UNK Athletics
Kearney, Neb. – The top-ranked Nebraska Kearney wrestling team scored 115.0 points to win the 2025 NCAA Division II National Championship Saturday night in Indianapolis.
The Lopers qualified all 10 starters for the two-day meet with eight ending up as All-Americans (top eight finish). UNK basically wrapped up the team trophy with a strong second session showing Friday night and then greatly padded its point total throughout Saturday's third session.
UNK previously placed first in 2008 (108.50 points), 2012 (107.0), 2013 (108.0) and 2022 (127.0) with this being the program's 23rd consecutive top eight finish. The 52-point margin of victory is the sixth best in the meet's 53-year history with Augustana (63.0) second and St. Cloud State third (57.50).
Sixth-year team member Nick James (149 lbs.), redshirt senior Jacobi Deal (174 lbs.) and redshirt sophomore Zach Ourada (125 lbs.) each reached the finals and finished as National Runners Up. They are the 23rd, 24th and 25th Lopers to finish second at a D2 national meet with James now a two-time runner up.
Ourada (Omaha Skutt) took on top-seed and fellow Omaha native Jakason Burks of Central Missouri in his finals match. Unfortunately, Burks recorded a takedown 12 seconds in and prevailed, 5-2. The story was the same at 174-pounds where Maryville's Cole Ritter moved ahead 3-0 by the 1:58 mark of the opening period. Deal (Durham, N.C.) had several nice attacks throughout but Ritter fought off each one to win, 5-1.
Finally, James (Kearney H.S.) was seemingly poised to go into overtime against Cael Larson of Augustana. However, Larson managed a takedown and four-near fall points in the final 10 seconds to come out on top, 8-1.