Men’s wrestlers’ MAC Tournament title run snapped by Apprentice, which also ties Lady Flames for women’s crown

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Men’s wrestlers’ MAC Tournament title run snapped by Apprentice, which also ties Lady Flames for women’s crown

3/2/2025 8:51:00 PM | Men's Wrestling

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Liberty advanced a record 21 men's wrestlers and eight women to the March 13-15 NCWA Grand Nationals in Louisiana.

Gallery: (3-2-2025) Mid-Athlantic Conference Wrestling

Liberty University's men's wrestling team's 12-year run as Mid-Atlantic Conference tournament champions came to an end at the hands of Apprentice School, Sunday at the LaHaye Multipurpose Center. However, the Flames did qualify 21 wrestlers — their largest contingent ever and a few more than the Builders — for the March 13-15 NCWA Grand National Championships at the Brookshire Arena near Shreveport, La.

Apprentice, which last won a MAC Tournament title in 2011 — the year before Liberty moved from the NCAA Division I level to the NCWA ranks — racked up 224 points to edge the Flames (206.5). Clemson (96.5) ranked third ahead of Virginia Tech (79), JMU (47.5), Tennessee (46.5), South Carolina (37), East Carolina (30.5), and UNC Charlotte (27).

"What happened today is all in God's favor," said Flames freshman Ronnie Black, who won his 174-pound weight class by upsetting Apprentice's Matthew Henson in the final, 6-3. "God wanted us to have a taste of this loss because we have beaten Apprentice for so long and we've just been on a high pedestal and we've been fed. But now God is showing us it's going to be a challenge. It's never going to be easy. I love a challenge, overcoming the doubt in our minds."

Black credited God for his success on the mat, as one of a handful of Flames who have excelled as freshmen.

"All my competition was great and they're all brothers in Christ at the end of the day," he said. "It's always going to be God-first. I'm decent at this (sport), but when I have God with me, I can be at my best. I just rode (Henson) out; I tried my best and gave it all to the Lord."

In all, the Flames advanced 10 wrestlers to the 11 weight class finals and won five individual titles. They had another five reach consolation finals with three of those claiming third place and four make it to the fifth-place finals, winning two.

"Honestly, we had a lot of guys step up," Liberty Head Coach Jesse Castro said. "We got slaughtered by these guys (33-15) in our (NCWA National) Duals meet (at Apprentice from Jan. 31-Feb. 1, where the Builders placed second and the Flames finished third) and we made this one really close. We won some matches that we lost a couple of weeks ago."

That included freshman 157-pound champion Mattox Allen, who scored a 14-4 major decision over Apprentice's Logan Eastman in the semifinals before decisioning JMU's Brady Bolanger, 7-2, in the final; and freshman 165-pound champion Drake Bowers, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler after winning his first match by fall and scoring two major decisions, including 14-6 over the Builders' Landon Kissell in the final.

After pinning Clemson's Will Thomas in his first match, Allen turned the tables on Eastman.

"That was my revenge match," said Allen, who came in ranked fourth in NCWA Division I at 157. "It was a lot of fun and I'm just thankful that I got the opportunity to come here and show what I've been working on this entire season. Being able to practice with these brothers that I've been able to make over the last couple months really gave me the edge to compete with him. I was really trying to go for something big, like a pin (or technical fall), but I'll take the major and the extra team point."

He said the Flames will make the most of their 10 days of practice before challenging for a record sixth NCWA Grand National team title after finishing runner-up to Bellarmine, now an NCAA Division I program, the past two seasons.

"There's still a good chance we could come back at nationals and win that as a team," Allen said. "I'm kind of excited to go out and be able to wrestle these higher-ranked guys."

"It's going to take a lot of team effort and it's going to take some heart to get it done," added Bowers, who said he prays before every match. "It's all Him."

Other MAC champions for Liberty were 125-pound sophomore Aiden Scheeringa, who scored a dominant 15-4 major decision over Apprentice's Lucas Vannostrand, who he had pinned on Vannostrand's home mat at the NCWA National Duals; and 197-pound senior Gabe Hayes, who won his first two matches by fall before recording an 11-2 major decision over South Carolina's Aaron Coverdell in the final for the first MAC title of his career.

Hayes is looking forward to seeing the Builders again in Louisiana.

"This was a national qualifier, so we'll see these guys again and get after them," he said. "It'll be tough, but we're going to keep fighting and do what we do. Coach Castro does a good job of that, getting us to peak at the right time and getting us ready for nationals."
Complete results are available online.

Liberty's women's team finished tied for first place with Apprentice with 41 points and qualified eight wrestlers for nationals, including sophomore Faith Kiefer, the Lady Flames' only individual champion at 180 pounds. She lost her first match by first-period fall to Guilford College's Jacie Livengood before pinning Liberty teammate Amelia Marti in 2:55 and Livengood in 2:43 in their rematch in the final.

The Lady Flames also had four runner-up finishers — sophomore Aurora Pennington at 124 pounds, senior Claire Wortz at 131 pounds, sophomore Anna-Mari Servin at 155 pounds, and junior Chloe Roland at 160 pounds.

Pennington won her first match by fall over Clemson's Levi Cook in 2:03 before being pinned by Tennessee's Scout Holguin in 1:49 and bouncing back to deck the Builders' Karmen McKnight in 43 seconds in the third round-robin match.

Wortz lost her 131-pound final by 40-second fall to Apprentice's Skylar Schaefer before Servin pinned fellow Liberty senior Rebekah Bukur in 4:37 and Lady Flames freshman Alana Folcik in 4:02 and East Carolina's Brianna Horne in 4:25 only to lose her final match by fall to the Apprentice School's overall champion Ida Pellei in 3:53.

Roland lost her first match to the Builders' eventual champion Siddie Hoffen by 40-second fall before winning her second by forfeit to senior teammate Mackenzie Yates and scoring a 4-1 decision over Clemson's Brittnay Hester.

Three of Apprentice's four wrestlers won their respective weight classes to equal Liberty's point total.

"Obviously, we want to take those championship spots, so we've got to go back to the gym and continue to work for where it matters at nationals," Lady Flames Head Coach Charisse McIlhenny said. "We finished seventh place last year out of 35 women's teams, so I would like to do that or better. That is the goal. We are hoping for two to three All-Americans. That would be awesome."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video edited by Andrew Musser/Club Sports Video & Media Coordinator