RESULTS
Southern Oregon's Mitchell Lofstedt and Barry Johnson each claimed National Championships at today's NAIA National Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla.
As a team, the Raiders finished second for the second consecutive year. Top-ranked Notre Dame (Ohio) ran away with the team title and Great Falls finished third.
"I'm proud of the way we wrestled," SOU head coach Mike Ritchey said. "It would have taken a great effort to beat Notre Dame this weekend. But to get three in the Finals is an impressive accomplishment."
Lofstedt not only earned the National Championship today at 125 pounds, he also set a school record for wins in a season - finishing with a 43-6 record. Lofstedt earned his title with a victory over Cal Baptist's Chauncey Phillips. Lofstedt also finish the season with a school record 24 pins. In his two years at SOU, Lofstedt now has an All-American (second place) finish as a freshman and a National Champion as a sophomore.
"Mitch wrestled a high level all season long and was rewarded with a National Championship tonight," Ritchey said. "To wrap up a record setting season with a National Championship is something special."
At 141, Johnson and Kyle Wirkuty were just the ninth set of teammates to wrestle for the National Championship. Johnson, a senior, earned his third All-American honor and his first National Championship with an overtime victory over of Wirkuty, a sophomore. Johnson had a pair of third place finishes in his last two trips to the Nationals. Wirkuty's second place finish results in his first-ever All-American honor.
"Barry has been knocking on the door his whole career and finally was able to get to the top tonight," Ritchey said. "It says a lot about our program to get two wrestlers in the finals against each other."
Lofstedt and Johnson became the 24th and 25th National Champions in the history of SOU wrestling. Johnson is the program's ninth three-time All-American.
Brian Jacob led SOU's four other All-American wrestlers on Saturday.
Jacob finished fourth at 133, falling to Missouri Valley's Colin Pierce in the third place match.
Senior John Bates took seventh in the heavyweight championship match and Tommie Hooper (157) and Ron Lee (197) both finished eighth.
The seven All-American this year equal last year's seven All-Americans.