Four Morningside wrestlers earned NAIA All-America honors at the 2014 NAIA Wrestling National Championships.

Joe Sievert, a senior from Akron, Iowa, earned NAIA All-America honors with a third place finish in the 184 lb. division during Saturday’s action at the 2014 NAIA Wrestling National Championships in Topeka, Kan.

Sievert was one of four Morningside wrestlers to earn All-America honors at the tournament. The Mustangs’ other All-Americans were Tyler Lashbrook, a junior from Wellsburg, Iowa, with a sixth place finish at 149 lbs.; Rulin Pederson, a junior from Sioux City with a sixth place finish at 184 lbs.; and Jordan Langley, a senior from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, with a seventh place finish at 157 lbs.

Sievert won three matches during Saturday’s consolation bracket action to finish the season with a record of 14-2. Sievert earned All-America honors for the third time in his career after a third place finish at 165 lbs. in 2010 and a seventh place finish at 174 lbs. in 2012. He compiled a 98-16 record during his Morningside career for sixth place on the Mustangs’ all-time victory list.

Sievert, ranked third nationally in the final NAIA regular season poll, began Saturday’s action with a 13-4 major decision against fifth-ranked Jacob Abrams of Southern Oregon University, followed by a 6-4 decision against fourth-ranked Christian Mays of Grand View University. Sievert defeated fifth-ranked Trey Hicks of Life University by a 7-3 decision in the third place consolation match.

Sievert went 2-1 during Friday’s action. He opened the tourney with an 11-5 decision against Marcus Zachary of Simpson University before he lost by fall in 4:54 against second-ranked Cody Linton of Cumberland in the quarterfinals. Sievert stayed alive with a 7-0 shutout victory against Taylor DeLong of Indiana Tech University in Friday’s consolation bracket action.

Lashbrook, ranked fifth in the nation, saw his quest for a national championship end in the semifinals when he lost an 11-3 major decision against second-ranked Jake Williams of Cumberland University. The loss snapped a 19-match winning streak for Lashbrook, who then lost a 3-1 decision against third-ranked Jake Ekster of Missouri Valley College and a 5-2 decision against Tyler Cowger of Southern Oregon.

Lashbrook, who finished the season with a record of 26-9, was the Mustangs’ only competitor to make it to the semifinals. He opened the tourney with a 3-0 decision against Sam Connors of Campbellsville University and then won a 5-4 decision against Stephen Myers of Lindsey Wilson College in the second round and a 4-2 decision against ninth-ranked Colin Merkley of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the quarterfinals. 

Pederson opened Saturday’s consolation bracket action with a 4-1 decision against Dan Capp of Hannibal-LaGrange University, who he also defeated in the opening round. A 7-4 loss against fifth-ranked Hicks of Life put Pederson in the fifth place consolation match, where he lost a 5-3 decision against fourth-ranked Mays of Grand View.

Pederson won his national tournament opener with a 10-5 decision against Capp and added a second-round 3-1 upset win against seventh-ranked Tucker VanMatre of Southern Oregon. Pederson lost an 8-4 decision against No. 1-ranked Jameel Bryant of Lindsey Wilson in the quarterfinals. Pederson advanced to Saturday with a 6-2 decision against Brock Binversie of Waldorf College in Friday evening’s consolation bracket action.

Pederson finished the season with a record of 13-6.

Langley went 1-1 on Saturday to finish the season with a record of 24-13. He dropped a 10-9 decision against 10th-ranked Chad Cebulski of Great Falls University and won a 3-2 decision against seventh-ranked Tyler McMichael of Midland University in the seventh place consolation match.

Langley pinned eighth-ranked David Rios of Menlo College in 4:21 to reach the quarterfinals, where he lost by fall in 5:52 against top-ranked Joe Cozart of Lindsey Wilson College in the quarterfinals. He rebounded with a 5-2 win against Dakota Wesleyan University’s Ryan Roach in Friday’s consolation bracket action. 

Morningside’s Nathan Ryan, a 133 lb. sophomore from Moville, Iowa; Garret Lambrecht, a 141 lb. junior from Wood River, Neb.; Kevin Olson, a 141 lb. senior from Dallas, Ga.; Harrison Johnson, a 165 lb. senior from Sterling, Colo.; and Tyler Kacmarynski, a senior heavyweight from Spencer, Iowa, were all eliminated on Friday.

Kacmarynski finished his career with a record of 98-46 for the sixth highest victory total in Morningside history.

Morningside Results
133- Michael Ruiz (Great Falls) pinned Nathan Ryan (Morningside), 5:29; Tyler Alsip (Campbellsville) def. Ryan 11-4. Ryan is eliminated.

141- Garret Lambrecht (Morningside) def. Anthony Vega (Simpson) by technical fall, 20-2; Wismit Moinius (Lindsey Wilson) def. Lambrecht, 5-3; Lambrecht def. Seth Elhang (Dickinson State), 9-0; Jerry Mayo III (Northwestern) def. Lambrecht, 9-8. Lambrecht is eliminated. Kevin Olson (Morningside) def. Trace Gutknecht (Embry-Riddle), 8-3; Brandon Wright (Grand View) def. Olson, 13-3; Olson def. Chris Hart (Wayland Baptist), 9-5; Travis Barroquillo (Indiana Tech) pinned Olson, 4:19. Olson is eliminated.

149- Tyler Lashbrook (Morningside) def. Sam Conners (Campbellsville), 3-0; Lashbrook def. Stephen Myers (Lindsey Wilson), 5-4; Lashbrook def. Colin Merkley (Embry-Riddle), 4-2; Jake Williams (Cumberland) def. Lashbrook, 11-3; Jake Ekstar (Missouri Valley) def. Lashbrook, 3-1; Tyler Cowger (Southern Oregon) defeated Lashbrook 5-2. Lashbrook placed sixth.

157- Jordan Langley (Morningside) pinned David Rios (Menlo), 4:21; Joe Cozart (Lindsey Wilson) pinned Langley, 5:52. Langley def. Ryan Roach (Dakota Wesleyan), 5-2; Chad Cebulski (Great Falls) def. Langley, 10-9; Langley def. Tyler McMichael (Midland), 3-2. Langley placed seventh.

165- Bryce Alexander (Hannibal-LaGrange) pinned Harrison Johnson (Morningside), 6:54; Jemson Villard (St. Andrews) def. Johnson, 7-3; Johnson (19-15) is eliminated.

184- Rulin Pederson (Morningside) def. Dan Capp (Hannibal-LaGrange), 10-5; Pederson def. Tucker VanMarte (Southern Oregon), 3-1; Jameel Bryant (Lindsey Wilson) def. Pederson, 8-4; Pederson def. Brock Binversie (Waldorf), 6-2; Pederson def. Capp 4-1; Trey Hicks (Life) def. Pederson, 7-4; Christian Mays (Grand View) def. Pederson, 5-3. Pederson placed sixth. Joe Sievert (Morningside) def. Marcus Zachary (Simpson), 11-5; Cody Linton (Cumberland) pinned Sievert, 4:54; Sievert def. Taylor DeLong (Indiana Tech), 7-0; Sievert def. Jacob Abrams (Southern Oregon), 13-4; Sievert def. Christian Mays (Grand View), 6-4; Sievert def. Trey Hicks (Life), 7-3. Sievert placed third.

Hwt.- Tyler Kacmarynski (Morningside) def. Jacob Roza (Life), 10-4; Eric Thompson (Grand View) pinned Kacmarynski, 0:55; Clayton Burtis (Southern Oregon) def. Kacmarynski, 6-4. Kacmarynski is eliminated.

Results