USAW-Kansas is proud of every wrestler
with the courage to step on the mat.
Every wrestler who improves his or her skill is a winner,
but some have achieved more than most.
The following represent some of the high achievements
by Kansas wrestlers during the 2005/2006 season.
There was lots of activity on the collegiate wrestling level for Kansas, highlighted by the addition of another new program. Pratt Community College announced that they would launch their new program effective with the 2006-07 season, and named Parsons native Chas Thompson as the first head coach for their new program. Chas wrestled at Labette Community College where he placed 4th nationally, and at Fort Hays State University, where he also worked as assistant coach. Chas is the son of Jody Thompson, the former Labette CC coach and member of the Kansas Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Nebraska also benefited from our Kansas talent, as two programs looked to Kansas natives to lead their programs. Richard Fergola (Topeka) was promoted from head assistant to head wrestling coach for the 2006 NAIA National Champion Dana College Vikings. Meanwhile, Jordan Nichols (Garden City) was named as head coach for the York College Panthers.
As we saw Kansas coaches move into leadership roles at the collegiate level, we were also treated to outstanding performances on the mats by our Kansas wrestlers, beginning with nine NCAA Division I national qualifiers and six All-Americans. Shawn Bunch (Edinboro / Leavenworth) lead the pack with a 3rd place finish at 133 lbs. Joe Johnston (Iowa / Shawnee Mission East), came in 5th at 157 lbs, followed by Tyler McCormick (Missouri / Blue Valley North) at 133 lbs and Jacob Klein (Nebraska / Kapaun-Mt. Carmel) at 174 lbs, both of whom finished 7th. Also earning All-American status were 8th place finishers Tanner Gardner (Stanford / Shawnee Heights) at 125 lbs and Eric Luedke (Iowa / Colby) at 165 lbs.
Joining their fellow Kansans at the Division I Championships were qualifiers Austin DeVoe (Missouri / Columbus), Jake Kriegbaum (Air Force / Abilene) and Justin Dyer (Oklahoma / Olathe South).
Our wrestlers excelled in the classroom as well as on the mat. Kansas had 4 wrestlers in the top 20 NCAA Academic All Americans as reported by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Justin Dyer was tied for 1st place, with a 4.0 GPA in Pub. Admin & Political Science. Tyler McCormick was 3rd with a 3.95 GPA in Business and Eric Luedke was 17th, carrying a 3.74 GPA in Health & Sport Studies. Tanner Gardner finished in 20th place with a 3.69 GPA in Study Public Policy.
Kansans also made their presence known at the NCAA II National Championships, where three of our young men made their way to the medal stand. Cody Garcia (Nebraska Omaha / Hutchinson) finished his season by becoming the national champion at 125 lbs. Finishing in 3rd place were Earl Jones (Central Oklahoma / Coffeyville), who wrestled in the 133 lb weight class and Ross Taplin (Nebraska Omaha / Abilene) at 165 lbs. Trevor Charbonneau (Nebraska Kearney / Clay Center) at 125 lbs and Aaron Meister (FHSU / Holton) at 174 lbs rounded out the Division II Kansas All-American class with a pair of 5th place finishes.
Fort Hays State University nearly broke into the top 10 programs in the nation, finishing in 11th place at the NCAA II National Championships.
Three Kansas wrestlers brought home All-American honors from the NAIA Nationals, including a national championship. Curtis Chenoweth (Kansas Newman / Clearwater) took top honors at 174 lbs. Darion Terry (Topeka West / Missouri Valley College) won the 3rd place match at 157 lbs while Greg Smith (York Nebraska / Concordia High School) ended in the 5th place spot at 125 lbs.
One area in which Kansas always seems to excel is in the Junior College division. All three of our community colleges finished well in the top 10. Labette Community College was the top Kansas team, finishing 3rd overall. Colby Community College came in strong in the 6th place spot, with Neosho County Community College just a little behind them in 8th place.
An individual national championship was earned by Daniel Prater (Colby CC / Pratt) at 141 lbs. Other Kansas All-Americans included Mat Gilliland (Colby CC / Hoxie) – 3rd at 149 lbs, Josh Baldridge (Labette CC / Haysville-Campus) – 4th at 133 lbs, Tim Elliott (Labette CC / Haysville-Campus) – 5th at 125 lbs, Matt Schippers (Colby CC / Hoxie) – 6th at 157 lbs, Levi Younkin (Colby CC / Oakley) – 6th at 133 lbs, and Josh Barr (Neosho CC / Eudora) – 8th at 197 lbs.
Both Kansas State University and the University of Kansas maintain club teams which compete in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association National Championships. The Kansas State team finished 10th in the overall standings, with Steven Kern (Kansas State / Wamego) placing second in the nation at 184 lbs.
A pair of Kansans wrestled well at the FILA Junior, Senior & Veterans National Championships. Zach Roberson (Overland Park) won the Senior Freestyle Championships at 132 lbs, while Brooke Bogren (Carbondale) finished 7th at 130 lbs in the Senior Women's Freestyle Championships.
National High School Senior Championships
To earn the right to compete in this tournament, you must be a graduating senior and a finalist in your state. There were more than 800 entries from 47 states at this year’s event. As a team, Kansas finished in 9th place.
Four Kansas wrestlers earned All-American status at the tournament:
Name
High School
Wt
Place
Tristen DeShazer
Wichita West
130
4th
Dante Rogers
Wichita Northwest
103
5th
Cole Garcia
Colby
140
8th
Jesse Strawn
Holton
189
7th
National Duals Teams
Kansas sent teams to the Schoolboy (13 & 14), Cadet (15 & 16) and Junior (enrolled in high school) Team Duals, and were very competitive at every level. The Cadet Dual Team earned a 5th place finish in Greco Roman competition.
Kansas State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame Board of Governors selected the following men for induction into the Kansas State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum. They were presented with a plaque and their names are permanently displayed in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in recognition of their service to our great sport. The award recipients were James L. Beltch (Lawrence), R. Ben Bennett (Junction City), Chas (Chuck) & Cherie Elvin (Lenexa), Fritz G. Knorr (Manhattan), Larry R. Tilton (Effingham), Gary D. Ulmer (Olathe), Donald W. Vest (Topeka) and C. Lee Woodford (Manhattan).
Junior/Cadet/Womens National Team
Team Kansas had a great showing at the 2006 Freestyle and Greco-Roman Championships in Fargo, with Kansas wrestlers making a total of 22 trips to the medal stand, including three Freestyle Cadet National Champions, one Greco-Roman Cadet National Champion and one Greco-Roman Junior National Champion. Romero Cotton became only the third double national champion in Kansas history by winning the Cadet National Championship in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman at 171 lbs. Cadets are wrestlers who were 15 or 16 as of December 31, 2006, while Juniors are wrestlers who attended high school during the 2005/06 school year. The team coaches were:
Mike Garcia, Junior Director
Cody Garcia
Tom Peterman, Cadet Director
Russ Hermreck
Ed Edison, Womens Director
Jason Ogden
Jason Blanding
Chad Parks
Brooke Bogren
Scott Rieck
Dennis Charbonneau
Chas Thompson
Lance Engel
Beau Vest
Richard Fergola
Junior National Freestyle All-Americans:
Name
Hometown
Wt
Place
Nathan Furches
Derby
98
3rd
Junior National Greco-Roman All-Americans:
Name
Hometown
Wt
Place
Nathan Furches
Derby
98
1st
Brandon Goodwin
Lawrence
98
7th
Larry Perez
Topeka
119
2nd
Tyler Caldwell
Wichita
125
8th
Cadet National Freestyle All-Americans:
Name
Hometown
Wt
Place
Jeff Vesta
Manhattan
84
7th
Sharky Slyter
Paola
94
2nd
Jake Tanenbaum
Leawood
119
6th
CJ Napier
Columbus
135
1st
Tyler Koehn
Pittsburg
140
7th
Romero Cotton
Hutchinson
171
1st
Atticus Disney
Andover
215
2nd
Stephen Andrus
Manhattan
275
1st
Cadet National Greco-Roman All-Americans:
Name
Hometown
Wt
Place
Jeff Vesta
Manhattan
84
2nd
Tyler Koehn
Pittsburg
140
5th
Cameron Riojas
Arkansas City
152
6th
Romero Cotton
Hutchinson
171
1st
Atticus Disney
Andover
215
2nd
Stephen Andrus
Manhattan
275
7th
Bobby Doxon
Goodland
275
8th
Women’s Freestyle All-Americans:
Name
Hometown
Wt
Place
Randi Beltz
Wellington
128
3rd
Beth Johnson
Garden City
128
4th
Kids National Folkstyle Championships
Midget (born 1996-1997)
Name
Club
Wt
Place
Tanner Madl
Paola
55
3rd
Hunter Roberts
Doniphan Co. Grizzlies
55
4th
Zak Hensley
Pittsburg
60
7th
Dalton Rodd
Haysville
75
2nd
Isaac Dulgarian
Paola
75
5th
Novice (born 1994-1995)
Name
Club
Wt
Place
Austin Hood
Paola
60
3rd
Cullen Hood
Paola
65
1st
Bo Pursel
Leavenworth Co.
75
7th
Aaron Puckett
Bonner Springs
80
8th
Hunter Stalford
Caney
85
4th
Jake Beecher
So. Central Strykers
95
4th
Laine Herl
Goodland
130
2nd
James Contreras
Scott City
Hwt
8th
Schoolboy (born 1992-1993)
Name
Club
Wt
Place
Zach Hoehn
Wellsville
80
7th
Ryne Cokeley
Paola
90
1st
Parker Madl
Paola
95
7th
Bryce Hood
Paola
110
6th
Sean Gaither
NW Jr. Grizzlies
130
3rd
Trey Page
NW Jr. Grizzlies
205
1st
Cadet (born 1990-1991)
Name
Club
Wt
Place
Jeremiah Breen
Wellsville
84
2nd
Sharky Slyter
Paola
91
1st
C.J. Napier
Columbus
135
3rd
Evan Johnson
Greater Gold
145
2nd
Kids National Greco-Roman Championships
Midget (born 1996-1997)
Name
Club
Wt
Place
Zak Hensley
Pittsburg
65
4th
Jared Langley
Newton
95
1st
Novice (born 1994-1995)
Name
Club
Wt
Place
Zac Gentzler
Wichita (WWC)
60
5th
Austin Hood
Paola
65
7th
Cullen Hood
Paola
70
5th
Schoolboy (born 1992-1993)
Name
Club
Wt
Place
Ryne Cokeley
Paola
90
3rd
Bryce Hood
Paola
110
4th
Kids National Freestyle Championships
Midget (born 1996-1997)
Name
Club
Wt
Place
Hunter Roberts
Doniphan Co. Grizzlies
55
5th
Zak Hensley
Pittsburg
65
7th
Jared Langley
Newton
95
7th
Novice (born 1994-1995)
Name
Club
Wt
Place
Zac Gentzler
Wichita (WWC)
60
4th
Austin Hood
Paola
65
2nd
Cullen Hood
Paola
70
6th
Schoolboy (born 1992-1993)
Name
Club
Wt
Place
Ryne Cokeley
Paola
90
4th
Bryce Hood
Paola
110
3rd
Junior Regionals (1st Place)
Tournament
Style
Name
Hometown
Wt
Southern Plains
Freestyle
Brandon Goodwin
Lawrence
98
Southern Plains
Freestyle
Nathan Furches
Derby
105
Southern Plains
Freestyle
Donny Altman
Derby
119
Southern Plains
Freestyle
Sean Flynn
Lansing
152
Southern Plains
Freestyle
Neil Erisman
Olathe
171
Southern Plains
Freestyle
Jarrett Edison
Wichita
215
Southern Plains
Freestyle
Alex Thomas
McDonald
275
Southern Plains
Greco
Brandon Goodwin
Lawrence
98
Southern Plains
Greco
Donny Altman
Derby
119
Southern Plains
Greco
James Fox
Rock
130
Southern Plains
Greco
Jarrett Edison
Wichita
215
Southern Plains Kids/Cadet Greco Roman (1st Place)
Midget (born 1996-1997)
Name Club
Wt
Dylan Eck
Brawlers
70
Jared Langley
Newton
95
Novice (born 1994-1995)
Name Club
Wt
Levi Eck
Brawlers
80
Schoolboy (born 1992-1993)
Name Club
Wt
Ryan Cokely
Paola
90
Jason Lewis
Manhattan Optimist
105
Cadet (born 1990-1991)
Name Club
Wt
Tyler Koehn
Crawford Co. Crew
140
Gage Deere
Topeka Terminators
189
Stephen Andrus
Manhattan Optimist
275
Southern Plains Kids/Cadet Freestyle (1st Place)
Midget (born 1996-1997)
Name Club
Wt
Dylan Eck
Brawlers
70
Jared Langley
Newton
95
Novice (born 1994-1995)
Name Club
Wt
Zac Gentzler
Wichita (WWC)
60
Schoolboy (born 1992-1993)
Name Club
Wt
Ryan Cokeley
Paola
90
KC Mullin
Manhattan Optimist
130
Cadet (born 1990-1991)
Name Club
Wt
C.J. Napier
Columbus
135
Tyler Koehn
Crawford Co. Crew
140
Gage Deere
Topeka Terminators
189
Stephen Andrus
Manhattan Optimist
275
For more information, go to the Kansas Wrestling website at
http://www.usawks.com USA Wrestling – Kansas, Inc.
Board of Directors
State Chairman
Mike Juby
Secretary
Pam Ulmer
Membership Director
Kathy Juby
Coaches' Certification
Randy Hinderliter
Officials Director
Mark Anderson
Tournament Operations Director
Jeanie Dey
Kids Director
Greg Grater
Cadet Director
Tom Peterman
Juniors Director
Mike Garcia
University Director
Cody Bickley
District I Director
Henry Gallet
District II Director
Jess Keith
District III Director
Lance Engel
District IV Director
Steve Woody
KWCA Representative
Gary Ulmer
Women's Director
Ed Edison
Club Representative
Rob Brewster
Club Representative
Bob Phillips
At-Large Representative
Chuck Elvin
