Kinsella helps UNK pin another title

KEARNEY, Nebraska — Senior Jackson Kinsella of Creston became a three-time All-American in helping the University of Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team to a sixth national championship Saturday in Sioux Falls.

Kinsella placed sixth at 197 pounds for the Lopers in finishing a 21-8 season. He placed fourth and third in the previous two NCAA Division II national tournaments.

UNK finished with 83.0 points as only seven points separated the top four teams. Wisconsin-Parkside (78.0), McKendree University (76.5) and league rival Central Oklahoma (76.0) followed in second through fourth place.

The Lopers won their second team championship in a row and sixth title overall. It was UNK’s third national championship during the years Kinsella (89-36 career record) has been on campus. UNK won the 2022 national championship when Kinsella was redshirting as a true freshman.

Head coach Dalton Jensen, part of UNK’s 2012 and 2013 title teams, was tabbed as the National Tournament Coach of the Year.

The Lopers hadn’t won a title since Jensen’s senior year when he was recruiting Kinsella as a Creston Panther. Kinsella placed eighth, second and third at the state tournament for the Panthers in compiling 171 victories with 95 career falls.

“When I signed, Dalton said we’re trying to win national championships here,” Kinsella said. “Then that first year, he gets it. It’s pretty cool. I’ve been surrounded by a great team.”

The Lopers entered the finals Saturday with a 79-72 edge over Central Oklahoma. To secure a second straight title, UNK needed to win one of three championship matches or see Central Oklahoma lose one of two.

As it turned out, the 174-pound championship match decided the team race. UNK’s third-seeded Otgonbayar Batsuuri of Mongolia had lost twice this season to top-seeded Hunter Jump of Central Oklahoma. Jump could clinch UCO’s championship with a win, and Batsuuri could clinch it for UNK by getting the needed finals victory.

Batsuuri’s early takedown of Jump proved to be the decisive move the tournament as the Loper junior took a 4-1 lead before adding a late takedown for the final 7-3 victory.

There was one Loper left at 285 pounds, senior Crew Howard of Clarinda. Howard lost in sudden victory to top-seeded Doran Crosby of Gannon, Pennsylvania, 4-1. Howard, of Clarinda, became a three-time All-American and finished with a 26-3 record.

Injury issues

Kinsella was dealing with a couple of physical issues going into the national tournament, where he was seeded fourth.

“This year I tore some cartilage in my ribs, maybe cracked one, and then in the first round of regionals I partially tore my LCL (knee ligament),” Kinsella said. “My body is pretty beat up right now.”

Nontheless, Kinsella sailed to a 12-4 major decision in his first-round match. He lost a 1-0 decision to No. 5 seed Logan Kvien of McKendree in the quarterfinals, which pushed him into the consolation bracket.

“We were 1-1 against each other going in,” Kinsella said. “He rode me the whole second period and I rode him in the third period until there were 20 seconds left. He got the escape for the 1-0 win.”

Kinsella secured a takedown in sudden victory to gain a 4-1 decision over Tyson Mehyer of St. Cloud State in the second consolation round. He won a 7-2 decision in his next match over ninth-seeded Jeremiah Larson of Maryville, Missouri.

Overtime matches

Kinsella’s college career ended with two narrow losses, both in overtime.

In the consolation semifinals, No. 6-seed Mason Villwok of Chadron State won 2-1 in the 30-second tiebreaker rounds. Joey Lyons of Gannon, Pennsylvania, also won in the tiebreaker round in the fifth-place match against Kinsella after they were deadlocked at 1-1.

Max Ramberg of Augustana defeated Nicholas Johnson of Glenville State, 4-2, for the championship at 197 pounds. Kinsella had previously beaten both finalists, which left him with bittersweet feelings, while also enjoying his part in gaining a team title. UNK had seven wrestlers competing in the national tournament in the 10 weight classes, with six All-Americans.

“I’ll probably be disappointed for awhile,” Kinsella said. “I had beaten both finalists and beat the champion three times. Our bracket was so close this year. It just didn’t work out to get where I wanted to be.”

Kinsella’s girlfriend, Madie Petersen, will graduate this spring and has been accepted for medical school in Omaha next year. Kinsella has a bachelor’s degree in industrial distribution and is working on his master’s in business administration.

“Right now I have some leads on working in Lincoln for a few years before maybe moving back to Iowa,” Kinsella said.

After 175 high school matches and 122 matches at the NCAA Division II level, he said his wrestling career is over.

He may not have reached the top of the podium, but Kinsella was a three-time placewinner and a member of three national championship teams, including two when he was a key contributor as an All-American.

“I definitely made a good decision in coming here, academically and athletically,” Kinsella said. “I got to do what I wanted to do, and reached every goal but one.”