Wrestling looks ahead to championship
The University of Indianapolis wrestling team is sending three wrestlers to the NCAA Division II National Championships on March 9 and 10. Freshman Josh Kieffer, junior Bryce Givens and sophomore Steven Sandefer all placed in the top four of their weight classes at the NCAA Regional Tournament on Feb. 26.
Kieffer, who was named Region 3’s Freshman of the Year, took second in the 125 weight class.
“He has confidence going in. He believes he can win every match,” said Head Coach Jason Warthan, who described how rare it is for a freshman in Region 3, a traditionally strong regional, to make the finals.
Kieffer defeated Anthony Bruno of Northern State 6-2 in his first match of the day. He followed with a 2-1 win over Eric Forder of St. Cloud State, earning a spot in the championship match.
Keiffer fell 2-0 to the No. 1 seed in the region, Minnesota State-Moorhead’s Corey Ulmer, to take second place in the 125 weight class.
“No points were scored on offense,” Warthan said. “[Kieffer] was really the only one who almost scored any offensive points. [Ulmer’s] strategy was to slow him down. He was a fifth-year, two-time All-American. If we see him again, it’s going to be a great match.”
Kieffer described how his preparations for nationals include a lot of conditioning with some practice.
“My first goal was just to get there,” Kieffer said. “Now, I want to be an All-American and eventually be a national champion. I’m just going to take it one match at a time.”
Givens went 3-1 for the day in the 157 weight bracket to qualify for his second trip to nationals after an injury last season.
“He really turned it on at the end [of this season],” Warthan said. “He’s just now coming into his own and trusting his body [after injuries]. We knew he had a good shot. He defeated a two-time All-American from Augustana who was ranked.”
His fourth-place finish featured two overtime matches before falling 3-2 to Jacob Bennett from Minnesota State-Moorhead in the third-place match.
Sandefer placed third in the 149 weight bracket after going 3-1 on the day.
“[Sandefer] had an amazing regional,” Warthan said. “He lost to a No. 1 seed, but he only scored off of [Sandefer’s] shots. He also defeated a national qualifier, pinned a guy in 21 seconds, then crushed a guy who beat him earlier this season by getting a major decision [a win by 8 or more points].”
Sandefer won the third-place match, a 12-3 major decision, over Maryville’s Keegan Hagerty to earn his spot at nationals.
UIndy Alumni Nick Walpole won the first National Championship for UIndy last season and Warthan noted how that rids this year’s qualifiers of pressure to win. Kieffer agreed with Warthan.
“No, I don’t feel a lot of pressure,” he said. “But I definitely am nervous.”
