In their second season as a program, the No. 4 ranked Grand Valley State University men’s wrestling team sent five student-athletes to compete in the NCAA Division II National Championship in Indianapolis from Friday, March 14 to Saturday, March 15. While the Lakers weren’t able to secure a title, four wrestlers were awarded honors.

Representing GVSU in the tournament were juniors Chris Donathan, Josh Kenny and Carter Blough, along with redshirt freshman Brayden Mirjavadi and senior Wyatt Miller. To qualify for finals, each wrestler had to place within the top three in their weight class at regional competitions.

The first wrestler to compete for the Lakers was the No. 1 seed Donathan in the 149-pound class. Ranked first heading into the tournament, Donathan snuck out a close win by decision, 6-4, in his first match. In the second round, Donathan scored quickly, gaining enough points to give him the win by technical fall, 20-4. However, in the third round, Donathan was up against No. 4 ranked Nick James from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Despite scoring fast and keeping it close, Donathan took his first loss of the season.

This loss did not knock Donathan out of the tournament, as wrestlers were put in the Wrestleback bracket after their first loss. Donathan rematched against Brennan Watkins. However, Donathan medically forfeited the match, ending his season with a 14-1 record.

The next Laker to compete was No. 2 seed Josh Kenny in the 174-pound class. Winning GVSUs first national title in 32 years during the previous season, Kenny kept a consistent mentality going into the match.

“My mindset stays the same, (which is to) go out, try my best and have fun,” Kenny said. “The only thing I can control is my effort and my attitude.”

In a slow and low-scoring first match, Kenny won his first match, 2-1. He followed this with another low-scoring match against the seventh-seed Matt Ortiz from McKendree University. This time, however, Kenny took his first loss from decision, 4-2.

Kenny then claimed an 11-1 win by major decision in the first round of the Wrestleback bracket. Moving on, Kenny faced off against No. 3 seed Bryce Dagel from St. Cloud State University. The night unfortunately ended for Kenny, as lost by a major decision, and finished the season with a 20-7 record.

Although he was unable to repeat his previous successes, Kenny still reflected positively on this season.

“One thing I think about a lot from this year (are) the outcomes of each match, and all the factors that only I can control,” expressed Kenny. “(I think) about how I have eaten good, managed my weight and worked hard at practice. (I try) not to think about outside factors because of the target on my back that I made last year at finals.”

Seventh-seed Mirjavadi was up next for GVSU, representing the 184-pound class. He began his run in the tournament with a strong outing, winning the first round by major decision, 14-3.

Next, he paired against No. 2 seed Matt Weinberg from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Facing a tough opponent, Mirjavadi lost 9-0, which moved him into the Wrestleback bracket. In his first match of the bracket, Mirjavadi took on and lost 4-1 to Damon Ashworth from the University of Central Missouri.

The next Laker up was the 197-pound Wyatt Miller. In his first match, he faced No. 4 seed Max Ramberg from Augustana University, where he lost in a low-scoring battle, 5-0.

Being bumped down to the Wrestleback bracket, Miller quickly started with a win by fall, pinning his opponent in just over a minute. No. 6 seed Dakoda Rodger from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown was up next, where a win by decision, 5-1, gave Miller another victory. This run continued for Miller, as he won his next match, 7-1. In his following match, however, Miller’s run ended with an 8-7 loss against the No. 5 seed Jackson Kinsella from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. 

Due to the amount of wins he racked up, Miller had one final match for fifth place. Competing against the No. 7 ranked Nicholas Johnson from Glenville State University, Miller took his second loss by decision, 10-3. 

The final wrestler representing GVSU was No. 3 seed Carter Blough in the 285-pound class. A transfer from the Divison I Michigan State University, Blough started strong with a close overtime win, 7-5. In the second round, Blough once again went into overtime, but lost 2-1 to the No. 6 Jake Swirple from Minot State University.

In the Wrestleback bracket, Blough managed to take his opponent to overtime again, and won, 9-7. For his next match, Blough faced the No. 1 Crew Howard from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Taking his second loss by major decision, Blough ended the season with a 28-7 record.

Although no Lakers were able to bring home a title this season, the team didn’t leave completely empty-handed. Donathan, Kenny, Miller and Blough all received All-American honors for their seasons on the mat.