INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. | Nicoson Hall - No.5 McKendree University men's wrestling was out east for NCAA Division II Super Regionals at the Region IV Tournament and exited Nicoson Hall with eight NCAA DII National Championship qualifiers while totaling 151.0 team points to place second overall. The Bearcats doubled their national championship presence with the eight qualifiers, which includes three returning All-Americans and five first-time allies making their way to DII Nationals. During the Region IV Tournament, McKendree battled through to a pair of individual regional titles as redshirt seniors Christian Mejia (125) and Ryan Ripplinger (133) each claimed the crown in their respective weight classes. The NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships are set to take place on March 15-16 in Park City, Kansas at Hartman Arena.

NATIONAL QUALIFIERS
125 | Christian Mejia - Region IV Champion
Champ. Round 1 - #4 Christian Mejia (McKendree) 27-4 won by major decision over Isaac Bourge (Quincy) 9-12 (MD 9-1)
Quarterfinal - #4 Christian Mejia (McKendree) 27-4 won by fall over Sam Shafer (Maryville) 10-21 (Fall 1:16)
Semifinal - #4 Christian Mejia (McKendree) 27-4 won by decision over Nathan Smith (Indianapolis) 17-16 (Dec 8-1)
1st Place Match - #4 Christian Mejia (McKendree) 27-4 won by major decision over Dylan Sheler (Newman) 17-18 (MD 8-0)

133 | Ryan Ripplinger - Region IV Champion
Champ. Round 1 - #9 Ryan Ripplinger (McKendree) 23-6 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - #9 Ryan Ripplinger (McKendree) 23-6 won by tech fall over Noah Cantu (Indianapolis) 10-17 (TF-1.5 5:17 (15-0))
Semifinal - #9 Ryan Ripplinger (McKendree) 23-6 won by decision over James Anderson (Ouachita Baptist) 3-1 (Dec 5-3)
1st Place Match - #9 Ryan Ripplinger (McKendree) 23-6 won by decision over #12 Evan Binder (Maryville) 31-13 (Dec 6-2)

141 | Ronan Schuelke - Region IV Runner-Up
Champ. Round 1 - #2 Ronan Schuelke (McKendree) 34-9 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - #2 Ronan Schuelke (McKendree) 34-9 won by tech fall over Paul Pollard (Drury) 1-17 (TF-1.5 3:00 (15-0))
Semifinal - #2 Ronan Schuelke (McKendree) 34-9 won by decision over Gabe Adams (Kentucky Wesleyan ) 18-16 (Dec 4-1)
1st Place Match - #4 Dylan Lucas (Central Oklahoma) 29-5 won by decision over #2 Ronan Schuelke (McKendree) 34-9 (Dec 4-2)

149 | Joey Semerad - Region IV Runner-Up
Champ. Round 1 - Joey Semerad (McKendree) 20-12 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Joey Semerad (McKendree) 20-12 won by fall over Lucas Clement (Quincy) 15-17 (Fall 1:54)
Semifinal - Joey Semerad (McKendree) 20-12 won by decision over Garrett Lyons (Central Missouri) 22-8 (Dec 1-0)
1st Place Match - #6 Dylan Brown (Central Oklahoma) 19-3 won by decision over Joey Semerad (McKendree) 20-12 (Dec 8-2)

165 | Cory Peterson - 3rd Place / Region IV
Champ. Round 1 - #2 Cory Peterson (McKendree) 27-6 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - #2 Cory Peterson (McKendree) 27-6 won by fall over Eric Holt (Drury) 10-15 (Fall 3:44)
Semifinal - Cole Ritter (Maryville) 25-13 won by fall over #2 Cory Peterson (McKendree) 27-6 (Fall 1:38)
Cons. Semi - #2 Cory Peterson (McKendree) 27-6 won by fall over Gabriel Orosco (Quincy) 19-19 (Fall 2:38)
3rd Place Match - #2 Cory Peterson (McKendree) 27-6 won by decision over #4 Jace Fisher (Newman) 29-5 (Dec 2-1)

174 | Matt Ortiz - Region IV Runner-Up
Champ. Round 1 - Matt Ortiz (McKendree) 22-10 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Matt Ortiz (McKendree) 22-10 won by fall over Chris Mapp (Newman) 6-11 (Fall 2:15)
Semifinal - Matt Ortiz (McKendree) 22-10 won in sudden victory - 1 over #5 Trey Sizemore (Indianapolis) 33-5 (SV-1 4-1)
1st Place Match - #12 Anthony Des Vigne (Central Oklahoma) 20-4 won by decision over Matt Ortiz (McKendree) 22-10 (Dec 7-2)

197 | Logan Kvien - 3rd Place / Region IV
Champ. Round 1 - Logan Kvien (McKendree) 15-13 received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Logan Kvien (McKendree) 15-13 won by major decision over Brayden Dillow (Central Missouri) 12-15 (MD 8-0)
Semifinal - #1 Dalton Abney (Central Oklahoma) 14-0 won by decision over Logan Kvien (McKendree) 15-13 (Dec 4-3)
Cons. Semi - Logan Kvien (McKendree) 15-13 won by tech fall over Brooks Schrimsher (Ouachita Baptist) 2-2 (TF-1.5 7:00 (18-3))
3rd Place Match - Logan Kvien (McKendree) 15-13 won by decision over Jeramiah Larson (Maryville) 25-15 (Dec 12-5)

HWT | Tyler Haynes - 3rd Place / Region IV
Champ. Round 1 - Tyler Haynes (McKendree) 15-7 won by tech fall over Kayden Garrett (Quincy) 9-17 (TF-1.5 6:23 (16-0))
Quarterfinal - Don Paul (Ouachita Baptist) 2-2 won by decision over Tyler Haynes (McKendree) 15-7 (Dec 11-6)
Cons. Round 2 - Tyler Haynes (McKendree) 15-7 won by fall over Jay Thompson (Indianapolis) 12-18 (Fall 6:45)
Cons. Round 3 - Tyler Haynes (McKendree) 15-7 won by fall over Rio Gomez (Newman) 13-16 (Fall 5:55)
Cons. Semi - Tyler Haynes (McKendree) 15-7 won by decision over Trent Strong (Central Missouri) 19-11 (Dec 9-8)
3rd Place Match - Tyler Haynes (McKendree) 15-7 won by fall over Don Paul (Ouachita Baptist) 2-2 (Fall 3:45)

NOTES
McKendree finished in second place by a narrow margin of 9.0 team points, totaling 151.0 points in the one-day tournament. McKendree scored with all 10 of its wrestlers while taking home two regional championships and three runner-up finishes. In all, McKendree returns three All-Americans to the championships and brings five first-time qualifiers.

The Bearcats bring eight qualifiers to the DII National Championships, the most since 2020, when McKendree won its second-consecutive regional title and claimed four individual regional title. The 2020 DII National Championship was cancelled due to COVID restrictions.

Christian Mejia became a four-time national qualifier with his 125lb regional belt, tallying a 4-0 record in the tournament. Mejia grabbed three of four matches by bonus-point wins and will seek his third All-American finish during his final season of eligibility. 

Ryan Ripplinger became a first-time national qualifier over the weekend behind his first regional title, where he went 3-0 with a tech fall to open and a pair of decisions to claim the weight class. Ripplinger looks for his first All-American finish at the National Championships.

Ronan Schuelke (141), Joey Semerad (149), and Matt Ortiz (174) each ended the weekend tournament with runner-up finishes to qualifiy for their first national championship appearances in Kansas on March 15-16. Tyler Haynes (HWT) was the other first-time qualifier with his thrid place finish in the 285 weight class. 

Cory Peterson (165) becomes a three-time national qualifier after his third place finish in the regional action, looking to build upon his impressive resume so far. Peterson finished fourth in 2021, third in 2022, but was redshirted in 2023 due to injury and now looks to add to his All-American history. 

Logan Kvien (197) became a two-time national qualifier after fighting through for a third place finish at the regional championship. Kvien avenged an early season loss to lock up his nationals spot, beating Maryville's Jeremiah Larson via 12-5 decision. 

TEAM RESULTS
1. Central Oklahoma - 160.0 Points
2. McKendree - 151.0 Points
3. Maryville - 93.5 Points
4. Central Missouri - 92.5 Points
5. Indianapolis - 85.0 Points

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
125 | Christian Mejia | 4-0, 1st Place - 19.0 Team Points*
133 | Ryan Ripplinger | 3-0, 1st Place - 16.5 Team Points*
141 | Ronan Schuelke | 2-1, 2nd Place - 14.5 Team Points*
149 | Joey Semerad | 2-1, 2nd Place - 15.0 Team Points*
157 | Josh Laubach | 3-3, 6th Place - 11.0 Team Points
165 | Cory Peterson | 3-1, 3rd Place - 15.5 Team Points*
174 | Matt Ortiz | 2-1, 2nd Place - 15.0 Team Points*
184 | Zeke Waltz | 2-2, 4th Place - 11.5 Team Points
197 | Logan Kvien | 3-1, 3rd Place - 14.0 Team Points*
HWT | Tyler Haynes | 5-1, 3rd Place - 19.0 Team Points*
*national qualifier

UP NEXT | National Championships
March 15-16 | NCAA DII National Championships | Hartman Arena - Park City, Kansas

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