Pair of Warriors Compete at NAIA Championships

WICHITA, Kan. – The 2025 NAIA Men's Wrestling National Championships concluded Saturday night at Park Arena. Midland University had two athletes compete in the three-day meet, finishing with four team points for a 39th-place finish.

Burton Brandt, the No. 9 seed at 197 pounds, went 1-2 in the tournament. He opened with a 10-9 decision over John Bray of Wayland Baptist before falling to No. 8 seed Asher Ruchti of Southern Oregon, 8-1, in the second round. In the consolation bracket, Brandt was eliminated by Tyler Rowland of Cumberland in a 12-8 decision. He finished the season with a 14-5 record.

Zeph Sivels, the No. 15 seed at 285 pounds, won his opening-round match with a 13-4 major decision over Kaiden Cisneros of Arizona Christian. In the second round, he fell to No. 2 seed Earnest Johnson of Life, 5-2. Sivels rebounded in the consolation bracket, defeating Braydon Erb of Indiana Tech, 7-2, and No. 10 seed Austin Silva of Cumberlands, 5-3. His tournament run ended in the fourth consolation round with a fall at 1:58 against No. 5 seed Kenneth Copley of Embry-Riddle. Sivels closed the season with a 27-10 record.