[Wrestling] Grand View Wrestling Starts Battle for 8th-Straight National Title Friday

Des Moines, IA -  No. 1 Grand View wrestling returns to the Jacobson Exhibition Center in Des Moines, Iowa Friday and Saturday in search of the eighth-straight NAIA National Championship. FREE RADIO   | BRACKETS |  WATCH ($)

Twelve individual grapples will battle for the Vikings in nine of the ten weight classes. Grand View has produced 82 All-Americans and 26 individual national champions in program history. The Vikings are the favorites, with all 12 qualifiers ranked in the top 10 at their weights, including four No. 1's in Justin Portillo (125), Shiquan Hall (133), Ryan Niven (165) and Evan Hansen (197).

Hansen looks to collect his third individual national title in the 197 weight class while teammates Josh Wenger and Lawton Benna search for their second. Wenger (141) and Lawton (174) both brought the individual titles home in 2017. 

Portillo and Devin Reynolds (149) finished third last year along with teammates Trevor Murano (125-pounds) and Wenger bringing home sixth and fifth, respectively. Artie Bess will be making his second appearance at the 184-pound bracket for the Vikings. 

Steven Lawrence (157), Eric Clarke (141, Hall (133), Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (157) all will make their first appearance as a Viking at the national championships. 

The 2019 NAIA Wrestling National Championships will take place at the Richard O. Jacobsen Exhibition Center in Des Moines, IA March 1-2, 2019. Pre-sale tickets are currently available through Catch Des Moines.