Josiah Murphy, a graduate student for the Flames, won his third consecutive NCWA Grand National title on Saturday night. (Photos by Robert Leek)
Flames wrestlers finish runner-up to Bellarmine again at NCWA Grand Nationals
3/17/2024 1:35:00 AM | Women's Wrestling, Men's Wrestling
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Graduate 235-pound wrestler Josiah Murphy and heavyweight Rick Weaver both won their third straight national titles.
Graduate 235-pounder Josiah Murphy and heavyweight Rick Weaver both three-peated as individual champions to lead Liberty University's men's wrestling team to a second consecutive runner-up showing at the NCWA Grand National Championships, held for the first time near Shreveport, La.
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Rick Weaver edged Puerto Rico's Olympian at 285 pounds, 2-1.
The Flames didn't have enough finalists to have a realistic chance of overtaking Bellarmine (Ky.) University on Saturday's third and final day of the tournament.
The Knights, who are transitioning to the NCAA Division I ranks next season, defended their team title as they did their NCWA National Duals championship in early January in Cedar Falls, Iowa. They amassed 245.5 points to pull away from Liberty (182) as well as third-place Thomas More (Ky., 143.5), fourth-place Apprentice School (125.5), and fifth-place Lindenwood (123.5).
The Flames finished with nine All-Americans, but had just four finalists whereas Bellarmine sent seven to the finals and won six, including two head-to-head duels with Liberty.
 Murphy won a 4-1 decision over Dubuque's Joseph Pineda in his 235-pound final to end his collegiate career on top before Weaver, who recorded three pins and a major decision in a semifinal showdown with Bellarmine, held on for a 2-1 decision over Caribbean's Jonovan Smith, a member of Puerto Rico's Summer Olympic team, to clinch his third crown.Â
In all, the Flames had two champions, two runners-up, one consolation champion, and one fourth-, one sixth-, one seventh-, and one eighth-place finisher.
Senior David Over scored an 18-6 major decision over Toledo's Ezekiel Burkholder in his third-place bout at 165 pounds. That was after Flames freshman Aiden Scheeringa lost by 17-4 major decision to the Knights' Damion Ryan in his 125-pound championship bout and graduate Reid Stewart fell to Bellarmine's top-seeded Gray Ortis in extra time at 7:44 in his extremely hard-fought 157-pound final.
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Reid Stewart took Bellarmine's No. 1 157-pound opponent to OT.
Senior Timothy Goddard won his 184-pound seventh-place final over the Apprentice's David McElravy before freshman Carder Miller lost his consolation final to Virginia Tech's Glean Gonzalez, 8-1, and sophomore heavyweight Wade Wheeler lost his fifth-place match with Utah Tech's Michah Vuci by fall in 3:40.
Sophomore Chase Arnestad dropped his seventh-place match at 133 pounds to Washington's Jonathan Tanguma by 14-2 major decision.
The Lady Flames, meanwhile, finished ninth out of 35 teams represented with 43 points. They had one fifth-place winner, sophomore Claire Wortz who scored an 11-7 decision over Utah Tech's Kali Westover at 130 pounds, and two sixth-place showings, from freshman Anna-Mari Servin, who was pinned by Main's Morgan Fonger in 1:45 at 143, and senior Maile Ka'ahanui, who dropped a 13-2 major decision to Ottawa-Arizona's Ebony Cortez at 170 pounds.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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Lady Flames sophomore Claire Wortz won her fifth-place final over Utah Tech's Kali Westover at 130 pounds.
