestling Coach

Preseason No. 2 | Coe College Kohawks

John Oostendorp is kicking off year 24 as the head coach at Coe College. Last season, the Kohawks recorded a 12-2 overall dual record and 7-1 in the conference to finish second. Coe posted a national finish of 38th. 

LJ Richardson is a returning All-American for the Kohawks. Bryce Parke, Dresden Grimm, Ty Koedam, Jared Voss, and Matt Arsneault return as All-Region honorees from last season. 

We are excited and looking forward to the great competition and tradition of the teams that make up the American Rivers Conference. We return the nucleus of a team that finished 7-1 in conference duals and look to build off that with a strong mix of veterans and underclassmen in the lineup.
John Oostendorp, Coe College Head Men's Wrestling Coach

Preseason No. 3 | Loras College Duhawks

Entering his third season leading the Duhawks is Jeren Glosser. He led Loras to a 10-7 overall dual record and 6-2 record in the A-R-C to finish third last season. The Duhawks placed 10th at NCAAs last year. 

Loras returns Eric Kinkaid, Dustin Bohren, and Zeb Gnida as All-Americans from last season to lead a strong returning class. Aiden Evans, and Jalen Schropp earned All-Region last season, too. 

With three returning All-Americans in Eric Kinkaid, Dustin Bohren, and Zeb Gnida, the Loras wrestling team is very excited for the upcoming season in the always tough American Rivers Conference.
Jeren Glosser, Loras College Head Men's Wrestling Coach

Preseason No. 4 | Luther College Norse

Dave Mitchell returns as the most veteran and seasoned coach in the A-R-C as he enteres year 29 as the head coach. The Norse finished 4-4 in the league last year and 12-7 overall in duals. They finished 13th on the national stage last season. 

Luther welcomes back All-Americans Clayton McDonough and Walter West. The Norse additionally have All-Region honorees Connor Kidd, Chase Kmosena, and Bryce McDonough back for the 2024-25 campaign. 

The American Rivers Conference is a leader in NCAA Division III Wrestling. We have great coaches and great student-athletes in our conference that show year after year that they are some of the best in the country. I expect this year to be the same and we hope Luther can be in that mix as well. We are excited to have two returning All-Americans, eight fifth-year wrestlers, and a good incoming class to build on from last year’s team that finished 13th at the NCAA Championships.
Dave Mitchell, Luther College Head Men's Wrestling Coach

Preseason No. 5 | Central College Dutch

Landon Williams is familiar with the league, but is entering year one as the head coach in Pella for the Central College Dutch. Last season, Central finished 4-4 in the conference adn 12-4 overall in dual action. They finished 48th at the NCAA Championships. 

The Dutch return Pierre Baldwin and Gage Linahon as returning national qualifiers. 

Preseason No. 6 | University of Dubuque Spartans

Jon McGovern enters year 21 as the head coach at Dubuque. The Spartans finished 4-4 in league duals and 7-7 overall last season. 

The Spartans look to use a talented group of young men and coaches this season excel in the A-R-C. 

We have a great team filled with guys who work year-round to win. Several guys stayed and trained through the World Team Trials to help Brady Koontz make his second USA World Team. I am excited to see these guys compete and showcase their work.
Jon McGovern, University of Dubuque Head Men's Wrestling Coach

Preseason No. 7 | Simpson College Storm

Entering his sixth season as the head coach of the Storm is Dylan Peters. Last season, Simpson finished 1-7 in league duals and 1-9 overall. 

The Storm return a majority of their starters to the lineup this season hoping to lean on veteran talent and knowledge for a successful season. 

We bring back six of our ten starters this season. We also added a great group of young guys to enhance the level of competition in our room. We no longer have a team filled with first and second year students but have a strong core of junior leaders to help guide the program in the right direction. I am excited to see new guys emerge as leaders and keep our program moving forward.
Dylan Peters, Simpson College Head Men's Wrestling Coach

Preseason No. 8 | Buena Vista University Beavers

Sean White is beginning his fourth season as the head coach for the Buena Vista men’s wresling program. Last season, the Beavers finished 2-9 overall and 1-7 in the league. 

The Beavers continue to build and compete and this year will be no different as they look to climb the conference standings. 

“Excited to build and compete in the conference!”
Sean White, Buena Vista University Head Men's Wrestling Coach

Preseason No. 9 | Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves

Colton McCrystal is beginning his first season in Lincoln, Nebraska leading the Prairie Wolves. Nebraska Wesleyan finished 2-9 overall last season and 1-7 in league duals. 

The Prairie Wolves look to use their first-year head coach to make moves in the conference standings. 

Don't forget to become a fan of the American Rivers Conference on Facebook@AmericanRiversConference, X (Twitter) @AmerRiversConf, and Instagram @AmericanRiversConference.

About the American Rivers Conference

The Conference dates back to December 8, 1922, when representatives from 12 colleges got together and formed the "Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association." Honoring its heritage in Iowa and its expansion outside the state, the American Rivers Conference brand was established on August 9, 2018, to build on the academic and athletic success provided by its legacy, the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The A-R-C has nine full-time members: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College.