DSU men look to make noise at Heart of America Conference Championships

Dickinson, N.D. – Dickinson State men's wrestling heads to Oskaloosa, Iowa this weekend for the Heart of America Conference tournament with a team receiving votes nationally and three nationally ranked wrestlers. The Blue Hawks are ranked 6th in the 10-team Heart of America Conference heading into the postseason.

Jose Gonzalez (#19/125), Edrich Nortje (#13/141), and Jackson King (#14/184) all enter the postseason with national rankings to their names as they look to qualify for the NAIA National Championship.

As far as conference rankings go, DSU has eight wrestlers in the top 10. Gonzalez (#2/125), Wyatt Engwicht (#4/125), Angel Cruz (#6/133), Nortje (#2/141), Tate Nordby (#9/174), King (#4/184), Connor Bleymeyer (#7/285), and Juan Camacho (#8/285) all enter with conference rankings.

"We are excited about the postseason and the guys are working hard and making late season adjustments," said head coach Justin Schlecht.

The Heart will earn 33 automatic qualifiers (AQ's) to the 2024 NAIA Men's Wrestling National Championship based on the following weight classes.

125-pound – 2 AQ's

133-pound – 3 AQ's

141-pound – 3 AQ's

149-pound – 4 AQ's

157-pound – 3 AQ's

165-pound – 2 AQ's

174-pound – 3 AQ's

184-pound – 5 AQ's

197-pound – 5 AQ's

285-pound – 3 AQ's