Men's Wrestling 2/22/2025 10:32:00 PM EOU Sports Information

Eastern Oregon Wrestling Secures Sixth Place, Qualifies Six for NAIA Nationals at CCC Championships

REDDING, Calif. – Eastern Oregon University wrapped up competition at the 2025 Cascade Collegiate Conference Wrestling Championships on Saturday, finishing sixth in the team standings with 91.5 points. The Mountaineers saw strong performances across multiple weight classes, highlighted by three All-Conference selections and six automatic qualifiers for the NAIA National Championships.

Southern Oregon took home the CCC title with 150.5 points, followed by Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) with 137.0 and Corban University in third with 127.5. Despite placing sixth overall, EOU made its mark with standout individual performances.

Eastern Oregon had three wrestlers earn All-Conference honors for their performances at the CCC Championships. Jaxon Morlan secured a runner-up finish at 149 pounds, while Kyle Knudtson claimed third place at 184 pounds. At heavyweight, Nico Rodriguez also earned a runner-up finish to round out EOU's honorees.

NAIA National Qualifiers:

125 lbs. – Jack Eylar (5th Place)
149 lbs. – Jaxon Morlan (2nd Place)
184 lbs. – Kyle Knudtson (3rd Place)
197 lbs. – Eric Karas (5th Place)
285 lbs. – Nico Rodriguez (2nd Place)
285 lbs. – Darrian Hoobery (5th Place)

Notable Performances:

Jaxon Morlan (149 lbs.) led the way for EOU with a runner-up finish, earning a hard-fought victory in the semifinals before falling in a sudden victory decision to Jonah Chew of Embry-Riddle in the championship match.
Kyle Knudtson (184 lbs.) finished third, dominating in the consolation bracket and securing his spot at nationals with a tech fall victory in the semifinals.
Nico Rodriguez (285 lbs.) battled through a deep heavyweight bracket to take second place, losing in a tiebreaker to Corban's Antonio Garcia in the championship bout.
Jack Eylar (125 lbs.) and Darrian Hoobery (285 lbs.) both placed fifth, punching their tickets to the national tournament with key victories in their placement matches.
Eric Karas (197 lbs.) placed fifth, securing an automatic bid to nationals with an 11.0-point contribution to the team score.

EOU will now set its sights on the 68th NAIA National Wrestling Championships, set to take place March 6-8 in Park City, Kansas. The Mountaineers will look to build on their conference performances and make an impact on the national stage.