Men's Wrestling Tuesday, July 19, 2022 NWC Athletic Communications

Dahl Announces 2022-23 Raider Wrestling Schedule

Both NAIA qualifiers from a season ago return for the Red Raiders

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Following an 8-5 dual record and two Raider wrestlers qualifying for the 2021-22 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Championships, head coach Rik Dahl has announced the slate for the 2022-23 season, noting the eagerness for the team to build upon the foundation built the last couple of seasons.

This year's schedule features six opens or invites with the first two dates of the schedule to be opens or invites. The Raiders will take to the mat for the first time on Saturday, October 29 in York, Neb. at the York Open. The following week Northwestern will compete at the Friends Invite down in Wichita, Kan.

"I like the schedule we have put together. After last year, we felt we needed to have more opportunities for our young Raiders to compete, so we add a few changes earlier in the year to get the young men a chance to compete earlier," said Dahl. "The addition of the York Open will be a good chance to have our young fellas get out there in late October. We follow that up with a trip down to the Friends Invite. This is a unique chance to wrestle at the same venue the National Tournament will be held in March. An early trip will hopefully spark the fire in the young men who have not been to nationals!"

The dual season is set to begin on Wednesday, November 9 when Northwestern takes on Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. The Beavers hail out of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and are members of the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C).

"Excited for the guys we have coming back. We feel we have a veteran crew returning and look to present a solid group of guys from 125-184," noted Dahl. "We will have returning GPAC placers at 125 (Sean Heeney), 133 (Manny Jaramillo), 141 (Trey Schuck), 157 (Breckin Sperling), 174 (Jakob Francksen-Small), and 184 (2x GPAC Champion, Luke Jenness). With these guys pushing each other, it could be one of our most balance line ups in years."

Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) duals begin on Wednesday, November 16 when the Tigers of Dakota Wesleyan come to Orange City for the first dual of the season at the Bultman Center.

2022-23 RAIDER HOME DUAL SCHEDULE
11.16    Dakota Wesleyan*          7:00 PM
1.25      Morningside*                  7:00 PM
2.3         Waldorf                            7:00 PM
*GPAC Dual

The GPAC Duals are set for two dates again this season, both occurring at The Arena in Sioux City. The first is set for Tuesday, November 22 when the Raiders will battle the Doane Tigers on the mat at 5:30 p.m.

"This team is really driven to build on the success of the last few years. All the aforementioned have seen success, but they want more. It has been fun listening to them talk about the where the ceiling could be for this team. When the players begin to dream together, success seems to be more attainable," concluded Dahl. "As a coach it is fun to watch them push each other in the room and in the classroom. We hope to build on our pursuit of excellence in all areas as we welcome a talented crew of new Raiders in the fall."

Saturday, January 28 marks the second date for the GPAC Duals where the Raiders will battle three GPAC foes. Beginning at 11:00 a.m. with Concordia (Neb.), followed by a 12:30 dual with Hastings and wrapping up with a 2:00 p.m. bout with Midland.

The 2022-23 NAIA Championships are scheduled for March 3 and 4 back down in Wichita, Kan. Stay up to date with Raider wrestling on nwcraiders.com. Schedule subject to change, all updates can be found on the wrestling schedule page.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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Players Mentioned

Jake Francksen-Small: 174; Sophomore

Sean Heeney: 133; Junior

Manuel Jaramillo: 133; Senior

Luke Jenness: 184; Senior

Trey Schuck: 141; Sophomore

Breckin Sperling: 157; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Jake Francksen-Small
: Sophomore
: 174

Sean Heeney
: Junior
: 133

Manuel Jaramillo
: Senior
: 133

Luke Jenness
: Senior
: 184

Trey Schuck
: Sophomore
: 141

Breckin Sperling
: Sophomore
: 157