Two Red Raider wrestlers earned All-American honors at the 2008 NAIA Wrestling Championships held at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Levi Price, a junior from Cannon Falls, Minn., and Enock Francois, a junior from Lake Park, Fla., finished in the top six in their respective weight classes and earned NAIA All-American honors. Price finished the championships with a 3-3 record and in sixth place at 149. He began the championships with three straight wins as he defeated Jarell Price (Menlo) 6-2, sixth-ranked Brandon Graham (William Penn) 2-1 and then Ryan Jahn (McKendree) in the quarterfinals by fall (3:58). Price lost to top-ranked Ryan Moyer (Lindenwood) by technical fall in the semifinals and then lost to fourth-ranked Dustin Center (Cumberlands) by technical fall in the semifinals of the wrestlebacks. He then lost to Clint Swango (Oklahoma City), 14-7, in the fifth place match. Price, ranked seventh in the NAIA, finished the season with a 36-13 record. Francois finished the championships with a 4-2 overall record in the 174-pound weight class. Francois, an All-American in 2007 and ranked third at 174, defeated sixth-ranked Charles Simmons (U. of Cumberlands), 2-1 in his first match and then lost to Brendon DeCock in the quarterfinals, 2-1. He then eliminated Brett Owen (Dickinson State) by major decision (12-4) in a wrestleback match, followed by a 5-4 win over teammate Tom Eaton, who is ranked seventh. Francois then lost in the wrestleback semifinals to Josh Bryant (McKendree) by technical fall (6:34). He finished the championships, however, with an impressive 12-3 major decision win over Miguel Ponce of Dana for fifth place. Francois finishes the season with a 34-7 record.
Two other Red Raider wrestlers earned NAIA honorable mention All-American honors for placing eighth in their respective weight classes. D.J. Jackson, a sophomore from District Heights, Md., defeated Gerald Harris (Missouri Baptist) in the opening round, 6-4, but lost to fifth-ranked Victer Crenshaw (Notre Dame) in the quarterfinals, 6-4. Jackson then defeated Nick Zumwalt (Dickinson State) in his first wrestleback match but lost to second-ranked David Clemens (Campbellsville), 18-5. He then lost to George Sheppard (Campbellsville) in the seventh place match by technical fall, 18-2. Jackson finished the championships with a 2-3 record, 35-15 overall. Tom Eaton, a junior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, defeated Gary Nelson (Menlo) in the opening round, 8-1, but lost to seventh-ranked Josh Bryant 9-6 in the round of 16. Eaton defeated Jameson Rush (Hastings) by major decision (15-3) in his first wrestleback match and then knocked off Tyson Campbell (Oklahoma City) 7-2. He lost to Francois, 5-4, in the wrestleback quarterfinals and then lost to John Wilcox (Oklahoma City), 8-4, in the seventh place match. Eaton went 3-3 at the championships and finished the season 37-13.
Other Red Raider wrestlers competing at the championships include Cole Spree, a junior from Parkersburg, Iowa, finished the championships 3-2 in the 184-pound weight class. He defeated Andre Franco (Waldorf) 6-5 in the first round but then lost to Robert Nusekabel (University of Cumberlands) 13-4 in the second round. Spree defeated Richard Farrell (Southern Oregon) 4-2 and fourth-ranked Jeremiah Toavs (Dickinson State) 9-3 in the wrestlebacks . He lost his next match, however, to second-ranked Calvin DeVault (Embry-Riddle) in a hard-fought, 6-4 decision. Spree ends his season with a 28-16 record. Lamar Reed, a sophomore from Tarzana, Calif., finished 0-2 at 165. He lost to Aaron Winning (McKendree) 11-5 in his first match and then lost to Austin Quellette (Montana State-Northern), 9-0. Reed ends his season 36-17 record. David Carter, a freshman from Springfield, Ore., went 0-2 in the 184-pound weight class. He lost to sixth-ranked Mitchell Eichenauer (Oklahoma City) by fall (5:11) in his first match and then was defeated by Neil Kemp (Lindenwood), 17-6. Carter ends his season at 15-18. Martin Beeler (Ripon, Calif.) finished the championships with a 0-2 record at 197. He lost to Alex Calvi (U. of Great Falls), 4-2, and then to Chase Locke (Southern Oregon) 4-3. Beeler finishes the season with an 11-21 overall record.
Northwestern finished in 17th place out of 28 teams with 36.5 points. Defending champion Lindenwood won it's second consecutive title with 116 points.
2007-08 media guide
