Sivels Finishes Fourth, Earns All-American Honors at NAIA Nationals

PARK CITY, Kan. — Zeph Sivels and Nate McDonald represented Midland University at the 2026 NAIA Men's Wrestling National Championships inside Heartland Credit Union Arena over the weekend. Sivels earned All-American status with a fourth-place finish, while McDonald went 2-2 in his first appearance at the national championships.

Sivels, the top seed in the 285-pound bracket, went 2-0 on Thursday. In the opening round, Sivels defeated Kazz Hyson (Graceland) by a 12-0 major decision. He then advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-3 decision over 16th-seeded Randy Gonzalez (Missouri Valley).

During Friday's quarterfinal action, Sivels secured All-American status with a victory over Bruce Wagers (Rio Grande) by fall at 2:57. In the semifinals, Sivels faced GPAC foe and 13th-seeded Koen Mattern (Hastings) and suffered a 2-1 decision loss.

During Saturday's consolation semifinals, Sivels bounced back with a victory over fourth-seeded Shane Cook (Grand View) by a 5-3 decision. In the third-place bout, Sivels was defeated by sixth-seeded Antonio Garcia (Corban) by an 11-3 major decision.

McDonald, the 15th seed in the 184-pound bracket, opened competition Thursday with a victory over Logan Heckert (Cumberland) by technical fall, 15-0, at 2:29. In the second round, McDonald was defeated by second-seeded Kendall Norfleet (Life) by fall at 1:51.

During Friday's consolation round, McDonald responded with a 10-3 decision over Lane Kiser (Cumberlands). However, McDonald's tournament run ended when he was defeated by Cade Gubler (Montana State-Northern) by fall at 3:59.

Sivels ended his senior season with an 18-4 record and gave Midland head coach Doyle Trout his first All-American during his tenure with the Warriors. McDonald wrapped up his junior season with a 33-14 record and went 2-2 in his first trip to the national championships.