Liberty repeated its third-place NCWA National Duals performance from last season Friday and Saturday at Utah Tech University.
Men’s wrestlers outbattle Builders in NCWA National Duals third-place bout
2/14/2026 11:47:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
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Liberty, seeded third, finished 5-1 after overcoming top-seeded Apprentice, its Mid-Atlantic Conference rival, in Utah.
For the 15th season in a row since shifting from the NCAA Division I ranks, Liberty University's men's wrestling team will be returning from the NCWA National Duals with hardware.
The third-seeded Flames finished 5-1 at the tournament hosted by Utah Tech University, the fourth-seeded team that Liberty beat in Friday's round-robin matches. They repeated their third-place showing from last season's tournament at the Apprentice School in Newport News, Va., by upsetting the No. 1-seeded Builders in Saturday's consolation final, 37-15.
Earlier in the day, Liberty dominated the University of Central Florida, 41-11, to advance to a championship semifinal match against eventual NCWA National Duals champion Tarleton (Texas) State University, which defeated the Flames, 33-13.
"I think this was the toughest national dual meet tournament we've been to in a long time," said Flames first-year Head Coach Chris Williamson, who served as an assistant coach for six seasons under former Head Coach Jesse Castro before starting the program at Cornerstone (Mich.) University, an NAIA program. "We had to battle from start to finish in each of our last four of matches. We had two easier matches (against No. 9 Colorado State and No. 10 UCLA) on the first day, but all of our other matches were just brutal. There were hammers, studs all the way up and down the lineup."
The third-place bout was Liberty's best of the tournament, after it had placed behind runner-up Apprentice in both the NCWA National Duals and the NCWA Grand Nationals near Shreveport, La.
"We were very fortunate to be on the winning side five times, but they were all close, hard-fought matches," Williamson said. "Guys just found a way to win this weekend, which was huge for us."
Sophomore Wayshaun Hicks bumped up from 133 to141 pounds to win the most pivotal match against Apprentice, lifting Liberty to an early 9-6 team lead.
"Wayshaun had struggled a lot this weekend against solid competition, including a returning all-American from UCF," Williamson said of Kevin Kerns, who pinned Hicks 3:15 into their 141-pound bout. "Against (Landon Yoder of) Apprentice, he was getting taken down, but threw a nice little broomstick, turned the kid to his back and got a pin (in 1 minute, 19 seconds). That was an enormous swing for us. Wayshaun's match really swung all the momentum in our favor."
Then at 149 pounds, sophomore Christian Knuckles extended the team advantage to 15-6 by decking Jack Landauer in 3:46.
"We couldn't have done it without Christian," Williamson said. "He got a cradle, got turned to his back, got off his back, got another cradle, and ended up pinning the guy."
At 157, sophomore Matox Allen, the Flames' lone individual NCWA Grand National champion last season, endured an epic battle against Dimetrus Wince, one of the top-ranked wrestlers in the nation at his weight class. Allen fought off a takedown to secure a 10-9 decision by one riding time point.
"Both wrestlers exchanged takedowns, and there was blood everywhere, leading to 3-4 minutes of injury timeouts," Williamson said. "It was definitely a bloodbath. Matox's pace was a little too much, and his leg defense was fantastic."
Flames 184-pound sophomore Ron Black poses with Assistant Coach Josh McIlhenny (left), Head Coach Chris Williamson, and Graduate Assistant Ian McIlhenny (right) after clinching the third-place match against Apprentice.
Flames junior Drake Bowers scored a 19-7 major decision over Apprentice's Logan Eastman at 174 pounds before sophomore Ron Black dominated his match against Lucas Summers with two quick takedowns before pinning him at the 2:00 mark to extend Liberty's lead to 28-9, clinching the team triumph.
The Builders had been upset in their semifinal match by Utah Tech, 30-28.
"Apprentice was missing a couple guys, but they were really, really tough," Williamson said. "To earn this third-place finish, our guys had to coalesce as a team. This is the tightest this team has been all year, and they all came together at the right time. (Assistant Coach) Josh (McIlhenny) and I are so proud of them, and glad they can see some of the fruit of their labors. It was a long haul to get to this point, and they needed it. They deserve it, and we are beyond pleased."
The Flames have two weeks to prepare to host the Mid-Atlantic Conference Tournament at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex. Last season, Apprentice ended the Flames' 12-season run as MAC tournament champions.
"I don't think we've peaked yet," Williamson said, noting Liberty is targeting being at its top form for the March 26-28 NCWA Grand Nationals. "We're definitely not as good as we could be or want to be, but this weekend was a gigantic step in the right direction. We've got to get better technically. We've been preaching about toughness and resilience and staying in the fight all season long, and this weekend, we would have been very much exposed if we weren't tough.
"This was a tough weekend and our guys never stopped, never quit," he added. "They stepped up to the challenge four different times, and the guys just crushed it. It was amazing to watch. I was just glad to be in the corner."
By Ted Allen/Staff WriterFlames wrestlers flex as they enjoy the natural scenic beauty of Zion National Park near St. George, Utah, site of the NCWA National Duals.
