2007-08 season preview

Team Full of Leaders has Northwestern Thinking Big

Northwestern College's wrestling team is coming off one of its best seasons: a 15th place finish at the NAIA national tournament, a top-10 ranking in the national poll, three All-Americans, nine national qualifiers, a second place finish in the GPAC, NAIA Champions of Character designation for the third time in four years, and the eighth-best team GPA in the NAIA. But the Red Raiders are still looking to improve on those feats in 2007-08. Northwestern returns seven national qualifiers, three All-Americans and 10 wrestlers with varsity experience, bringing a #16 preseason ranking into the season.

Leading the way for Northwestern are captains Andrew Lundgren (2007 All-American at 197), Tom Bartello (2006 national qualifier and Academic All-American), and Matt Wenninger (2004 and 2005 national qualifier). They will be joined by juniors Enock Francois (2007 All-American at 174) Jordan Keckler (2007 All-American at 141), and Levi Price (2007 national qualifier). Sophomore Lamar Reed (2007 national qualifier) rounds out the Red Raiders with national tournament experience. The Raiders also have added some impact wrestlers in junior college All-Americans Tom Eaton Jr. (Santa Ana CC, Cali.) and Cole Spree (Ellsworth CC, Iowa); freshman David Carter (Thurston H.S, Springfield, Ore.) comes in as a two time state placer in Oregon.

Bartello will wrestle for Northwestern at 133, juniors Price and Keckler will wrestle at 141 and DeAlonzio Jackson will wrestle at either 149 or 157. David Carter and Claudel Noel will also wrestle at 157. Reed and Wenninger will be joined by Kyle Bartlett at 165. Francois, who will most likely break the NWC career record for wins and takedowns, and Eaton provide the Raiders with two solid options at 174, while Spree will wrestle at 184. David DeBoer will be battling at 197 this year and Lundgren will move up to heavyweight. Lundgren is 20 reversals from the school record and will be joined by Hughes in the heavyweight division.

The Raider season is divided into three parts, beginning with the preseason/open schedule, then the dual meet season, followed by the postseason. Coach Petty believes the four open tournaments scheduled early in the year will be a great test for the Raiders. The NIACC Open will feature some of the best junior college wrestlers around along with some GPAC wrestlers; the Harold Nichols Open in Ames, Iowa will put the Raiders up against some of the best wrestling talent at any level (DI, DII, DIII, and JC) as will the UNO Open in Omaha, Neb. The Raiders will round out the fall semester with the NWC Open, their first chance to wrestle in front of their home crowd.

Northwestern will get a boost when Lundgren and Hughes return from football and Keckler and Wenninger return from injuries to strengthen the Raider lineup for the dual season. The Raiders finished last season 3-2 in the GPAC and are hoping to improve on their record this winter.

The postseason will put Northwestern up against some of the best teams in the NAIA. First Northwestern will wrestle in the GPAC championships in Mitchell, S.D., followed by the NAIA north region championships in Blair, Neb. Their season will come to an end at the NAIA national championships in Sioux City, Iowa.

"Our goals are to 1.) honor God, 2.) be a hardworking team, 3.) win a national championship, 4.) win the region tournament, and 5.) win the GPAC tournament," says Coach Petty. "It was very challenging to pick the captains; our team is full of leaders and guys with great passion for wrestling." The Raiders are hoping that the experience and leadership of this year's team will take them to new heights on and off the mat.