Wichita native to chase NAIA national wrestling championship at Hartman this weekend
For the fourth straight year, the NAIA men’s wrestling national championships will be held at Hartman Arena in Park City starting Friday.
The two-day tournament kicks off at 10 a.m. Friday with championship quarterfinals slated for 6 p.m. Championship semifinals and consolation matches begin at 10 a.m. Saturday with the championship finals, which will be live streamed on ESPN3, scheduled for 7 p.m.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets to the NAIA wrestling national championships can do so through Hartman Arena’s website, beginning at $15 for a single session and $42 to cover all four sessions.
While the tournament mostly features wrestlers from other parts of the country, there are two local wrestlers who will be competing this weekend.
Baker sophomore Malachi Karibo, a Wichita South graduate, is ranked fourth with a 29-7 season record in the 197-pound bracket. Karibo, who won state as a senior at South in 2020, reached the quarterfinals of last year’s national tournament.
Meanwhile, former Goddard standout Logan Davidson is playing football and wrestling as a freshman at Concordia (Neb.). He qualified for the national tournament in the 184-pound bracket with a 12-5 record this season.
For those looking for the most Kansas flavor, Baker is the team that has several familiar names to Kansas high school wrestling fans.
In fact, all five of Baker’s national qualifiers are Kansas-bred, including Karibo, Olathe South’s Dallas Koelzer (149), Leavenworth’s Joey Hancock (165), Prairie View’s Joey Ewalt (174) and Burlington’s Brett Bober (184).
This story was originally published March 3, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
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