virgiliofranciscol@lopers.unk.edu
Defending national champions, UNK wrestling begins the season with high expectations, returning veterans and talented newcomers. Ranked No. 1 in the nation and unanimously picked by MIAA coaches to win the conference title, the Lopers focus on building off last year’s success.
Coach Dalton Jensen said the program’s high standards continue to drive the team’s aspirations.
“It’s just the types of guys we recruit,” Jensen said. “We want individuals who have high expectations of themselves and big goals.”
Among the returning All-Americans are 125-pound national runner-up Zach Ourada, who moves up to 133 pounds, third-place finisher Jackson Kinsella (197), Joseph Airola and Crew Howard, who placed fourth at 141 and 285 pounds. Two other national qualifiers, Cael Robb (154) and Trenton Munoz (165), also return.
The Lopers also welcome several new faces, including junior college national champions Otgonbayar Batsuuri at 174 pounds and Lazaro Crespo, who will compete with Kaden Hart at 184.
“We had a couple of transfers come in who can be impact guys right away, ” Jensen said. “It’s just about putting the right pieces together.”
Kinsella, who enters his final season as the nation’s top-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds in Division II, said his motivation hasn’t changed since last year’s podium finish.
“I think I could have stood on top,” Kinsella said. “I was very close with the other two guys that were on their sixth year. It kind of stings a little bit, I just want to keep getting better everyday.”
Howard, also in his last year of eligibility and the runner-up at the U23 Nationals this summer, said his confidence grows by beating strong competition on the way to those placings; however, his goals are higher.
“I would say that those would both be below my goals, ” Howard said. “It’s good placing and I think a lot of people would be happy with a fourth-place All-American finish, then runner-up finish at U23 nationals. But I’d say more not reaching my goals has fueled my fire.”
Despite sitting on top of both the preseason ranking, the team isn’t putting much thought into projections.
“We don’t pay too much attention to the rankings,” Jensen said. “Obviously, it’s a nice reflection of where they think a lot of our guys can finish, but I think we have an even better team than probably what those rankings were showcasing.”
UNK got its first taste of competition this weekend during the Blue and Gold Intrasquad Dual. Several wrestlers had impressive results, including Ourada, who dominated at 133 pounds with a 17-2 tech fall over Brenyn Delano in just 2:42. At 125 pounds, brothers Caleb and Cadyn Coyle are both competing for a starting spot. The two traded strong performances throughout the night, with Caleb winning their head-to-head matchup with an 11-5 decision. In the 184-pound weight class, Hart defeated transfer Crespo by a 4-1 decision.
The Lopers open their season hosting Southeast Community College at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Health and Sports Center.
