EDMOND, Okla. | NCAA SUPER REGION IV - No.23 McKendree University men's wrestling headed down to UCO on Sunday for the NCAA Wrestling Championship qualifying tournament, coming away with one regional champion and four total qualifiers. Senior 184 Joshua Jones claimed his weight class title while redshirt junior 125 Christian Mejia and redshirt freshman 174 Zeke Waltz both finished as runner-up in their respective weight class and redshirt sophomore Logan Kvien took third in the 197 class. It marks Jones' and Mejia's third national qualifying bid each as Jones goes for his third All-American Honor and Mejia will battle for his second. Waltz and Kvien are both first time National Championship qualifiers. The Bearcats finished fourth overall at the regional, totaling 78.5 points as a team.

NATIONAL QUALIFIERS (by placement)

184 Class | Joshua Jones | Sr. | Chicago Heights, Ill. - 1st (17.0 Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Jones (McKendree) 25-8 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Jones (McKendree) 25-8 won by fall over Logan Zimmermann (Drury) 5-9 (Fall 5:00)
Semifinal - Jones (McKendree) 25-8 won by decision over Joey Williams (Maryville) 23-8 (Dec 7-2)
1st Place Match - Jones (McKendree) 25-8 won by decision over Alex Kauffman (Central Oklahoma) 10-4 (Dec 3-2)

125 Class | Christian Mejia | R-Jr. | Elkhart, Ind. - 2nd (14.0 Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Mejia (McKendree) 23-6 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Mejia (McKendree) 23-6 won by major decision over Bryson Rowley (Kentucky Wesleyan ) 8-25 (MD 12-2)
Semifinal - Mejia (McKendree) 23-6 won by decision over Caden Howard (Drury) 19-8 (Dec 6-1)
1st Place Match - Studd Morris (Central Oklahoma) 32-5 won by decision over Mejia (McKendree) 23-6 (Dec 3-1)

174 Class | Zeke Waltz | R-Fr. | Jerseyville, Ill. - 2nd (15.0 Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Zeke Waltz (McKendree) 27-9 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Zeke Waltz (McKendree) 27-9 won by fall over Dom Howlett (William Jewell) 1-17 (Fall 2:35)
Semifinal - Zeke Waltz (McKendree) 27-9 won by decision over Ethan Smith (Drury) 10-8 (Dec 2-1)
1st Place Match - Anthony Des Vigne (Central Oklahoma) 30-6 won by decision over Zeke Waltz (McKendree) 27-9 (Dec 8-1)

197 Class | Logan Kvien | R-So. | Mundelein, Ill. - 3rd (14.5 Team Points)

Champ. Round 1 - Logan Kvien (McKendree) 20-8 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Logan Kvien (McKendree) 20-8 won by major decision over B.K. Seago (Drury) 11-12 (MD 16-2)
Semifinal - Dalton Abney (Central Oklahoma) 19-2 won by decision over Logan Kvien (McKendree) 20-8 (Dec 4-0)
Cons. Semi - Logan Kvien (McKendree) 20-8 won by fall over Brooks Schrimsher (Ouachita Baptist) 21-8 (Fall 0:50)
3rd Place Match - Logan Kvien (McKendree) 20-8 won by decision over Chase Stegall (Maryville) 16-7 (Dec 3-2)


COMPLETE RESULTS
125 | Christian Mejia | 2-1, 2nd*
133 | Ryan Ripplinger | 2-2, 5th
141 | Jospeh Semerad | 0-2
149 | Logan Rathjen | 0-2
157 | Noah Villarreal | 1-2
165 | Matt Ortiz | 1-3 (M.For.)
174 | Zeke Waltz | 2-1, 2nd*
184 | Joshua Jones | 3-0, 1st* / First Super Regional Title
197 | Logan Kvien | 3-1, 3rd*
HWT | Rozell Baker | 0-2

 

UP NEXT
McKendree men's wrestling will take its four national qualifiers up to Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 10-11 for the NCAA DII Wrestling Championships. Live results and streaming ($) will be available via TrackWrestling/FloWrestling.

Stay up-to-date with McKendree Men's Wrestling by following the team on Instagram and Twitter.

For more updates and information on McKendree Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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