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Al Case, Ashland Daily Photo.

Final brackets released for NAIA Men's Wrestling Championships

3/3/2022 7:04:00 PM

NAIA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS – Wichita, Kansas (Hartman Arena)
Live Results | Watch Live | Final Brackets


WICHITA, Kan. – The brackets were finalized Thursday night for the 65th annual NAIA Men's Wrestling Championships, which begin at 8 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday at Hartman Arena.

Southern Oregon has four representatives in the tournament: 125-pounder Pancho Barrera, 133-pounders Justin Coon and Evan Potter, and 157-pounder Aaron Gandara. Coon, making his fourth straight national tournament appearance, and Gandara both own the No. 10 seeds in their respective brackets.

The second session, starting with the quarterfinals, is set for 4 p.m. Friday. Saturday's action starts at 8 a.m., the tournament concludes with the championship matches at 5 p.m.

The top-eight placers in each weight class earn All-America status. SOU's last All-Americans were Tanner Fischer and Devin Poppen in 2019.

SOU ENTRIES:
125 – Pancho Barrera
Bracket Seed: NS
Record: 23-8
First Opponent: Evan Shell (12-9), Morningside (Iowa), Round of 32
About: Barrera, ranked No. 17 in the final NAIA poll, is at the national tournament for the third time at SOU and seeking his first All-America plaque. The senior advanced to the quarterfinals in 2019 and the Round of 16 in 2021 but was stopped in the elimination bracket short of placing matches in both appearances. He's coming off a third-place showing at the Cascade Conference Championships. If he advances past Shell, he'll face No. 3 seed Justin Portillo of Grand View (Iowa) in the Round of 16.

133 – Justin Coon
Bracket Seed: No. 10
Record: 14-6
First Opponent: Alex Pena, Wayland Baptist (Texas), Round of 32
About: Coon came up a win short of All-America accolades in 2021, when he made his season debut at the NAIA Championships after the rest of SOU's season was entirely wiped out by the pandemic. The senior earned his spot by placing fourth at the CCC Championships with three consecutive consolation victories. Coon also advanced to the tournament in 2019 and 2020, going two-and-out both years. A win against Pena would put him in the Round of 16 against No. 7 seed Jacob Mendoza of Menlo (Calif.).

133 – Evan Potter
Bracket Seed: NS
Record: 27-10
First Opponent: Diago Hernandez (14-5), Ottawa (Kan.), Round of 32
About: Potter was awarded a Cascade Conference wild card bid to the national tournament after placing seventh in a loaded 133 bracket at the CCC Championships. The Junction City product has shined throughout his freshman season, leading the Raiders in both wins (27) and bonus-point wins (17). He was ranked No. 17 in the final NAIA poll. A win would put him in the Round of 16 against No. 4 seed Carson Taylor of Grand View (Iowa).

157 – Aaron Gandara
Bracket Seed: No. 10
Record: 23-9
First Opponent: Jalon Strong (19-12), Waldorf (Iowa), Round of 32
About: Gandara has emerged as one of the scariest wrestlers in the field after rolling through the CCC Championships, where he went 4-0 with two pins and conceded just two points combined on his way to a title. He was unseeded in that tournament but enters this one as the No. 10 seed in his first appearance as a Raider.
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