THURSDAY, FEB. 12 | 7 PM
No. 1/ 2 Wartburg vs No. 7 Loras
Dubuque, Iowa | Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center
WATCH | LISTEN | LIVE RESULTS
 
The No. 1/2-ranked Wartburg College men's wrestling team (14-1 overall, 7-0 A-R-C) looks for its 43rd all-time American Rivers Conference title this Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m., when it battles the No. 5/7-ranked Loras College Duhawks (17-2 overall, 7-0 A-R-C) at the Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Thursday's dual is projected to have seven ranked bouts, as six of those features six inside the top 10 individually.
 
TAKE NOTE
Both Wartburg and Loras enter Thursday's dual unbeaten in American Rivers Conference action, with the A-R-C championship on the line. The Knights have claimed each of the past five league titles and 32 of the last 33 dating back to 1993. Loras snapped Wartburg's 27-season championship run in 2020, ending a historic stretch that included a 220-dual conference winning streak—the longest across all divisions at the time.

A Wartburg victory on Thursday would secure its sixth consecutive A-R-C crown and extend the program's conference dual winning streak to 50.

Head coach Eric Keller looks to become the fifth-straight A-R-C Coach of the Year – 9-time coach of the year to date.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Wartburg owns a 60-8-3 advantage in the all-time series and has won six straight meetings. The Duhawks' last win came on Feb. 14, 2020 (19-17). Overall, the Knights have captured 36 of the last 37 matchups.

DOJAN DOMINATION
Senior Charlie Dojan (Mounds View, Minn./Irondale) secured his second A-R-C Wrestler of the Week award after picking up his 14th technical fall of the season, perfecting his 23-0 record so far this season. Along with Dojan's tech fall count, he's picked up four major decisions, three decisions and one fall.
 
WEEKLY A-R-C HONORS
Charlie Dojan – Nov. 24 
Patrick Mullen – Jan. 19 
Kade Blume – Jan. 26 
Cal Dorota – Feb. 2 
Charlie Dojan – Feb. 9 
 
STAYIN' ON TOP
Dojan is joined by teammates Kasey Ross (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) (20-0)  and Mitch Willamson (River Falls, Wis./River Falls) (18-0) that record no losses on the 2025-26 campaign.

Anthony Ulaszek (Greely, Colo./Greeley West) (22-4) has pinned a team-high 16, as Syler Zdancezewicz (Fennimore, Wis./Fennimore) (21-8) has picked up a team-best eight major decisions.

AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Wartburg has taken care of five-of-six ranked opponents this season, with a 196-17-2 record dating back to 2003.
 
2025-26 WINS AGAINST RANKED FOES
No. 10 Luther (W, 43-3) – Dec. 5
No. 8 Johnson & Wales (W, 48-3) – Jan. 9 (NWCA Duals)
No. 4 TCNJ (W, 24-15) – Jan. 10 (NWCA Duals)
No. 6 Roanoke (L, 19-16) – Jan. 10 (NWCA Duals)
No. 9 Central (W, 35-9) – Jan. 24
No. 3 Augsburg (W, 21-9) – Jan. 30 (Battle of the Burgs)
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
Wartburg
125: #14 Brett Birchman (12-6)
133: #5 Patrick Mullen (19-4)
141: #3 Kade Blume (16-2)
149: #9 Caleb Olson (16-6) OR Anthony Ulaszek (22-4)
157: #1 Charlie Dojan (23-0)
165: #10 Aiden Brosinski (16-5) OR Carter Martinson (14-4)
174: #12 Mike Slade (20-7) OR Hesston Johnson (22-7)
184: #2 Kasey Ross (20-0)
197: #6 Cal Dorota (19-4)
HWT: #1 Mitch Williamson (18-0) OR Jake Walker (9-2)
 
Loras
125: #6 Aidan Gruenenfelder (25-2)
133: #10 Connor Fiser (9-4)
141: Nosa Egbon (18-9)
149: #10 Chase Fiser (18-5)
157: #6 Eric Kinkaid (26-2)
165: Braylon Griffiths (13-10)
174: #4 Dustin Bohren (25-2)
184: #8 Landry Barker (23-4)
197: Kam Royster (11-15)
HWT: #7 Jonah Clark (11-1)
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Knights recorded their 41st straight dual win over the Coe College Kohawks, 33-7 inside Levick Arena on Takedown MITO/Senior Night last Friday. Wartburg saw an early defeat at 125, but followed with eight out of nine bout wins - The Knights tallied five bonus-point victories.
 
NATIONAL STATUS
The Knights remained the nation's top tournament team at No. 1 and at No. 2 in the latest dual team rankings (NWCA). Wartburg resides ranked wrestlers in all ten weight classes. Three wrestlers moved up in the individual rankings: Patrick Mullen, Kade Blume, and Cal Dorota following an impressive stretch.

125: Brett Birchman (#14) -4
133: Patrick Mullen (#5) +4
141: Kade Blume (#3) +2
149: Caleb Olson (#9)
157: Charlie Dojan (#1)
165: Aiden Brosinkski (#10)
174: Mike Slade (#12)
184: Kasey Ross (#2)
197: Cal Dorota (#6) +4
285: Mitchell Williamson (#1)
 
A-R-C MEN'S WRESTLING PRESEASON POLL 
1. Wartburg - 64 (8)   
2. Coe - 55 (1)   
3. Loras - 52    
4. Central - 39   
5. Luther - 37   
6. Univ. of Dubuque - 32   
7. Nebraska Wesleyan - 20   
8. Simpson - 17   
9. Buena Vista - 8