CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – After a successful 2023-24 run, the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves were chosen to take the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) title this season as the league releases the 2024-25 men’s basketball preseason poll. Read about the P-Wolves and the entire A-R-C as the league prepares for another men’s basketball season. 

The Poll: 

Nebraska Wesleyan is the coaches’ pick to win the 2024-25 American Rivers Conference title after sharing the regular season title and advancing to the Elite 8 last season. The P-Wolves collected 60 points, recording five first-place votes in the poll. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own team. The University of Dubuque earned the second spot with 58 points and earned three first-place votes. Loras College was selected third garnering one first-place vote and 48 points. Following closely behind was Central College with 47 points to sit in the fourth spot while Coe College tallied 34 points. The Beavers of Buena Vista grabbed 32 points. Wartburg, Simpson, and Luther were selected seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively. 

New Head Coaches:

John Payan - Coe College

Kyle Jones - Simpson College

Sam Leal - Wartburg College

National Spotlight: 

The A-R-C has continued to flourish in the national spotlight over the recent years with notable NCAA tournament success. The league saw four teams earn bids to the tournament last season, with three picking up at least a win in the opening round. Although the official national polls have not been released yet, the conference is stacking up to be strong again this season. 

The Schedule: 

The 2024-25 season will officially tip off on Friday, November 8 with three A-R-C teams in action. The Coe College Kohawks head to Mount Vernon, Iowa to face foe Cornell College, Dubuque travels to Illinois to take on Aurora, and Luther heads north to Minnesota to face Macalester. On Saturday, November 9, four more conference programs get their season campaign started. Loras will host St. Scholastica, Nebraska Wesleyan will travel to Wisconsin to face Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Simpson is in Dubuque and facing Olivet, and Wartburg is up north in Minnesota taking on Macalester. Buena Vista will begin their season on Tuesday, November 12 when they host Faith Baptist Bible and Central begins on Friday, November 15 when they host Saint John’s. 

The 2024-25 American Rivers Conference schedule begins on Tuesday, November 26 with Central heading to Simpson, Loras hosting Coe, Dubuque traveling to Nebraska Wesleyan, and Luther hosting Wartburg. Buena Vista will tip off their season on Wednesday, December 4 when they travel to Central. 

The American Rivers Conference season is a 16-game double round-robin schedule finishing on Saturday, February 22. The league’s top six teams from the regular season standings qualify for the A-R-C Tournament. The conference tournament will be held Tuesday, February 25 (first round), Thursday, February 27 (semifinals), and Saturday, March 1 (championship). Game locations for the A-R-C Tournament are at the higher-seeded team’s venue. 

On the Line:

The American Rivers Conference Tournament Champion receives the league’s automatic qualifying bid to the 2025 NCAA Division III Tournament. 

Preseason No. 1 | Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves

Dale Wellman is entering his 11th season as the head coach of the Nebraska Wesleyan program where he has had great success. Last season, the Prairie Wolves finished 26-5 overall and 13-3 in the A-R-C to finish as co-regular season champions. Although falling in the conference tournament championship, Nebraska Wesleyan danced their way to the Elite 8 before seeing their season come to a close to No. 1-ranked Hampden Sydney. 

Nebraska Wesleyan brings back three starters this season: Carter Glenn, Jack Groeteke, and Conner Brown. Glenn and Groeteke are previous all-conference honorees. 

Preseason No. 2 | University of Dubuque Spartans

Robbie Sieverding enters his 18th season as the head coach of the Spartans this year. He led Dubuque to the NCAA Tournament last season and finished with a 21-7 overall record and 11-5 conference mark.

Jaylin McCants and Sunday John return this season as starters from last season for the Spartans. McCants is a returning all-conference performer. 

Preseason No. 3 | Loras College Duhawks

Entering his ninth season for the Duhawks is Chris Martin. He led Loras to the conference’s AQ tournament championship to extend their season last year. The Duhawks finished the year 24-6 overall and 11-5 in league action. 

Loras lost three starters but returns Tyler Bass and Declan Ciurlik this season. Both Bass and Ciurlik are previous all-conference performers. 

Preseason No. 4 | Central College Dutch

Joe Steinkamp enters his third season at Central as the head coach. Last season, the Dutch finished 17-9 overall and 11-5 in the league. 

Central is another team that welcomes back two starters to their lineup this season with Josh Van Gorp and Kaleb Brand. Van Gorp is a returning two-time MVP and Brand has earned all-conference honors. 

Preseason No. 5 | Coe College Kohawks

John Payan enters his first year as the head coach of the Kohawks after Coe saw great success last season. Coe finished 22-6 overall and 13-3 in the league to finish as co-regular season champions. The Kohawks earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

Cooper Nailor, Brady Klahn, and Bennett Sherry return this season as starters from last year’s championship team. Sherry earned all-conference honors last season. 

Preseason No. 6 | Buena Vista University Beavers

Trevor Johnson is entering his sixth season as the head coach in Storm Lake. Last season, the Beavers finished 13-13 overall and 6-10 in the league. 

Buena Vista returns strong this season with all five starters returning: Zach Neubaum, Gunner Reed, Carter Sievers, Koleson Evans, and Jackson Jones. 

Preseason No. 7 | Wartburg College Knights

Sam Leal is beginning year one for the Knights. Leal looks to bring Wartburg up in the standings this season after they finished 3-22 overall and 2-14 in league action last season. 

Marshun Williams, Luke Ladwig, Gabe Trujillo, and Isaac Besh return this season as starters from last season. The Knights look to use experience on the court this season to see success. 

Preseason No. 8 | Simpson College Storm

Kyle Jones is another first-year coach entering the A-R-C this season. Last season, the Storm finished 9-16 overall and 3-13 in the A-R-C. 

Simpson returns just Caden Rehmeier as a starter from last season, so will look for new players to step up this season. 

Preseason No. 9 | Luther College Norse

Mark Franzen is beginning his 19th season as the head coach of the Norse of Luther College. Luther finished 7-18 overall and 2-14 in league play last season. 

The Norse return Mikkel Schutte, Matthew Franzen, and Aidan Bailey as starters from last year’s lineup. 

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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.