All 12 Lion wrestlers earned All-American honors at the meet as Lindenwood's depth helped it come out on top of the 27 other teams. Lindenwood scored 177 points at the competition, the fourth-most in NAIA history, and won by 67 points, which was the second-largest winning margin at the national wrestling championships.
Lindenwood took over the meet during the quarterfinal round late Friday night. Eleven Lion wrestlers competed in the quarterfinals and eight won their matches. No other team in the top-five at that point had more than three wrestlers remaining in the championship bracket.
The Lions continued their dominance on day two of the meet with four wrestlers advancing to their championship matches and two winning individual NAIA crowns. Lindenwood also had success in the wrestlebacks, having one third-place finish, two fourth-place showings, three fifth-place winners, one sixth-place finisher and one wrestler coming in seventh-place.
Jake Dieffenbach became the fifth Lion wrestler in school history to win two national titles when he won the 165-pound crown. Dieffenbach went 5-0 at the national meet, including a 9-8 win in the championship match.
Dieffenbach finished his junior season with a 34-2 overall record. Next season, he will look to become the first Lindenwood wrestler to win three national titles.
Lindenwood dominated the 174-pound weight class with both of its wrestlers advancing to the championship bout. John Salter earned a narrow 3-1 decision over Matt Cauley to win the title.
Salter, a junior, advanced to the finals with a pin and two decision victories. He finished the year with a 37-7 record. Cauley, a sophomore, earned three decisions on the way to the championship match. He concludes his campaign with a 27-8 mark.
The final Lion competing in a championship match was sophomore heavyweight Lance Shunia. He won three decisions in the opening rounds and picked up a pin in the semifinals. However, he lost a 9-1 decision to top-ranked Eric Flinchum in the finals. Shunia ended the season with 40 wins and just nine losses.
In other brackets, two Lions, senior Josh Sampo and junior Dennis Kakrah advanced to the semifinals in the 125-pound weight class with two wins. Both wrestlers lost decisions in that round and also fell in the wrestleback semifinals. The two met in the fifth-place match, with Sampo winning by a 6-4 score.
At 133-pounds, sophomore Ryan Moyer and senior Jason Moreno both repeated as all-Americans, with Moyer coming in fourth and Moreno finishing fifth.
Moyer won two matches before losing in the quarterfinals. He then went on a tear, winning three straight matches in the wrestlebacks, including a 7-4 decision over Moreno. He streak eventually fell 5-2 in the third-place match. Moyer finished the season with a 29-9 record.
Moreno won his first two matches of the tournament before falling in the semifinals to the eventual national champion. After falling to his teammate in the wrestleback semifinals, Moreno finished the tournament by pinning his opponent in the fifth-place match. He concludes the season with a 15-10 mark.
Defending national champion Mark Dickman started the tournament with a disappointing loss in his first match at 149-pounds. He regrouped and won four of his final five matches of the tournament. Included in that was an 11-3 major decision in the fifth-place match. Dickman ended his senior season with a 26-3 record.
Randy Vanderveen, a junior, was one win away from making it an all-Lindenwood final at 165-pounds. After three straight wins, including one by technical fall and one by major decision, he lost his semifinal match by decision. Vanderveen won his first wrestleback match but lost in the third-place bout. Vanderveen finished his 2006-07 season with a 38-8 record.
Lindenwood's fourth senior, Kyle Frawley, earned all-American honors at 184-pounds. He won two straight decisions to reach the quarterfinals, before falling in that round. Frawley then went 2-1 in the wrestlebacks, including a 10-5 decision in the seventh-place contest. He ended his career by racking up a 28-12 mark in his final season.
The final Lion wrestler was Matt Juncal, who won his final four matches to finish third at 197-pounds. The sophomore won his opening match but fell in the championship semifinals. He got his wrestleback action off to a good start with a pin and technical fall. Juncal eventually won the third-place match by a 4-2 sudden victory decision. Juncal concluded his year with an 18-6 record.
Head coach Joe Parisi was named the NAIA national coach of the year after the meet. It was the third time that he has received that honor.
The victory capped off one of the best seasons in Lindenwood wrestling history. Among the other highlights were the Lions winning the NAIA National Dual Championship and the NAIA Eastern Regional Championship, and having a perfect 8-0 dual record.
The national title for the wrestling program was its third this decade, as it also won in 2002 and 2005. The Lions have now finished in the top-five nationally for seven straight seasons.
The title was the eighth NAIA national championship for the Lindenwood athletics department, including the seventh since 2002. Including all sports, it was the 22nd overall national championship for Lindenwood athletics.
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