ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Two Northwestern College wrestlers prepare to compete at the 2022 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Wrestling Championships inside Hartman Arena in Wichita, Kan. on Friday, March 4 and Saturday, March 5.
(NO. 8-SEED) LUKE JENNESS – 184 POUNDS
2022 184lbs. Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) champion and two-time First Team All-GPAC wrestler Luke Jenness (So., Primghar, Iowa/Sheldon) looks to make some noise at this year’s NAIA Championships as the No. 8-seed in the 184-pound bracket. He’s making his third-straight appearance in the NAIA Championships.
The Primghar, Iowa native holds the best record on the team this season at 28-4, winning 87.5% of his matches this season. He has a team-high 11 fall victories, one technical fall, and three major decisions. His 173 match points sits tied for second on the team.
Jenness’ first round probable matchup is with Baron Gaunt of Vanguard (Calif.), a sophomore who automatically qualified for the championships out of the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC). Gaunt took home third-place at the CCC Championships, after dropping to the eventual 184-pound champion in the quarterfinals. He took third with a fall victory (4:48). On the season, the sophomore holds a 15-7 record.
Should Jenness win in the opening round, he would be set to face No. 9-seed Niko Perovic from Williams Baptist (Mo.) who Jenness has faced once this season. He took down Pervoic in an 8-5 decision at the Missouri Valley Invite back on January 21-22. Perovic holds an 28-9 record and won the 184-pound title at the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Championships to receive the automatic berth from the league.
JAKOB FRANCKSEN-SMALL – 174 POUNDS
Jakob Francksen-Small (Fr., Merrill, Iowa/Le Mars Community) received a wildcard bid to the NAIA Championships from the GPAC coaches at 174-pounds.
The freshman holds the second-best record on the team this season, one of two Raiders (Jenness) to eclipse 20+ wins on the year, with a 20-9 mark. He has six fall victories, one technical fall to his name. He leads the team in both major decisions (5) and match points (183).
His probable first round opponent hails from Lincoln College, wrestling members of the AMC, Chris Morales who holds a 9-2 record this season. He received a wildcard bid from the AMC Coaches after the conclusion of the AMC Championships, after finishing second in the 174-pound bracket for the Lynx.
