PARK CITY, Kansas – Eastern Oregon's men's wrestling finished Day One of the 2025 NAIA National Championships in 19th place with 11.5 points. Despite facing tough competition, the Mountaineers showed resilience with key performances and will look to make a strong push for higher placements as the tournament continues.
Leading the charge for Eastern Oregon was Nico Rodriguez (NAIA 285), who advanced to the quarterfinals with a dominant victory in his second-round match. Rodriguez won by major decision over Tony Rogers of Lindsey Wilson, 8-0, securing his place in the next round and adding 3.0 points to the team's total.
Jaxon Morlan (NAIA 149) also had a notable performance, securing a win by tech fall in the first round, 21-5, over William Sprenger of Dickinson State. After a tough loss in Round 2, Morlan bounced back in the consolation bracket with a 10-6 decision over Tyler Okada of Waldorf, collecting 3.0 points for Eastern Oregon.
Meanwhile, Jack Eylar (NAIA 125) battled hard, suffering a first-round loss by fall to Leland Camp of Reinhardt, but will look to continue his run in the consolation bracket after receiving a bye and securing a 2-0 decision over Hunter Bennett of Doane in his second match. Eylar has contributed 1.0 point to the team total.
Kyle Knudtson (NAIA 184) will also fight through the consolation bracket after dropping a decision to Jameel Coles of Grand View in Round 2. However, Knudtson fought back in the second consolation round, winning by fall over Barret Brandt of Concordia in 2:37, earning 2.5 points for the team.
Eric Karas (NAIA 197) started the tournament with a tough loss to John Lovett of Reinhardt in the opening round. However, Karas bounced back with a dominant 18-1 tech fall victory over Clay Guenin of Marian in the consolation bracket. He fought hard in his next match but was ultimately defeated by Trillyon Fils-Aime of Southeastern, finishing with 2.0 points.
Darrian Hoobery (NAIA 285) began the tournament with a 7-3 decision win over Aaron Garcia of Midway. However, he was eliminated from the tournament after losses to Gage Braun of Southeastern (tech fall, 17-1) and Kaiden Cisneros of Arizona Christian (major decision, 12-0), contributing 1.0 point.
The Mountaineers are positioned for a strong finish, with Rodriguez poised for a quarterfinal appearance, while Eylar, Morlan, and Knudtson will look to battle their way through the consolation bracket to secure a spot on the podium over the next two days of competition.
