Wildcats Take Third at Heart Championships, Qualify Five for Nationals

OSKALOOSA, Iowa – Brett Bober, Malachi Karibo and Dallas Koelzer each came away with runner-up finishes to boost a Baker men's wrestling team that finished third in the team standings at the Heart of America Conference Championships on Saturday in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

The Wildcats totaled 105.5 points at the championship meet with four additional top-six finishers chipping in to their score. Baker finished behind winner Grand View (229) and Missouri Valley (152.5), while William Penn (93) and Central Methodist (90) rounded out the top five.

Koelzer (149) and Bober (184) each won three straight matches to earn a trip to their respective championship bouts. Koelzer picked up a pin in his 149-pound quarterfinal match and Bober began his day with an opening-round pin.

At 197, Karibo used a major decision victory and an injury forfeit to advance to the title match and add 16 points for Baker.

Both Joey Ewalt (174) and Joey Hancock (165) finished with third-place honors as the pair combined for seven wins and 31 points on the day. Hancock won a couple of matches via tech fall before ending the tournament with a major decision in the third-place match. Ewalt rolled out to a 21-6 major decision win in the consolation semifinals, but battled his way to a 2-0 victory in the ensuing placement match.

Saoul Prado went 3-2 in his matches in the 125-pound bracket to place fifth at the event. Joseph Triscornia secured a pair of pins to advance to the 141-pound consolation semifinals before eventually finishing sixth.

Overall, five Wildcats qualified for the NAIA National Championship with Bober (184), Ewalt (174), Hancock (165), Karibo (197) and Koelzer (149) all securing their spots in the national tournament.

Baker will head to the NAIA National Championships on March 3-4, held at Hartman Arena in Wichita, Kan.

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