Rochester, MN -
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC) Wrestling Team Duals have been rescheduled for Wednesday, January 26, 2022. The MCAC Duals will begin at Noon on the campus of Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, MN.
Originally scheduled for Wednesday, January 12, 2022, the MCAC Duals were postponed due to COVID cases involving participating teams.
Itasca Community College, Minnesota West Community and Technical College, Northland Community and Technical College, Ridgewater College, and Rochester Community and Technical College are the MCAC colleges that particpate in wrestling, and all are planning to attend the Team Duals on Wednesday
Two of the competing colleges have coaches who are making their debut this season. Joey Brown at Ridgewater College and Andrew Hackenmueller at Rochester Community and Technical College are matside for their first MCAC Duals on Wednesday.
Northland Community and Technical College's Scott DCamp is the veteran coach of the group in his 9th season. Randy Baker at Minnesota West Community and Technical College and Joseph Umlauf at Itasca Community College are each in their 3rd season.
Read on for additional information about the MCAC Wrestling teams. Be sure to follow @MCACSports and @NJCAAWrestling on Twitter for the latest in MCAC and NJCAA two-year college wrestling news, rankings and season information.
For the MCAC Wrestling home page, click here or go to: https://mcacsports.org/sports/wrest/index
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Minnesota College Athletic Conference2021-22 Wrestling Preview
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Itasca Community College
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Head Coach: Joseph Umlauf, 3rd season at Itasca Community College Overall Coaching Record at MN West: 3-3 Assistant Coaching Staff: Morgan Moreno Top returning athletes: None - did not compete last season Top incoming/new athletes: Jake Rau, Medford, WI, Heavyweight Seth Cobb, Arizona, 141 lb. Coach Umlauf on his 2021-22 team: "We are super excited about the group we have in here this year. They love to work hard and are constantly looking for ways to improve. It also helps that they are great off the mat as well."
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Minnesota West Community & Technical College
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Head Coach: Randy Baker, 3rd year as head coach at Minnesota West Overall Coaching Record at MN West: 4-14 Assistant Coaching Staff: Cameron Henning Top returning athletes: Scot Edwards, Hardwick, MN, Heavyweight Top incoming/new athletes: Ethan Higgins, Wabash, IN, 125 lb. Riley Cowell, Luverne, MN, 133 lb. Ayden Rienhardt, Bloomfield, NM, 133 lb. Jacob Vogel, Dell Rapids, SD, 141 lb. Kyler Grems, Larchwood, IA, 149 lb. Coach Baker on his 2021-22 team: "We are looking forward to a more normal year and hope to compete at a high level!" Noteworthy Information: The MWCTC wrestling program started in 1960 and has produced 9 individual national champions during that time. They also were a long-time host of the NJCAA National Tournament.
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Northland Community and Technical College
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Head Coach: Scott DCamp, 9th season at Northland Community and Technical College Overall Coaching Record at MN West: 21-27 Assistant Coaching Staff: Craig Williams and Mark Davis Top returning athletes: Isaiah Arredondo, Columbus, GA, 133 lb. Jammell Sheppard, Orlando, FL, 133 lb. Thomas Hardy, Columbus, GA, 125 lb. Timothy Thurman, Anniston, AL, 141 lb. Jake Davis, Thief River Falls, MN, 149 lb. Justin Doby, Sumter, SC, 149 lb. Coty Huebner, Jamestown, ND, 184 lb. Top incoming/new athletes: Dylan Valencia, Yucaipa, CA, 258 lb. KC Ortiz, West Fargo, ND, 285 lb. Mason Iverson, Thief River Falls, MN, 197 lb. Brandon Zuniga, Thief River Falls, MN, 157 lb. Gabe Ryappy, Crosby, MN, 165 lb. Coach DCamp on his 2021-22 team: "COVID hurt our recruiting numbers the past two seasons, so we don't have a lot of depth. Despite our lack of depth, we have a quality roster that should be competitive if we can stay healthy and academically eligible." Noteworthy Information: The Pioneers have four MCAC Dual runner-up finishes (2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020), and three MCAC Tournament runner-up finishes (2017, 2018, and 2020) since 2015. The Pioneers will host the Second Annual Northland Open on Saturday, February 5, 2022.
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Ridgewater College
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Head Coach: Joey Brown, 1st season as head coach at Ridgewater Overall Coaching Record at Ridgewater: 0-0 Assistant Coaching Staff: Travis Deegan and Charlie Farhat Top returning athletes: Matthew Miller, Snohomish, WA, 125 lb. Tristian Lang, Hutchinson, MN, 133 lb. Sawyer Varpness, Brownton, MN, 141 lb. Lane Lembke, Blooming Prairie, MN, 149 lb. Wil Yasseri, Rogers, MN, 157 lb. Fischer Drury, Ferndale, MN, 165 lb. Ethan Roux, Willmar, MN, 174 lb. Maxwell Whitney, Renton, WA, 184 lb. Rick Jones, Degraff, MN, 197 lb. Johan Rodvik, Maple Grove, MN, 197 lb. Top incoming/new athletes: Ezra Horn, Rosemount, MN, 125 lb. Calin Huntley, Shakopee, MN, 133 lb. Remmington Albright, Waverly, MN, 157 lb. Riley Van Scoy, Stanwood, WA, 174 lb. Christian Kurth, Hutchinson, MN, 184 lb. Coach Brown on his 2021-22 team: "We have a young talented group that is going to have fun, win some matches, and punch some tickets to the national tournament." Noteworthy Information: Ridgewater recently renovated the wrestling room and got new mats for the room as well. The weight room on campus has also been upgraded.
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Rochester Community & Technical College
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Head Coach: Andrew Hackenmueller, 1st season at Rochester Community and Technical College Overall Coaching Record at Rochester: 0-0 Assistant Coaching Staff: Mike Schmitz, Randy Rager, Cody Buchanan, Carson Henry, and Will Balow Top returning athletes: Cael Bartles, 125 lb. DJ Saunders, 133 lb. Parker Dobrocky, 141 lb. Jessie Tijerina, 149 lb. Willie VonRuden, 157 lb. Richie Hammonds, 197 lb. Top incoming/new athletes: Rocco Visci, 125 lb. Sam Smith, 133 lb. Mitchel Peterson, 149 lb. Owen Pharo, 157 lb. Zach Wells, 165 lb. Logan Shramek, 174 lb. Colton Krell, 184 lb. Josh Franklin, Heavyweight Coach Hackenmueller on his 2021-22 team: "We have a great group of returning leaders combined with some solid and hungry freshmen. I expect this group to improve all season long and be in the hunt for another title come March. We have a variety of styles in our lineup, so I'm excited to watch this group compete."
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About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.