Throughout the 2018-19 academic year, the Great Lakes Valley Conference will celebrate its 40th anniversary by recognizing 40 teams that made a significant impact both on campus and at the Conference level. This week’s featured team is the 2018 McKendree wrestling squad.
40 TEAMS | 40 YEARS
WEEK 20: 2018 McKendree Wrestling
SEASON SUMMARY
The 2018 McKendree wrestling team finished the season 17-5 overall, with a perfect 6-0 record in league action to secure the GLVC Championship. The Bearcats opened the year with the preseason No. 1 ranking, competing not too far from home with the Kaufman Open at Maryville and the Joe Parisi Open at Lindenwood, and a 42-6 home dual win over Missouri Baptist in between. McKendree then made the journey to Great Falls, Montana for four dual wins over Providence (MT), Eastern Oregon, Simon Fraser and Minot State. The middle of the schedule marked the annual stops at UIndy’s Midwest Classic and the NWCA National Duals following the New Year. Darren Wynn made light work of the 141-pound bracket posting a fall, tech fall, two major decisions, and decision to earn his weight class crown at the Midwest Classic. Nick Foster took second place at 174 and Ryan Strope was fourth at 157 to help the Bearcats to a third-place finish in the prestigious tournament. At the NWCA National Duals, fifth-ranked McKendree opened with a 23-10 victory over Central Oklahoma, but dropped a 23-11 decision to No. 12 Nebraska-Kearney and a 23-15 result to Colorado State-Pueblo. The Bearcats would be challenged with three more contests prior to GLVC action, which resulted in a 1-2 mark at the Ranger Duals with a 31-13 win over No. 16 Findlay and a setback to top-ranked St. Cloud State and Tiffin. Four GLVC duals would be next on the docket for McKendree as the Bearcats outscored Truman State and Drury by a combined score of 73-15, before knocking off No. 3 UW-Parkside 21-13 in Lebanon just six days after. That same day, McKendree picked up a 39-3 victory over No. 23 Maryville. Following a 47-0 blanking of Central Missouri, McKendree returned to its final week of GLVC action and topped Bellarmine and No. 13 Indianapolis by a combined score of 72-6 to secure its first-ever conference crown. The Bearcats posted a 3-1 mark in their remaining dual matches, which included a 22-18 win over No. 10 Central Oklahoma. At the NCAA Super Regional 3 in St. Cloud, Minnesota, McKendree finished runner-up to St. Cloud State, while Marcus Povlick (125), NaQuan Hardy (133), Wynn (141), Isaiah Kemper (149), Strope (157), Qian’te Wagner (165), and Foster (174) all punched their tickets to the NCAA DII National Championships with top-four finishes. The Bearcats would then total 52 points to place seventh at the NCAA Championships on the heels of five All-America performances, including Wynn’s national runner-up effort.
IMPRESSIVE INDIVIDUALS
Darren Wynn (141)
- Ended career as school’s first four-time All-American
- 2016 NCAA Champion
- Earned All-America honors by placing second at 2017 and 2018 NCAA Championships and seventh in 2015
- Concluded senior season 31-1 and 149-33 for his career
- GLVC Wrestler of the Year (2018)
- Unanimous All-GLVC First Team (2018)
Nick Foster (174)
- Earned All-America honors by placing fourth at NCAA Championships (2018)
- Ended 2017-18 with a 32-6 record as a sophomore
- All-GLVC Second Team (2018)
- James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award (2017, 2018)
- GLVC Freshman of the Year (2017)
Isaiah Kemper (149)
- Earned All-America honors by placing fifth at NCAA Championships (2018)
- Ended 2017-18 with a 32-14 record as a junior
- All-GLVC Second Team (2018)
Marcus Povlick (125)
- Earned All-America honors by placing seventh at NCAA Championships (2018)
- Ended 2017-18 with a 29-15 record as a sophomore
- Unanimous All-GLVC First Team (2018)
Ryan Strope (157)
- Earned All-America honors by placing seventh at NCAA Championships (2018)
- GLVC Scholar Athlete of the Year (2018)
- Unanimous All-GLVC First Team (2017, 2018)
- Ended 2017-18 with a 40-12 record as a redshirt senior
James Kisgen
- NWCA National Coach of the Year (2018)
- NWCA Super Region 3 Coach of the Year (2017, 2018)
- GLVC Coach of the Year (2018)
- Coached All-GLVC honorees at eight of 10 weight classes in 2018
LASTING LEGACY
With its 6-0 mark in league action, the 2017-18 McKendree wrestling team became the first official GLVC Champion. The Bearcats have been the highest-ranked GLVC member at the end of the last two seasons, placing fourth in the final polls in both 2017 and 2018, following fifth and seventh-place finishes at the NCAA Championships, respectively. They also own the best two-year league mark at 10-2 (.833). Head coach James Kisgen mentored eight All-GLVC selections in the 10 weight classes in 2017-18, and went on to earn Super Region 3 and National Coach of the Year accolades from the NWCA.