LAKELAND, Fla.—Southeastern is sending the maximum number of wrestlers to the NAIA Men's Wrestling National Championships which get underway at the Hartman Arena in Wichita on Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern.
The Fire are one of just three teams that are sending 12 wrestlers to compete in the 10 weight classes, joining top-ranked Grand View and Indiana Tech. All but one has wrestled at NAIA Nationals before.
Isaac Crowell and
Andreus Bond are both making their fourth trip to nationals with the Fire. Both have a chance to become the program's first three-time All-American. Crowell was seventh at 125 in 2021 and fifth last year. Bond was the national champion at 149 in 2021 and placed fourth last year.
Crowell is the No. 5 seed in the 125-pound bracket this year and will face Morningside's Evan Shell in the first round.
Bond along with 285-pound entrant
Gage Braun will look to become SEU's first two-time national finalist or national champion. Braun is the defending champion at 285. Bond is the No. 4 seed at 149 and faces senior Aric Williams of Dakota Wesleyan in the first round. Braun is seeded fourth this year and will face Simpson junior Jacob Vincent in the first round.
Sal Silva qualified at 157 after making the podium last year at 149 with a fifth-place finish.
Stephen Kelle is another returning All-American in the field at 174 after finishing eighth last season. Silva is the No. 5 seed in the tournament and will face Karter Brink of Avila in the first round. Kelle received a first-round bye and is the No. 5 seed. He will face either Sheldon Cole of Embry-Riddle or No. 12 seed Noah Hollendonner of Marian.
Coleman Bryant is back in the national tournament field for the first time since making the podium at 174 as a true freshman in 2020. Bryant is the No. 14 seed in the 184-pound bracket this year and faces Vanguard junior Baron Gaunt in the first round.
For
Gabe Jacobs, it's his third trip to nationals. He qualified at 184 and 197 the last two seasons while at the University of the Cumberlands. He advanced to the quarterfinals last season and was one round shy of the consolation quarters as a freshman. He received a first-round bye and is the No. 5 seed in the 285-pound bracket. He'll face either No. 12 seed Jakob Jerabek of Morningside or Jaden Sonner of Campbellsville.
The Fire are also sending
Esau Bazilme (125),
Kael Brisker (141),
Trace Braun (157) back to Wichita after all qualified last season.
Bazilme received a first-round bye and is the No. 10 seed in the bracket. He waits for the winner of No. 7 Trevor Marsman of Cornerstone and Luciano Fasulo of Eastern Oregon. Braun received a first-round bye and will take on the winner of third-seeded Nate Wheeler of Indiana Tech and Brent Hudgins of Midway.
Douglas Peppers is also in the 174-pound field, qualifying with the Fire for the first time after spending four years at Brewton-Parker where he was part of the 174-pound field last year at nationals. Peppers is the No. 10 seed in this year's bracket and will face Cory Cannan of Lindsey Wilson in the first round.
Parker Dobrocky may be wrestling at NAIA Nationals for the first time, but boasts success in national tournaments as a three-time All-American in the junior college ranks at Rochester Community and Technical College. Dobrocky is the No. 3 seed in the 141-pound bracket and received a first-round bye. He will face the winner of No. 14 Jackson Wenberg of Graceland and Steven Kroesen of Vanguard.
Matches begin at 11 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday with the first two rounds of the championship bracket and the 2
nd round of the consolation bracket. The second session begins at 7 p.m. with the championship quarterfinals followed by the next two rounds of the consolation bracket.
Championship semifinals will take place at 11 a.m. Eastern on Saturday followed by the consolation quarters and semis to be concluded with the placement matches. The 10 championship matches will be on ESPN 3 starting at 8 p.m. Eastern.
All rounds prior to the finals can be followed or viewed through
Track Wrestling.
