Missouri Wrestling
Wichita, Kan. (Mar. 2, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men’s wrestling team finished competition, Saturday, at the 2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championship in Park City, Kan. Senior Chase Zollmann (Poway, Calif.) won a National championship at 149 pounds and led the team to a No. 7 finish in the standings, a nearly 30 place improvement from last year’s championship.
No. 3 Senior Chase Zollmann (Poway, Calif.)- 149 pounds:
First Round: Defeated Mike Loney of Indiana Tech in a 15-0 technical fall.
Second Round: Defeated No. 14 AJ Rockwell of Eastern Oregon in an 18-0 technical fall.
Quarterfinal: Defeated No. 6 Jace Luchau of Cumberlands (Ky.) in a 5-0 decision.
Semifinal: Defeated No. 2 Nathan Lendt of Doane (Neb.) in a 4-1 decision.
Championship Match: Defeated No. 5 Jake Latimer in a 7-2 decision to capture a National title. He finishes the season at 27-3.
Zollmann becomes the first National champion for the program since Riley Boomer in 2016 at 174 pounds.
“It’s so great at Missouri Valley, and everyone is so close and friendly,” said Zollmann. “They brought me in with open arms. We train hard. Everybody from the assistant coaches all the way to the school’s President is on board with wrestling and it means a lot to have all those people looking at you, supporting you and helping you through the whole year.”
No. 12 Sophomore Elijah Hynes (Broken Arrow, Okla.)- 197 pounds:
First Round: Received a bye.
Second Round: Defeated No. 5 Sawyer Hobbs of Providence (Mont.) in a 5-0 decision.
Quarterfinal: Defeated No. 4 Nathan Critchfield of Indiana Tech in a 12-9 sudden victory decision.
Semifinal: Lost to No. 8 Garavous Kouekabakilaho of Grand View (Iowa) in an 11-3 major decision.
Consolation Semifinal: Lost to No. 6 Kasten Grape of Doane (Neb.) in an 11-2 major decision.
Fifth Place Match: Defeated Andrew Herrera of Southern Oregon in a 4-2 decision.
Hynes places fifth at 197 pounds and is a two-time All-American, including a 2023 All-American finish at Central Methodist (Mo.). He finishes the season with a 24-12 record.
No. 5 Senior Joshua Isaac (Woodbridge, Va.)- 285 pounds:
First Round: Received a bye.
Second Round: Defeated No. 12 Carlos Figueroa of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) in a 4-2 decision.
Quarterfinal: Lost to No. 4 Gabe Jacobs of Southeastern (Fla.) in a first period pin.
Consolation Fourth Round: No. 15 Defeated Braydon Erb of Indiana Tech in a first period (0:49) pin.
Consolation Fifth Round: Defeated No. 11 Kenneth Copley of Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) in a first period (0:51) pin.
Consolation Semifinal: Lost to No. 2 KC Buday of Providence (Mont.) in a 4-1 sudden-victory decision.
Fifth Place Match: Defeated No. 4 Gabe Jacobs of Southeastern (Fla.) in an 18-7 major decision.
Isaac places fifth at 197 pounds and is a three-time All-American for the Missouri Valley men’s wrestling team. He finishes the season with a 23-5 record.
No. 14 Freshman Haden Hernandez (Huntington Beach, Calif.)- 133 pounds:
First Round: Defeated Roman De La Cruz of Saint Mary (Kan.) in a 15-0 technical fall.
Second Round: Lost to No. 3 Sammy Shires of Cumberland (Tenn.) in a 13-10 decision.
Consolation Second Round: Defeated Jarrod Gilliam of Briar Cliff (Iowa) in a 9-4 decision.
Consolation Third Round: Defeated No. 11 Jeramiah Steele of Menlo (Calif.) in a 10-6 decision.
Consolation Fourth Round: Lost to No. 8 Andrew Voiles of Southeastern (Fla.) in an 8-6 decision.
No. 13 Junior Donavan Parn (Brookfield, Mo.)- 141 pounds:
First Round: Lost to Luke Jensen of Corban (Oreg.) in a 16-0 technical fall.
Consolation First Round: Defeated Zach Zitek of Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) in an 11-0 major decision.
Consolation Second Round: Defeated No. 3 Tyree Johnson of Life (Ga.) in a 9-0 major decision.
Consolation Third Round: Lost to No. 12 Edrich Nortje of Dickinson State (N.D.) in a 17-7 major decision.
Junior Brenden Parks (Elburn, Ill.)- 174 pounds:
First Round: Lost to No. 9 Alex Hernandez of Southern Oregon in a 13-6 decision.
Consolation First Round: Lost to Tyson Stover of Corban (Oreg.) in a 12-11 decision.
Senior Drake Tipton (Grain Valley, Mo.)- 184 pounds:
First Round: Lost to No. 11 Alan Badley of Providence (Mont.) in a 4-1 decision.
Consolation First Round: Defeated No. 6 Hayden Wempen of Morningside in a second period (3:12) pin.
Consolation Second Round: Lost to No. 12 Jackson King of Dickinson State (N.D.) in a third period pin.
“We had a great tournament,” said Head Coach Pat Giangrosso. “The whole team wrestled tough. Chase wrestled amazing all tournament long, giving up just two points the entire tournament. Josh and Elijah, both, had awesome tournaments, finishing fifth. I am really proud of the effort and dedication the team has shown over the course of the year. They bought in and believed in the system. This is a building block for the future!”
The three All-Americans is the most for the program at a National championship since 2021.
As a team, Missouri Valley sits at No. 7 in the standings with 57 points. The program finished nearly 30 positions higher in the standings compared to the finish in 2023, when the Vikings placed No. 34 overall. This is the first top ten finish for the program since 2018.
