ALLEN, TEXAS – California Baptist established a lead with its strength in the lighter weights, then held off McKendree in a thrilling race of All-American one-upmanship as the Lancers won their second National Collegiate Wrestling Association Championships here. The Lancers totaled nine All-Americans out of their 13 qualifiers, and each made the difference in their 145.5 points that edged McKendree’s six All-Americans and 137 points.

Fittingly, the tournament results came down to the heavyweight match, where CBU’s Zach Merrill sealed the title with a 3-0 win over Ross Janney of McKendree. That ended a rush of points for both squads that saw each team score All-American (top eight) finishes in five of the last six weight classes. McKendree had the higher finishes during the impressive run, but the Lancers’ three additional All-Americans earlier in the tournament were the difference.

Liberty took third not far behind with 130.5 points, and Lindenwood-St. Charles was fourth at 128.5. Grand Valley State was an underdog leader on the first day, and closed the tournament in fifth place with 92.5 points and with five All-Americans.

Cal Baptist, last year’s runner-up behind Notre Dame College, scored a double-dip at 141 pounds when Bradford Gerl won the national title at 141 pounds, and Miguel Gallegos took eighth. That followed a string of wins in the lightweights that saw Taylor Hall take fourth at 125 pounds and Dakota Thayer take third at 133 that pushed the Lancers to the top of the standings following Friday’s semifinals.

CBU started another scoring spree in the finals rounds at 165 when Anthony Ballinger took seventh, followed by similar finishes from Kenneth Tribble at 174 and Paul Head at 184. David Dill took fifth at 197 to set up the deciding heavyweight match.

McKendree, which placed ninth last year, kept pace on the final day with high finishes in a spree of their own, but could not make up the difference. Brendan Murphy put McKendree in first place for a spell when he won the national title at 133. But the Bearcats hit a lull in the middle weights that allowed Cal Baptist to regain the lead.

McKendree’s run began at 165, where Nic Haferkamp took fifth. Isaiah Gonzalez placed third at 174, and Luis Alba fourth at 184 as the Bearcats matched Cal Baptist’s All-American finishes.

Julian Smith earned the Bearcats’ second national title of the day at 197 pounds, just before Janney settled for second in the heavyweight title match.

Liberty scored seven All-Americans, along with a national title from Andrew Wilson at 235 pounds. The Flames entered the tournament tied with the most qualifiers with 17, but did not have the depth to keep up with CBU. Still, six of the Lancers’ seven All-Americans placed in the top four – Marcus Miller (2nd, 157), Robert Clymer (3rd, 165), Keyshaun Ward (4th, 174), Royal Brettrager (3rd, 184) and Aaron Thompson (2nd, 197).

Lindenwood-St. Charles had the lead in the team standings on Friday, based on the success of its middleweights. Derrick Weller finished as the national champion at 149 pounds, and Luke Roth took home the 165 title. Craig Chiles was second at 141 in a double-dip effort with Jacob Janes, who placed fifth.

Matthew Greene placed fifth at 174 pounds, but was the last of the Lions to have an All-American finish. Blayne Shockley took third, Brendan Caldwell was fourth, and Cullen Halpin eighth among the other Lindenwood All-Americans.

MIT stole the show in the Division II race, garnering 50.5 points behind a national champion and another third-place finish. The Engineers placed 12th in the overall tournament scoring. Sam Shames won the 125-pound title with an 11-6 win in the title match. Ryan Madson finished off his four-time All-American career in fourth place at 157.

South Carolina’s three-headed beast of Mike Ahearn (165), Ben Brummel (184) and Ike Okoli (285) finished second in the Division II standings. Brummel was the national title, and Okoli ended up fifth. Ahearn had to give up an injury default to McKendree’s Haverkamp in the quarterfinals. Haverkamp would up fifth.

Among the other national champions, Santiago Martinez of Central Florida won the national title at 157, and Larry Lanier of Lindenwood-Belleville took the 174 trophy.

In the women’s division, Southwestern Oregon Community College ran away with a second straight national title, earning 139 points to more than double Lindenwood-Belleville’s 64.5. The NCWWA had its deepest field of teams in the five years the national tournament has been held.

NCWA FINALS MATCH RESULTS
125 lbs. – Sam Shames, MIT, def. Brenden Campbell, U.S. Naval Academy Prep, 11-6
133 lbs. – Brendan Murphy, McKendree, def. Chris Caton, U.S. Air Force Academy Prep, 8-5
141 lbs. – Bradford Gerl, California Baptist, def. Craig Chiles, Lindenwood-St. Charles, by fall 1:44
149 lbs. – Derrick Weller, Lindenwood-St. Charles, def. Matt Vaughn, Central Florida, 5-0
157 lbs. – Santiago Martinez, Central Florida, def. Marcus Miller, Liberty, 2-1
165 lbs. – Luke Roth, Lindenwood-St. Charles, def. Tony Risaliti, U.S. Military Academy Prep, by fall 3:24
174 lbs. – Larry Lanier, Lindenwood-Belleville, def. Marvin Lawrence, Marion Military Inst., 5-3
184 lbs. – Ben Brummel, South Carolina, def. Terrance Smith, Marion Military Inst., 4-2
197 lbs. – Julian Smith, McKendree, def. Aaron Thompson, Liberty, 3-2
235 lbs. – Andrew Wilson, Liberty, def. Dustin Fullerton, Lindenwood-Belleville, 3-2
285 lbs. – Zach Merrill, California Baptist, def. Ross Janney, McKendree, 3-0

TEAM SCORES - DIVISION I
1. California Baptist 145.5
2. McKendree 137
3. Liberty 130.5
4. Lindenwood - St. Charles 128.5
5. Grand Valley State 92.5
6. U.S. Naval Academy Prep 90.5
7. Lindenwood - Belleville 88
8. Central Florida 87
9. Apprentice 65
10. Mercer 60.5
11. Marion Military Inst.58.5
12. Md. - Baltimore County 50
13. U.S. Air Force Academy Prep 48
14. Penn State - Dubois 36
15. U.S. Military Academy Prep 28
16. West Chester 26
17. New Hampshire 21.5
18. Middle Tennessee 20.5
19. North Florida 20
20. Penn College 19
21. Douglas College 17
22. Wichita State 14
23. Mott Community College 5
24. Penn State - Greater Allegheny 4.5
25. Penn State - New Kensington 4
26. Georgia Southern 3.5
27t. Southern Virginia 3
27t. Williamson School 3
29. East Tennessee State 2
30. Penn State - Mont Alto 1.5

DIVISION II STANDINGS
1. Massachusetts Inst. of Tech 50.5
2. South Carolina 41
3. NW Missouri State 29.5
4. South Florida 28.5
5. Central Washington 23.5
6. Amherst 20.5
7t. Montana Western 18.5
7t. Texas 18.5
9t. Georgia 18
9t. Stony Brook 18
11. Massachusetts 17.5
12. Bridgewater 17
13. Cincinnati 16.5
14. Michigan 13
15t. Illinois State 11
15t. USC 11
15t. Wayne State 11
18. Sacramento State 10.5
19. Rensselaer Poly. Inst. 9
20. Slippery Rock 8.5
21t. Sam Houston State 7.5
21t. Western Washington 7.5
23. Alabama 6.5
24. Florida Gulf Coast 6
25. East Carolina 5.5
26t. Texas - Arlington 5
26t. Texas State 5
28. Pittsburgh 4.5
29. Toledo 4
30t. Florida A&M 3.5
30t. Lafayette 3.5
30t. Northeastern 3.5
30t. North Dakota 3.5
34t. Texas A&M 3
34t. Connecticut 3
36t. Bowling Green 2.5
36t. Eastern Washington 2.5
36t. Saginaw Valley State 2.5
36t. Tennessee Temple 2.5
40. William and Mary 1
41t. Evergreen State 0.5
41t. Dayton 0.5

NCWWA WOMEN’S STANDINGS
1. SW Oregon CC 139
2. Lindenwood-Belleville 64.5
3. Florida A&M 34
4. Massachusetts 31.5
5. San Jose State 31
6. West Chester 25
7. Texas 22
8. Connecticut 20
9. Kansas State 7
10. South Florida 6
11t. Eastern Washington 4
11t. Middle Tennessee 4
13. Texas State 3