PRESCOTT, Ariz. –
RESULTS | For the third time in the last five championships, the No. 7 Menlo Oaks were crowned the Cascade Collegiate Conference Champions. The Oaks virtually led the tournament, which is presented by U.S. Bank, wire to wire, as the CCC’s highest-ranked team in the last coaches’ poll proved its high national recognition.
Menlo earned its first championship since 2020, but has been at the top of the standings often since the conference started recognizing a conference champion in 2018. The Oaks were co-champions in the first-ever event in 2018, and have earned solo titles in 2020 and 2023.
Menlo scored 153.0 points, but were not the only squad to bank over 100 points. Southern Oregon had an impressive two days, finishing second with 108.5 points. No. 8 Eastern Oregon finished third with 105.0 points, No. 9 Providence (Mont.) finished fourth with 91.0 points, No. 18 Embry-Riddle finished fifth with 86.5 points and No. 20 Montana State-Northern finished sixth with 85.0 points. Rounding out the team scores; Vanguard 71, Corban 55, Arizona Christian 22.5, Simpson 17.5 and Warner Pacific 0.
Three different teams had a pair of conference champions – Menlo, Eastern Oregon and Providence. Embry-Riddle, Southern Oregon, Corban and Vanguard had one individual champion each.
Other conference awards handed out included:
- Outstanding Wrestler – Gulomjon Abdullaev (Menlo)
- Coach of the Year – Joey Martinez (Menlo)
- Team Sportsmanship – Southern Oregon
Championship Matches
Hunter Sparks (Eastern Oregon) came out and grabbed a lead early on, eventually defeating Brayden Boyd (Corban) in an 8-2 decision at 125 pounds.
At 133 pounds, Menlo teammates Abdullaev and Jovan Garcia had a thrilling match, with Abdullaev coming out on top in a 6-4 decision.
Embry-Riddle’s Carson Coy continued his excellent freshman season by taking a 6-3 decision over Arizona Christian’s Rico Robles in the 141 lbs. match.
Aaron Gandara was named the 149-pound winner after a medical forfeit.
Abraham Del Toro scored a takedown in the first overtime period at 157 pounds, defeating Providence’s Aden Graves in a 3-1 final.
The 165-pound match was action-packed, as David Rubio (Corban) defeated Keller Rock (Embry-Riddle) following a late takedown to earn a 6-5 decision.
At 174 pounds, Gerardo Hernandez of Vanguard and NaKoda Siegel of Montana State-Northern put on an instant classic, as Hernandez pulled out a 4-3 decision victory.
The 184-pound match saw a lot of scoring, as Providence’s Sawyer Hobbs took an 8-7 decision over Eastern Oregon’s Kyle Knudtson.
Marco Renato (Eastern Oregon) posted a late takedown in the third period, and took away a 3-1 decision from Afton Silvis (Menlo) at 197 pounds.
The 285-pound match had a similar finish, as KC Buday (Providence) earned a 3-1 decision over Antonio Dacosta (Menlo) with a late takedown being the difference in a 3-1 decision.
CCC Champions
125 – Hunter Sparks (Eastern Oregon)
133 – Gulomjon Abdullaev (Menlo)
141 – Carson Coy (Embry-Riddle)
149 – Aaron Gandara (Southern Oregon)
157 – Abraham Del Toro (Menlo)
165 – David Rubio (Corban)
174 – Gerardo Hernandez (Vanguard)
184 – Sawyer Hobbs (Providence)
197 – Marco Retano (Eastern Oregon)
285 – KC Buday (Providence)
The Cascade received a total of 49 automatic qualifying bids to the NAIA National Championships over all weight classes. The number of automatic bids per weight class are based on how many representatives from the CCC were ranked in the final individual coaches’ poll.
There were two true placement matches for automatic qualifying bids – one at 125 pounds and one at 184 pounds. These matches were to determine who earned the automatic bid, and did not affect the final places or team scores.
At 125 pounds, Luciano Fasulo of Eastern Oregon earned an 8-2 decision victory over Christian Vasquez of Menlo. At 184 pounds, Vanguard’s Baron Gaunt defeated Arizona Christian’s Kayden Martin in a 14-2 decision.
Cascade’s Automatic Qualifiers
125 – Hunter Sparks (Eastern Oregon), Brayden Boyd (Corban), Riley Siason (Menlo), Matthew Terrance (Vanguard), Landon Smith (Embry-Riddle), Luciano Fasulo (Eastern Oregon)
133 – Gulomjon Abdullaev (Menlo), Jovan Garcia (Menlo), Evan Potter (Southern Oregon), Braden Carson (Eastern Oregon), Julian Leon (Vanguard)
141 – Carson Coy (Embry-Riddle)
149 – Aaron Gandara (Southern Oregon), Martin Wilkie (Montana State-Northern), Jonah Chew (Embry-Riddle)
157 – Abraham Del Toro (Menlo), Aden Graves (Providence), Beau Blackham (Embry-Riddle)
165 – David Rubio (Corban), Keller Rock (Embry-Riddle), Rysan Leong (Menlo), Jordan Komac (Providence), Bridger Hall (Providence), Devin Crawford (Montana State-Northern)
174 – Gerardo Hernandez (Vanguard), NaKoda Siegel (Montana State-Northern), Alex Hernandez (Southern Oregon), Maximus Zamora (Menlo), Rylin Burns (Montana State-Northern), Keegan Mulhill (Eastern Oregon), Matthew Bartlett (Corban)
184 – Sawyer Hobbs (Providence), Kyle Knudtson (Eastern Oregon), Isaiah Morales (Menlo), Michael Densmore (Embry-Riddle), Austin Vanek (Montana State-Northern), Baron Gaunt (Vanguard)
197 – Marco Retano (Eastern Oregon), Afton Silvis (Menlo), Carl Hansen (Montana State-Northern), Andrew Herrera (Southern Oregon), Jay Smith (Eastern Oregon), Jacob Potts (Vanguard), Tyson Stover (Corban)
285 – KC Buday (Providence), Antonio Dacosta (Menlo), Jacob Vincent (Simpson), Noel Orozco (Eastern Oregon), Antonio Garcia (Southern Oregon)
Qualifiers from this weekend’s event earned the right to compete at the 66
th Annual NAIA National Wrestling Championships in Wichita, Kan. The tournament will be held at the Hartman Arena on March 3-4.