Naig's outstanding wrestling award was completed with his 8-4 win over top-ranked Matt Pyle of Luther in the championship. Trailing 4-2 in the final period, Naig rolled through for some key nearfall points to turn the tables on an earlier season loss to Pyle.
"My confidence level is higher than it was in our last match," Naig, the No. 2-ranked wrestler in NCAA Division III, said. "With that, I've been able to get some momentum going recently. It's a great win right now, but there is more out there in two weeks. This is a good start, though."
Senior 125-pounder Tyler Hubbard of Blue Springs, Mo., got the championship round run going, posting his second victory this season against Luther's Nate Hansen with a 6-3 decision. Senior 141-pounder Dustin Hinschberger of Belle Plaine completed his third consecutive conference title, turning in a 10-0 major decision over Simpson's Dustin Brewer. After Naig's win at 149, senior 165-pounder Dustin Bliven of Columbus Junction notched a 6-3 decision over Dubuque's Cole Williams for his first individual league title. From 174 pounds on, the Knights added momentum to their final margin of victory as senior Scott Kauffman of Emmetsburg, senior Akeem Carter of Waterloo and juniors T.J. Miller of Cedar Falls and Blake Gillis of Spencer reeled off two falls, a major decision and a technical fall to gain championships. Carter and Gillis each won their third individual conference championships, while Hubbard and Kauffman gained their second league crowns. Freshman Zach McKray of Iowa City gave top-ranked Mike Lopez of Luther a strong battle at 133, falling only 3-2. He joins the eight champions for national tournament competition.
"What a great finish," Miller said following the final round record of 8-1. "It's all about building momentum for nationals which is the goal we set for today. I feel we are going into the national tournament with nine strong individuals."
SEMIFINALS
Gaining eight-or-more championship round qualifiers for the fourth straight season, Wartburg ended the semifinals with a 9-1 record. Six of the match wins came by bonus points with Gillis and Kauffman gaining falls and Bliven turning in a technical fall.
McKray and Naig upended higher seeded opponents during the round. McKray, seeded third, rallied for a 7-6 win over Buena Vista's Jestin Hulegaard, the second seed, and Naig, the third seed at 149, rolled up some early nearfall points in a 10-2 win over second-seeded Luke Forness of Buena Vista.
QUARTERFINALS
The Knights got out of the gate fast, winning all 10 quarterfinal round matches, nine coming via bonus-point status. Hubbard, Bliven, Kauffman, Miller and Gillis each claimed falls, while Hinschberger and Naig took victories by technical falls.
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