Former Sweet Home wrestler Tyler Cowger became a two-time NAIA All-American Saturday, March 7, with a fifth-place finish at the NAIA Wrestling Championships at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, Kan.
Cowger, wrestling for fourth-ranked Southern Oregon, was one of six Raiders who placed in the top eight to earn All-American status as SOU finished second to defending champion Grand Valley State.
Cowger, a sophomore, battled top-ranked Jake Ester of Missouri Valley to a 1-0 loss in the semifinals, and then fell to third-ranked Gustavo Martinez 6-2 in the consolation semis.
Cowger returned to form with a bang in the fifth-place match, winning by fall in the first round (2:16) against Life’s Dallas Brown, whom he had also defeated in the quarterfinals with a tiebreaker. It was Cowger’s second consecutive fifth-place finish.
Senior 174-pounder Brock Gutches of Central Point, son of former Olympic wrestler Les Gutches, won his fourth straight national title and 197-pound senior Taylor Johnson of Redmond also won a championship. Gutches, who last season became the first three-time champ the NAIA has seen in the 174-pound class, nailed down a 67-second semifinal pin of Grand View’s second-ranked Thomas Moman – his third straight pin to start the tournament.
Senior Dalton Urrutia of Lebanon was second at 157 pounds and his brother Garrett Urrutia was seventh at 165.
Also placing was Jacob Abrams of The Dalles, third at 184.
Huskies headed to South Africa
Three Sweet Home wrestlers qualified Saturday, March 14, for a cultural exchange trip to South Africa this summer.
Ricky Yunke (116 pounds), Tyler Fincher (122) and Tyler Schilling (130) all qualified for the trip by winning their weight divisions. The trip will be held July 27-Aug. 15.
“We’re going to have a big group of Sweet Homers going to Africa,” Coach Steve Thorpe said. “I’m very proud of them,. I speaks to all the extra things the kids do to make themselves better.”
Thorpe and assistant Steve Schilling will accompany the group, along with Mike Simons of Thurston, the state’s director of cultural exchanges, and Newberg coach Neil Russo. Junior high wrestler Travis Thorpe also has been invited to participate.
Watkins places sixth at state
Robert Watkins placed sixth at 90 pounds in the state middle school wrestling championships Saturday, March 14, at Woodburn High School.