Holland Reporter

Grand Valley State University's wrestling team is set to make its first appearance at the NCAA Division II National Championships in over three decades. The competition will take place on March 15 at the Hartman Center in Wichita, Kansas. GVSU reinstated wrestling as a varsity sport in 2023 and has quickly risen in the rankings under the guidance of Coach Joey Simcoe, who was named Super Region 3 Coach of the Year.

The Lakers concluded their regular season ranked 13th in the NWCA Coaches poll, with three wrestlers among the top ten nationally. The event on Friday is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.

Sophomore Chris Donathan is one of the four GVSU wrestlers competing, seeded third at 149 pounds with a record of 24-1. Donathan finished second at the Super Region 3 tournament after losing a close match to Christian Small of Lake Erie. He qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2020, but that year's tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.

Another contender from GVSU is sophomore Josh Kenny, who claimed the Super Region 3 title at 174 pounds and enters as a fourth seed with a record of 28-5. Kenny has accumulated four pins this season along with several technical falls and major decisions.

Wyatt Miller, also a sophomore, holds a national ranking of tenth and will compete with a record identical to Kenny's at 28-5. Senior Seth Konynenbelt rounds out GVSU's representation at the championships with a record of 27-14 at 184 pounds.

Head coach Joey Simcoe expressed his pride in his team's accomplishments: "I am so proud of this group and we were so close to getting another three wrestlers through to the NCAA Championships," he said. "What we have accomplished in our first year on the mat is amazing and we have established a culture of wrestling that we will now build on for our future NCAA Tournament runs."