68th ANNUAL NAIA MEN'S WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
March 6-8 | Hartman Arena | Park City, Kan.
Final Brackets | Live Results | Watch (Pre-Finals) | Watch (Finals) | Schedule

ASHLAND – The brackets have been finalized for the NAIA Men's Wrestling Championships, where Southern Oregon's representatives get to work Thursday morning at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan.

The Raiders raised expectations by winning their first Cascade Conference championship in seven years, finishing on top of a field that included No. 5-ranked Providence (Mont.) and No. 6 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.). They qualified 10 individuals in the process, giving them their largest representation at the national meet in 10 years.

They were ranked No. 10 in last month's final NAIA poll and, after placing 11th in the team standings last season, are seeking their first top-10 finish since 2017. Leading their contingent are three-time All-American Evan Potter, the No. 3 seed at 141 pounds, and four-time qualifier and one-time All-American Aaron Gandara, the No. 2 seed at 157.

Nine of SOU's entries have top-16 seeds. Five of them are appearing at the tournament for the first time, including three freshmen in the mix.

As of last year, the tournament has a three-day, six-session form. Action begins at 9 a.m. PST every morning: They'll get through the first two rounds on Thursday, the championship semifinals and consolation quarterfinals on Friday, and the placement rounds and finals on Saturday. The finals will begin at 5 p.m. PST.

Top-ranked Grand View (Iowa) will attempt to win its 13th title in 14 years.

A look at SOU's lineup follows:

125 – Vonn Fenn
Record: 18-8
Seed: No. 13
1st Opponent: Clemente Delgado, Graceland (Round of 32)
Notable: Making his second appearance at the tournament as a sophomore … Upset the No. 10 overall seed in the consolation bracket last year … Coming off a fourth-place finish at the Cascade Conference Championships, where his only losses were against top-10 individuals.

133 – Dylan Clark
Record: 24-8
Seed: No. 16
1st Opponent: No. 1 Dominic Chavez, Texas Wesleyan, or Lane Scorpil, William Penn (Round of 16)
Notable: A first-time qualifier as a true freshman … Earned all-conference status with a third-place effort at the CCC Championships, where he went 4-1 with three bonus-point victories.

133 – Simon Graeber
Record: 15-8
Seed: Unseeded
1st Opponent: No. 2 Thaddeus Long, Life (Round of 32)
Notable: Qualified for the second consecutive season by placing fourth at the CCC Championships, where he defeated two Top 25 opponents … Won his first-round match at the NAIA Championships a year ago … Next win will be the 50th of his career.

141 – Evan Potter
Record: 19-2
Seed: No. 3
1st Opponent: No. 14 Eli Peyton, Cumberlands, or Tyler Deen, Missouri Baptist (Round of 16)
Notable: Attempting to become the eighth four-time All-American in program history – and SOU's first in eight years – after placing sixth as a freshman (133), third as a sophomore (133) and second as a junior (141) … Became SOU's first finalist in eight years last season … Won his second consecutive title at the CCC Championships and also became a 100-match winner … The top seed in his bracket, Grand View's Carson Taylor, won a 6-1 matchup against Potter in January and the No. 2 seed, Hartwell Taylor of Saint Mary, edged Potter 4-1 in last year's 141 championship.

157 – Aaron Gandara
Record: 26-3
Seed: No. 2
1st Opponent: Brayden Shelton, Missouri Valley (Round of 32)
Notable: Making his fourth consecutive NAIA Championships appearance with his highest-ever seed … Previously earned All-America honors in 2022, placing sixth at 157 … Became SOU's first three-time CCC champion two weeks ago by upsetting top-ranked David Rubio of Corban in the final … Needs three more wins for 100 in his career.

157 – Dylan Straley
Record: 20-12
Seed: No. 11
1st Opponent: Malachia Harris, Cumberlands (Round of 32)
Notable: Qualified for the second year in a row by placing fourth in a loaded bracket at the CCC Championships, where his only two losses were against top-five individuals … Hit the 20-win mark for the second year in a row … Went 2-2 at last year's tournament and knocked off the No. 10 seed in consolation action.

174 – Braylin Ruchti
Record: 15-10
Seed: No. 16
1st Opponent: No. 1 Alex Reynolds, Grand View, or Jevion Ross, St. Thomas (Round of 16)
Notable: Qualified for the first time as a redshirt-freshman with a huge finish at the CCC Championships … Earned all-conference status in third place by finishing his run with upsets of the Nos. 10 and 12 wrestlers in the NAIA … Went 7-2 with three wins over top-14 individuals over the last month.

184 – Adrian Chavez-Morales
Record: 28-11
Seed: No. 13
1st Opponent: Kolten Kaymmeyer, Doane (Round of 32)
Notable: Placed fourth at the CCC Championships after injury-defaulting the third-place match, but lost only to a pair of top-five wrestlers and pinned two opponents before defeating No. 9 Rylin Burns of MSU-Northern during his run … A first-time NAIA Championships qualifier … Has five wins over ranked opponents since the start of January.

197 – Asher Ruchti
Record: 28-5
Seed: No. 8
1st Opponent: No. 9 Burton Brandt, Midland, or John Bray, Wayland Baptist (Round of 16)
Notable: Appearing at the NAIA Championships for the first time in his first season with the Raiders … Rolled through the CCC Championships with two pins, a win over a No. 10-ranked individual and a 5-3 decision in the final … Has won six matches against ranked opponents since the start of January.

197 – Elias Corona
Record: 12-6
Seed: No. 14
1st Opponent: Kaleb Grove, Northwestern (Round of 32)
Notable: The true freshman pulled off the most shocking run of the CCC Championships by defeating No. 7 Caleb Werner in his first round and No. 10 Austin Vanek in his third-place match … Hadn't competed since December before that outing and came into the tournament unseeded.