Two Mustangs earn All-American honors at NAIA Men's Wrestling Championship

PARK CITY, KAN. – Hunter DeJong and Zander Ernst headlined Morningside's delegation to the 2024 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Wrestling Championship, bringing a pair of All-American honors back to Sioux City. 

DeJong's first match of the tournament was a 2-0 decision over teammate Jakob Jerabek, as the no. 7 seed met his no. 10 teammate in the second round of the championship bracket. DeJong would fall to KC Buday of Providence 4-1 in sudden victory no. 1 to move to the consolation bracket where a 3-2 decision and a 13-6 decision would put him in the consolation semifinals. DeJong would pick up a win by injury default in the consolation semifinals before repeating the match with Buday, again falling in the third-place match 4-1 in the first sudden victory to finish fourth.

Zander Ernst opened his tournament with a 4-0 decision followed by a 12-10 decision in the second round. A loss via fall in the quarterfinals moved the sophomore to the consolation bracket, where a 9-6 victory in sudden victory no. 1 moved him to consolation round no. 5. Another loss by fall moved Ernst to the seventh place match, where a 14-2 loss secured eighth place.

Taylor Vasquez lost his opener in a 13-7 decision before picking up a 12-5 decision and a 17-1 tech fall in the consolation bracket. The senior's tournament was brought to a close in a 13-7 decision.

Jerabek won his match in round one of the championship bracket 3-2 in tiebreaker one before running into his teammate. After the 2-0 loss to DeJong, Jerabek suffered a 3-2 loss in tiebreaker one.

Alex Vandyke lost his first round match via a 7-3 decision before being bounced from the tournament in a 2-1 loss in tiebreak no. 1.

A 2-0 decision in the first round of the championship bracket at 184 pounds moved Hayden Wempen to the consolation bracket, where a fall in 3:12 concluded the senior's season.

Similarly, Noah Styskal suffered a 5-2 decision in the championship bracket at 157 pounds before a 1:25 fall concluded his season.

DeJong and Ernst join Morningside's list of 35 previous NAIA All-Americans, adding more than one individual to the list for the first time since 2017.