in

Oklahoma Wesleyan Wrestling Update

As the 2022-23 school year wraps up, I wanted to write you a quick note to provide some highlights of the year so that you can get to know more about the team. It has been a pleasure to coach this group and I am excited to see what God has planned for their future. 

On the last page of this letter, I am going to include personal highlights from some of the wrestlers. 

National Awards 

Jake Stanton – NAIA Champion of Character 

Kolby Encinas and Donte Lopez – NAIA National Tournament Qualifiers 

Jaden Welden, Kolby Encinas, and Blayke Brower – National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholastic All-Americans 

Jaden Welden, Wade Landrum, Kolby Encinas – Daktronics NAIA Wrestling Scholar Athletes 

Kolby Encinas, Donte Lopez, Jaden Welden, Josh Cortez – Nationally ranked wrestlers 

Conference Awards 

Kolby Encinas, Wade Landrum, Cullen Ferguson, Jaden Welden, and Jake Stanton – KCAC Academic All-Conference 

Donte Lopez – KCAC Wrestler of the Week 

Fourth place as a team at the KCAC tournament 

Fourth place as a team at the Central Baptist Invitational 

Conference place winners – Jake Stanton 4th, Zeke Wheeler 3rd, Kolby Encinas 3rd, Donte Lopez 2nd, Chad Sakamoto 4th, Andrew Mahoney 5th, Jaden Welden 4th 

Team Awards 

Scholastic Achievement – Wade Landrum and Blayke Brower tied 

Coach’s Award – Zeke Wheeler 

Freshman of the Year – Donte Lopez 

Most Outstanding Wrestling – Kolby Encinas 

In closing, I want to thank you for your support of the program, it is an exciting time to be the coach at Oklahoma Wesleyan as we build this program. If you haven’t donated to our 2022-23 Fundraiser, please consider doing so. If you would like to donate by check, please make the check payable to Oklahoma Wesleyan and put wrestling in the memo line. If you wish to donate online, please visit https://www.okwu.edu/wrestling-fundraiser 

Notes from the Wrestlers:

“Walking in the Parade of Champions at the NAIA National Tournament, Representing Oklahoma Wesleyan was a piece of personal success”

Donte Lopez – Freshman – Gilroy, CA

“When we wrestled in the N.E.O tournament, everyone wrestled well and becoming a team/family”

Jake Stanton – Sophomore – Caney, KS

“The fellowship with my teammates is the best part of wrestling at OKWU”

Wade Landrum – Junior – Mannford, OK

“Coaching my teammates at the Patriot Open in Kentucky”

Chad Sakamoto – Junior – Gilroy, CA

“Winning in the last five seconds against York, at home, in front of my family and friends”

Kolby Encinas – Junior – Pryor, OK

“The picture that I took after placing at the conference tournament with my teammates”

Zeke Wheeler – Freshman – Owasso, OK

How excited my teammates were when I bumped up and won a match that put us over Rio Grande in a dual meet.

Blayke Brower – Sophomore – Anadarko, OK

My dad got to come see me wrestle for the first time in college and the team meeting my family”

Lane Cosby – Sophomore – Pawhuska, OK

“The adversity that we overcame on our trip to the Patriot Open in Kentucky brought the team together through common goals”

Andrew Mahoney – Junior – Gladstone, MO

“Going to Kentucky and placing in my first college tournament”

Carter Manley – Freshman – Bartlesville, OK

“The excitement of competing in our home gym, having your friends and family cheer you on”

Jaden Welden – Junior – Mannford, OK

What do you think?

65 points
Upvote Downvote

Leave a Reply