CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced today its 2025-26 All-Conference Men's Wrestling team and major award winners. Headlining the announcement as American Rivers Conference Co-Most Valuable Performers are Wartburg College's Kade Blume, Central College's Cade Siebrecht, and Wartburg's Kasey Ross. Wartburg's head coach, Eric Keller, was voted A-R-C Coach of the Year, and Blume was selected as Rookie of the Year.
The 30-member team is composed of the top-three A-R-C place-winners at the NCAA Division III Region VI Regional Championship. The wrestler or wrestlers who finished highest at the NCAA Championships are deemed American Rivers Conference Most Valuable Performer(s), while Rookie and Coach of the Year are voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Co-Most Valuable Performer & Rookie of the Year - Kade Blume, Wartburg College
Blume concluded his freshman season at Wartburg as the 141-pound weight class National Champion. He was the highest placing freshman in the American Rivers Conference at the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Wrestling Championship. He finished his campaign at 25-2 overall.
Co-Most Valuable Performer - Cade Siebrecht, Central College
Siebrecht earned co-MVP honors after claiming the 149-pound weight class title at the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Wrestling Championship. Siebrecht became just the fourth Dutch wrestler to stand atop the podium at the national championship, and the first since 1992.
Co-Most Valuable Performer - Kasey Ross, Wartburg College
Ross capped off his senior season with a perfect 30-0 record. He earns co-MVP honors after claiming the 184-pound weight class title at the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Wrestling Championship. Ross had the strongest performance by the Knights, collecting 22.0 points, as Wartburg ran away with the national team title.
Coach of the Year - Eric Keller, Wartburg College
In his 16th season at the helm of the Wartburg College men's wrestling program, Keller was voted the league's Coach of the Year for the tenth time in his career (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026). Keller led the Knights to their 43rd conference title. Wartburg finished the conference dual season with a perfect 8-0 record. The national stage saw the Wartburg Knights show up again taking home their 17th national championship and saw two wrestlers earn individual national titles. Seven of Wartburg's wrestlers found their way to the podium at the national tournament to earn All-American honors.
American Rivers Conference men's wrestlers secured 29 of the 30 qualifying spots to the NCAA Championships in the 2026 Region VI Regional Championship. The A-R-C swept all ten weight class crowns at the regional championship.
At the conclusion of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Wrestling Championship at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 16 of the 29 wrestlers from the A-R-C earned All-American honors.
The complete 2025-26 American Rivers All-Conference Men's Wrestling team is as follows:
| 2025-26 All-American Rivers Conference Men's Wrestling Team |
| MVP - Kade Blume (Wartburg College), Cade Siebrecht (Central College), Kasey Ross (Wartburg College) |
| Rookie of the Year - Kade Blume, Wartburg College |
| Coach of the Year - Eric Keller, Wartburg College |
| Name |
Weight |
Regional Finish |
School |
Year |
Hometown/High School |
| Peirre Baldwin |
141lbs |
3rd |
Central College |
Sr. |
Chicago, Ill./West Chicago |
| Cade Siebrecht |
149lbs |
1st |
Central College |
Sr. |
Lisbon, Iowa/Lisbon |
| Samuel West |
197lbs |
3rd |
Central College |
Sr. |
Burlington, Iowa/Notre Dame |
| Brayden Parke |
125lbs |
2nd |
Coe College |
So. |
Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar |
| Dresden Grimm |
141lbs |
2nd |
Coe College |
Jr. |
Auburn, Ill./Auburn |
| Bo Koedam |
165lbs |
1st |
Coe College |
Fr. |
Lawton, Iowa/Sergant Bluff Luton |
| Jean Ngoma |
197lbs |
2nd |
Coe College |
Fr. |
Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier |
| Wyatt Smith |
285lbs |
3rd |
Coe College |
So. |
Lisbon, Iowa/Lisbon |
| Aidan Gruenenfelder |
125lbs |
3rd |
Loras College |
Fr. |
Blanchardville, Wis./Pecatonica |
| Connor Fiser |
133lbs |
3rd |
Loras College |
So. |
Bondurant, Iowa/Bondurant-Farrar |
| Chase Fiser |
149lbs |
2nd |
Loras College |
Sr. |
Bondurant, Iowa/Bondurant-Farrar |
| Eric Kinkaid |
157lbs |
1st |
Loras College |
Sr. |
Camanche, Iowa/Camanche |
| Dustin Bohren |
174lbs |
1st |
Loras College |
Sr. |
Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf |
| Landry Barker |
184lbs |
2nd |
Loras College |
Jr. |
Covington, La./St. Paul's |
| Jonah Clark |
285lbs |
2nd |
Loras College |
Jr. |
Wayland, Iowa/WACO |
| Connor Kidd |
133lbs |
1st |
Luther College |
Sr. |
Morton, Ill./Morton |
| Clayton McDonough |
165lbs |
2nd |
Luther College |
Sr. |
Nora Springs, Iowa/Central Springs |
| Bryce McDonough |
174lbs |
2nd |
Luther College |
Sr. |
Nora Springs, Iowa/Central Springs |
| Colton Weiler |
157lbs |
3rd |
University of Dubuque |
Fr. |
Auburndale, Wis./Auburndale |
| Zane Pannell |
184lbs |
3rd |
University of Dubuque |
Jr. |
Fulton, Ill./Fulton |
| Brett Birchman |
125lbs |
1st |
Wartburg College |
Jr. |
Fennimore, Wis./Fennimore |
| Patrick Mullen |
133lbs |
2nd |
Wartburg College |
Fr. |
Naperville, Ill./Immaculate Conception College Prep |
| Kade Blume |
141lbs |
1st |
Wartburg College |
Fr. |
Roland, Iowa/Roland-Story |
| Caleb Olson |
149lbs |
3rd |
Wartburg College |
Fr. |
La Porte City, Iowa/Union |
| Charlie Dojan |
157lbs |
2nd |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
Mounds View, Minn./Irondale |
| Aiden Brosinski |
165lbs |
4th |
Wartburg College |
Jr. |
Genoa, Wis./De Soto |
| Mike Slade |
174lbs |
3rd |
Wartburg College |
So. |
Altoona, Iowa/Southeast Polk |
| Kasey Ross |
184lbs |
1st |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale |
| Cal Dorota |
197lbs |
1st |
Wartburg College |
So. |
Highland, Wis. |
| Mitch Williamson |
285lbs |
1st |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
River Falls, Wis./River Falls |
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About the American Rivers Conference
Nationally respected for excellence in NCAA Division III athletics, the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) has a tradition dating back to its founding in 1922 as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association and adopted its current name in 2018 to reflect its strong Iowa roots and growing regional footprint. The A-R-C is a collaborative community that champions the holistic development of student-athletes, uniting member institutions in a shared commitment to academic achievement, athletic distinction, and leadership.
The A-R-C is home to nine full-time member institutions: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College. Luther College has announced its departure from the conference, effective at the conclusion of the 2025–26 academic year.
