KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After an impressive showing at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships last weekend, Eastern Oregon is gearing up for the upcoming NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championship in Park City, Kansas. Hunter Sparks, Braden Carson, A.J. Rockwell, Kyle Knudtson, and Jay Smith have all secured their spots to compete on the national stage.
The 67th edition of this annual event will feature a modified format, with six sessions spread across three days. Scheduled to commence on Thursday, February 29th, the championship will culminate on Saturday, March 2nd.
Each conference tournament was granted automatic bids per weight class, determined by the final regular-season rating. Regardless of the number of wrestlers ranked in each weight class, every conference is guaranteed a minimum of one automatic bid per weight class, reserved for the tournament champions. In cases where a conference lacks a wrestler in the final top 25 rankings, an allocation adjustment ensures representation from each conference in every weight class at the National Championships.
Notably, the CCC witnessed an outstanding turnout, with a record-breaking 65 athletes nominated, the highest among all conferences nationwide.
