THIS WEEK IN BLUE HAWK MEN'S WRESTLING
The Dickinson State men's wrestling team is set to compete Friday and Saturday at the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship, hosted by William Penn University. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m. each day as the Blue Hawks pursue conference honors and automatic qualification to the NAIA National Championships. Dickinson State enters the weekend ranked fifth in the Heart and receiving votes in the most recent NAIA national poll. The 12-team field includes No. 1 Grand View (Iowa), No. 10 Missouri Valley and No. 14 Central Methodist, giving the conference tournament significant national implications.
The Blue Hawks are led by three nationally ranked wrestlers in the upper weights. Jackson King is ranked 18th at 184 pounds and enters the championship as the No. 2 seed in the conference. Teammate Jack Simons is seeded third in the HAAC at 184, giving Dickinson State two top-three seeds in the bracket. The 184-pound division has two automatic bids to nationals. At 197 pounds, Donivan Giangregorio is ranked 19th nationally and seeded fifth in the Heart. That weight class carries five automatic bids. Heavyweight Seth Suvak holds a No. 21 national ranking and is seeded fifth at 285 pounds, where five automatic bids are also available.
The 125-pound division will feature Wyatt Engwicht, seeded sixth in the conference. The bracket includes four automatic national bids. At 133 pounds, Charlie Irwin enters as the No. 10 seed in a six-bid weight class, while Marcus Mireles is seeded ninth at 141 pounds, which also carries six automatic bids. Bradlee Shaw is seeded seventh at 174 pounds and will contend in a weight class that has two automatic bids. The division is led by nationally ranked Kristopher Ketchum of Grand View and Roman Garcia of Central Methodist.
In total, the Heart of America Athletic Conference has been allocated 46 automatic bids to the NAIA National Championships. Allocations were determined based on the final regular-season ratings and the number of ranked wrestlers in each weight class. Every conference receives at least one automatic berth per weight class, which is awarded to the conference tournament champion even if no wrestlers were ranked.
Nationally, 254 automatic qualifiers will advance from conference tournaments. An additional 66 at-large selections will be awarded, with three at-large spots available per weight class. All 10 weight classes at the NAIA National Championships will consist of 32 wrestlers. Following the conclusion of conference tournaments, a 16-member NAIA committee made up of conference raters and oversight members will meet to select the remaining at-large qualifiers. The full list of national qualifiers will be released Tuesday, Feb. 24, by 5 p.m. CST. Preliminary brackets and seeding will be announced on NAIA.org by 5 p.m. CST on Friday, Feb. 27. Grand View, ranked No. 1 in the NAIA team poll with 260 points, enters as the conference favorite. Missouri Valley, ranked 10th nationally, and Central Methodist, ranked 14th, add depth to one of the strongest conference championships in the country.
In addition to team and individual titles, the Heart will announce postseason honors Saturday, including Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year, Wrestler of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year. The Heart Championship will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network with coverage provided by the Statesmen Sports Network at William Penn University. Fans can access individual mat streams and a multicast option throughout both days of competition.
