KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Providence men's wrestling team received votes
in the final NAIA National Ranking of the regular season.
Four Argos were ranked in the Top 20 of their respective weight classes –
Joel Avila is #8 at 133 lbs.,
KC Buday is #12 at 285 lbs.,
Jordan Komac is ranked #14 at 165 lbs. and
Hayden Schrull came in at #17 in the 184 lb. weight class.
"We have felt all along that we could get better and we have gotten better," head coach
Steve Komac said. "If we had a few more opportunities to reach some other conferences across the country we'd be able to get recognized a little bit more. We're nearing the postseason so from here on out we knew that we wouldn't be able to change things much. The rankings aren't our focus. We use them as an indicator of where we're at."
The team is coming off a successful weekend in Arizona. The Argos (6-4, 4-2) defeated Vanguard, #19 Embry-Riddle and Arizona Christian in three conference duals. Vanguard and Embry-Riddle were both ranked ahead of the Argos in the national rankings prior to the weekend.
"It was an extremely important weekend," Komac said. "It's really important to test yourself against really high competition. The last thing you want to do is show up in the postseason and have the level be higher there than what you're used to competing against. We're thankful that our schedule has allowed us opportunities to wrestle against some of the best kids. We're going to continue to compete tomorrow night against a much higher ranked team."
The Argos
will conclude the regular season Thursday night with a home conference dual against #8 MSU-Northern at 6:00 p.m. in the McLaughlin Center.
Joel Avila #8 (133 lbs.)
Avila had a successful two week period. He
won the 133 lb. weight class at the Tyler Plummer Classic, and won both of his matches in the duals over the weekend, including a pin over Mario Barrios (Vanguard). Avila is 15-8 on the season and has recorded three pins on the year.
"He's been wrestling great." Komac said. "He had a little lull in the action but the last two weeks he's been right at the top of his game. We feel like he'll continue to be there."
KC Buday #12 (285 lbs.)
Buday took the week off during the Tyler Plummer Classic, but didn't miss a beat in the conference duals over the weekend, pinning both of his opponents. Buday has a team-high 24 wins and has recorded 10 pins on the season.
"KC has been one of the most consistent performers that we've had all year long," Komac said. "He continues to get better and continues to perform to the best of his ability."
Jordan Komac #14 (165 lbs.)
Komac returned from an injury two weeks ago that kept him out for nearly two months. He officially returned at the Tyler Plummer Classic, where he
won the 165 lb. weight class. He then won all three of his dual matches, including wins over #5 Frederick Padilla (Vanguard) and #11 Keller Rock (Embry-Riddle). His performance during the two duals earned him recognition from the Cascade Collegiate Conference, who
named him the WVT Laboratory Wrestler of the Week
"The last two weeks have been great for him," Komac said. "He had to push himself along to get through his injury. He's been competing very well since he got back."
Hayden Schrull #17 (184 lbs.)
Schrull is a new addition to the National Rankings. He
finished 3rd at the Tyler Plummer Classic and won both of his dual matches this past weekend, including a pin over Baron Gaunt (Vanguard). Schrull is 13-5 on the season and has recorded a total of six pins.
"The last two weeks we've seen the Hayden we expect," Komac said. "It's the Hayden that we know we have on the team. He was sidelined for well over a year for us. He had a couple of offseason surgeries that took some time to recover form. It took him a little bit to get him back to where he was capable of being but he's really starting to come along and he's really starting to look good."
