Ready For Another Banner Season
MOORHEAD, Minn. (11/08/13)-- Concordia-Moorhead first-year head coach Matt Nagel has high hopes for the Cobbers in 2013-14. Armed with an experienced group of returning athletes who have competed at the national level and a promising crew of newcomers, Nagel has the team's sights set on another top 15 NCAA finish.
"I am really excited for the season," said Nagel who took the reins from his father in the summer. "We have a great group of leaders in the room in our returning wrestlers and our freshmen are really starting to pick up on things."
Nagel's enthusiasm stems from the fact that Concordia returns eight starters from a team that finished in a tie for 13th place at the 2013 NCAA National Meet. The Cobbers had eight dual-meet wins a year ago and will need to take another step forward if they want to better that total since CC will be competing in three different national level dual meet tournaments.
Concordia lost one All-American from last year but returns another in senior Jake Long. Long finished fifth at 149 at last year's national meet. He went 21-10 in 2013-14 and has 48 career victories.
Will McCarthy and Jacoby Bergeron are the other two returning NCAA National Meet participants from last season. McCarthy went 14-12 last season and placed second at the NCAA West Regional Meet at 125 while Bergeron won the region title at 133 and was 14-4 a year ago.
Besides Long, McCarthy and Bergeron, the returning athletes from last year's region team include Chase Austvold, Sebastian Gardner and Chris Harrison. Austvold had the most wins of the group. He finished last year with a 20-15 record.
The two wild cards for Nagel to play on the table this season can be found in 285-lb Cody Kasprick and 157-lb Kyle LeDuc. Both wrestlers were in and out of the starting lineup last season and both could have huge breakout years in 2013-14. Kasprick has patiently waited to step into the spotlight as he has been behind two-time All-American Tom Bouressa. Kasprick was 21-11 last year and had some impressive wins along the way. He has a legitimate chance at keeping the All-American status for the Cobber heavyweights. LeDuc has 43 career wins and finished fourth at the regional meet in 2012.
The Cobbers also have several other wrestlers who were on the cusp of breaking into the starting lineup last season that could make a big impact this year.
All signs point to Nagel's first season as head coach being a very memorable five-month ride.