Saturday's championship bouts will be video-streamed live on www.NAIANetwork.com, the NAIA's official video-streaming platform, powered by Stretch Internet. For more information, including registration information, click here.
Automatic individual qualification for the 2015 NAIA Wrestling National Championships was achieved by a top four finish at one of the Qualifying Group Tournaments. At-large selections were determined by the total number of participants entered into all qualifying groups. A percentage of the total participants per qualifying group was established by dividing the number of entries per grouping by the overall total to ensure that the 50 at-large places were allocated appropriately across the four groups. At the conclusion of the national qualifiers, there was a selection committee meeting to determine the at-large bids for each group.
The NAIA's National Administrative Council Executive Committee voted to expand the field by one individual, for one-year, following an appeal from the NAIA-Wrestling Coaches Association.
Grand View enters the championship searching for a fourth-straight national title. If the Vikings claim the banner, they will join former member Central State (Okla.) (1984 – 1987) as the only programs in NAIA history to win four in-a-row.
Grand View won the Central Qualifier for the fifth-consecutive season with 218 points -- 93 points more than second-place Missouri Valley. The Vikings bring one of the largest teams to Topeka with 12 individuals, including three ranked atop their respective weight class in the final regular season edition of the NAIA Wrestling Coaches' Top 20 Poll – Ryak Finch (125), Brandon Wright (141) and Dallas Houchins (157).
In addition to Grand View, four other programs had double-digit individuals qualify -- Concordia (Neb.) (10), Great Falls (Mont.) (12), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (10) and Southern Oregon (11).
Individually, six grapplers among the 40 returning All-Americans come to the capital city looking to defend their 2014 title – Finch, Bryce Shoemaker (133) of Baker (Kan.), Wright, Jake Williams (149) of Cumberland (Tenn.), Joe Cozart (157) of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and Brock Gutches (174) of Southern Oregon.
Gutches (27-3) is looking to become one of the most successful wrestlers in NAIA history. The 174 pounder is a three-time defending national champion and with a title this season will earn four championships, which has only been done six times previously. The most recent individual to win fourth-straight was Turk Lords of Montana State-Northern (1998-2001).
Outside of Gutches, one could argue that Finch (19-0) at 125 pounds has been one of the most dominant grapplers among all 10 weight classes. The senior from Reading, Ariz., has not lost a match since joining the Grand View wrestling program at the start of the 2013-14 season – a run of 48-straight.
In the event's 58-year history, 110 institutions have had an individual finish atop the podium. Former NAIA member Simon Fraser (B.C.) boasts the most individual champions with 40, while Southern Oregon is second with 33, followed by Montana State-Northern with 30.
There have been 19 programs to previously take home the team title. Former NAIA members Adams State (Colo.) and Central State (Okla.) each took home eight, the most in 58 years. Of the current NAIA programs, Montana State-Northern leads the way with six national championships, with the last coming in 2004.
Twenty-three of the 44 teams in the 2015 national championships have never had an individual earn an individual championship.
Topeka is hosting the national championships for the second-consecutive year. Overall, the event has traveled to 19 states and 35 different host sites.
Tickets to the NAIA Wrestling National Championships can be purchased at the Kansas Expocentre box office or online at Ticketmaster.com.
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