PARK CITY, Kansas — The fourth time's the charm.
After three previous All-America finishes, Montana State-Northern senior Isaac Bartel is now a national champion. Bartel downed Trevor Lawson from Lindsey Wilson with a 6-0 decision in the 197-pound final at the NAIA national wrestling tournament in Park City, Kansas, on Saturday in Bartel's last match of his career for the Lights.
Bartel leads four Montanans who nabbed All-American honors at the national wrestling tournament.
While this is Bartel's first national title, he's no stranger to competing for the title, finishing third as a freshman and as the runner-up the past two years. With the win Bartel finishes his career with a record of 129-15, going undefeated in his senior campaign, with four All-American awards.
Joining Bartel on the list of All-Americans from Montana State-Northern is Chase Short (174 pounds) who finished seventh at the national tournament after downing No. 11 Noah Clary from Lourdes University, 13-1. Nick Kunz, a national champion at 125 pounds last season, was ranked fourth in the 133-pound weight class but faltered early in his bracket, falling to No. 5 Esco Walker from Cumberland Tech 6-4 in the third round. Kunz was able to rally back in the consolation bracket and net an eighth-place finish and All-American honors after falling to No. 6 Mario Ybarra from Concordia in the seventh-place match.
The No. 7-ranked Keegan Mulhill (174) from Bozeman took home All-American honors for the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers, finishing sixth in his weight class after narrowly losing to No. 5 Isaiah Luellen from Baker University 5-4.
