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Loper Wrestling Win Second Straight, Sixth National Title

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Loper Wrestling Win Second Straight, Sixth National Title


Junior Otgonbayar Batsuuri won the 174-pound national title to help third-ranked Nebraska secure the 2026 NCAA Division II National Championship Saturday night in Sioux Falls. ​

UNK finished with 83.0 points while Wisconsin-Parkside (78.0), McKendree, Ill. (76.5) and league rival Central Oklahoma (76.0) were very close behind. The Lopers entered the finals with a 79.0-72.0 edge over UCO. To secure a second straight and a sixth overall national title, UNK needed to win one of three title matches or see the Bronchos lose one of two.

Now three-time national champion Gabe Johnson of UCO didn’t let that happen at 157 pounds as he won in overtime. Fifth seeded Trenton Munoz (Santa Clarita, Calif.) was up next and trying to pull off a third straight upset. Already beating the fourth and first seeds in the 165-lbs. class, he couldn’t get by now three-time champ David Hunsberger of Lander (S.C.). The second seeded Hunsberger recorded a takedown six seconds in to record a 9-4 win.

That pitted third seeded Batsuuri (Mongolia) vs. top-seeded Hunter Jump of UCO in the 174-lbs. finals. The two met during the regular season with Jump winning 1-0 in January and Batsuuri leading a February match 3-2 in the third period. However, Jump was about to score and then won via fall at 6:24. A two-time national champion at Fort Hays State Northwest Tech, Batsuuri didn’t let things linger this time as he tallied a takedown 17 seconds into the match. He was up 4-1 late in the third before tallying another takedown to win, 7-3.

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Finally, graduate and second seeded heavyweight Crew Howard (Clarinda, Ia.) squared off with top seed Doran Crosby of Gannon (Pa.) in the tourney’s final match. A two-time NCAA Division I qualifier for Bucknell (Pa.), Crosby edged Howard in last year’s third place match, 4-2. He did it again with a takedown in sudden victory, 4-1, to cap a six-year career. Meanwhile, Howard leaves a storied career as a three-time All-American.

The Lopers had six All-Americans with this title race the closest since 2021 when St. Cloud State (107.0) nipped the Lopers (105.05) thanks to a win in the 285 lbs. match. Finally, head coach Dalton Jensen, part of UNK’s 2012 and 2013 title teams as a wrestler, was tabbed as the National Tournament Coach of the Year.

133 lbs. – 9th seed Zach Ourada (14-7) scored 2.5 team points

  • Prelim – Zachary Ourada won by decision over Drew Stanfield (Central Mo.) 17-8 (Dec 8-1)
  • Champ. Round 1 – #5 James Joplin (Lander, S.C.) won by decision over Zach Ourada (Dec 10-6)
  • Cons Rd 1 – Zach Ourada won by tech over Eli Carrington (Belmont Abbey, N.C.) (TF 6:00; 19-4)
  • Cons. Round 2 – #6 Jakob Romero (Adams State) won by decision over Zach Ourada (Dec 5-3)

141 lbs. – 5th seed Joseph Airola (26-6) placed 5th and scored 9.0 team points

165 lbs. – 5th seed Trenton Munoz (26-7) placed 2nd and scored 15.0 team points

  • Champ. Round 1 – Trenton Munoz won by decision over Kole Marko (Minnesota St.) (Dec 6-1)
  • Quarterfinal – Trenton Munoz won by decision over #4 Grant MacKay (Gannon, Pa.) (Dec 4-1)
  • Semifinal – Trenton Munoz won by decision over #1 Nolan Gessler (Tiffin, Ohio) (Dec 10-5)
  • 1st Place Match – #2 David Hunsberger (Lander, S.C.) won by decision over Trenton Munoz (Dec 9-4)

174 lbs. – 3rd seed Otgonbayar Batsuuri (21-7) placed 1st scored 21.0 team points

  • Champ. Round 1 – Otgonbayar Batsuuri won by dec over Cole Ritter (Maryville, Mo.) (Dec 9-3)
  • Quarterfinal – Otgonbayar Batsuuri won by dec over #6 Emilio Arellano (Tiffin, Ohio) (Dec 14-10)
  • Semifinal – Otgonbayar Batsuuri won by fall over Kydyn Lima (San Francisco State) (Fall 4:04)
  • 1st Place Match – Otgonbayar Batsuuri won by decision over #1 Hunter Jump (Central Okla.) (Dec 7-3)

184 lbs. – 5th seed Kaden Hart (18-9) placed 6th and scored 9.5 team points

  • Champ. Round 1 – Kaden Hart won by decision over Oliver Byerly (West Liberty, W.V.) (Dec 2-1)
  • Quarterfinal – #4 Damon Ashworth (Central Mo.) won by decision over Kaden Hart (Dec 4-1)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Kaden Hart won by tech fall over Cole Casilio (Kutztown, Pa.) (TF 7:00; 15-0)
  • Cons. Round 3 – Kaden Hart won by decision over #1 Cole Glazier (St. Cloud State) (Dec 4-2)
  • Cons. Semi – #2 Keegan Gehlhausen (Chadron State) won by decision over Kaden Hart (Dec 6-4)
  • 5th Place Match – Sullivan Ramos (Wisconsin-Parkside) won by decision over Kaden Hart (Dec 11-8)

197 lbs. – 4th seed Jackson Kinsella (21-8) placed 6th and scored 9.0 team points

  • Champ. Round 1 – Jackson Kinsella won by major decision over Ethan Farnell (Indianapolis) (MD 12-4)
  • Quarterfinal – #5 Logan Kvien (McKendree, Ill.) won by decision over Jackson Kinsella (Dec 1-0)
  • Cons. Round 2 – Jackson Kinsella won in sudden victory over Tyson Meyer (St. Cloud) (SV-1 4-1)
  • Cons. Round 3 – Jackson Kinsella won by decision over #9 Jeremiah Larson (Maryville, Mo.) (Dec 7-2)
  • Cons. Semi – #6 Mason Villwok (Chadron St.) won in tie breaker over Jackson Kinsella (TB-1 2-1)
  • 5th Place Match – Joey Lyons (Gannon, Pa.) won in tie breaker – 1 over Jackson Kinsella (TB 1-1)

285 lbs. – 2nd seed Crew Howard (26-3) placed 2nd and scored 17.0 team points



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Nebraska

Hundreds lose power across southeast Nebraska after Thursday morning storm

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Hundreds lose power across southeast Nebraska after Thursday morning storm


LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Hundreds of people are without power in southeast Nebraska after a severe storm passed through Thursday morning.

The Lincoln Electric System outage map showed 115 customers without power across the city at 11:36 a.m.

Norris Public Power District’s outage map also shows 45 customers affected by the storm. As of 11:36 a.m., there were nine active outages.

According to the Nebraska Public Power District outage map, 657 customers were affected by the storm. Most of the affected customers were near Plattsmouth in southeast Nebraska. As of 11:37 a.m., 27 customers remain without power.

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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.



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Mandatory evacuation orders for area near Crawford, Fort Robinson

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Mandatory evacuation orders for area near Crawford, Fort Robinson


Mandatory evacuations have been ordered near Crawford, including Fort Robinson State Park, as the South Fork Fire continues to spread in western Nebraska.

According to the City of Crawford, evacuations are currently underway for an area north of Crawford that includes the area south of Dodd Road, west of Dodd Road, and FF Street.

Fort Robinson has also been evacuated.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said Fort Robinson State Park and Peterson Wildlife Management Area have been temporarily closed due to the fire.

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The fire has burned approximately 9,000 acres and is currently 0% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Nebraska Game and Parks said the park and the WMA will remain closed until further notice to support firefighting operations and protect public safety.



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Nebraska State Runner-up and Futures Finalist Matt Brailita (2026) to Swim for Johns Hopkins

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Nebraska State Runner-up and Futures Finalist Matt Brailita (2026) to Swim for Johns Hopkins


Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Omaha, Nebraska native Matt Brailita is headed to Baltimore in the fall. He announced his commitment to Johns Hopkins University earlier this spring, writing on social media:

“I am very excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Johns Hopkins University ! I’m extremely grateful for everything my family, friends, and teammates have done to support me every step of the way. A special thanks to Coach Tom and Coach Andy for always pushing me beyond what I believed in. Also a huge thanks to Coach Scott and Coach Chris for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. GO BLUE JAYS!”

Brailita swam for Omaha’s Millard North High School under coach Andy Cunningham. He wrapped up his senior season with a pair of runner-up finishes at the 2026 NSAA Championships, earning lifetime-best times in both the 200 IM (1:50.84) and 100 breast (56.01). He also notched a PB in the 50 free (20.76) while leading off Millard North’s 200 free relay in prelims. He anchored the same relay in finals, splitting 20.01. Brailita leaves Millard North High School as a 10-time State medalist and a multiple-event team record-holder. He was 2026 Metro Conference champion in the 100 fly and as a member of 2 relays, and he was nominated for Metro Omaha World Herald Swimming Athlete Scholar.

Brailita swims year-round with Greater Omaha Aquatic Leopardsharks under coach Tom Beck. In addition to IM and breast, he excels in fly and free. In March, he competed at Columbia Sectionals, where he finaled in the 50 free (15th), 100 breast (11th), 50 fly (8th), 100 fly (10th), and swam prelims in the 50 breast (8th) and 200 IM (10th). He left the meet with new PBs in the 100 free (46.30), 50 breast (26.25), 50 fly (22.51), and 100 fly (49.86).

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Last summer, Brailita hit LCM lifetime bests in the 50 breast (30.81), 100 breast (1:06.84), 200 breast (2:29.93), and 200 IM (2:11.12) at Madison Futures, making finals in the IM. He opened the 2026 long-course season with a pair of PBs (24.83 in the 50 free and  27.09 in the 50 fly) at the GOAL Sprint Cup in April.

Brailita will join the Blue Jays’ class of 2030 with Alistair Guth, Finn Nelson, Lukas Funderburk, Matthew Ko, Nicolas Aldana Huelga, Samuel Zhang, and William Thurk. His best times would have scored in the ‘A’ finals of the 200 IM, 100/200 breast, and 50/200 free, and the ‘B’ finals of the 100 free and 100 fly at the 2026 Centennial Conference Championships.

Best SCY times :

  • 200 IM – 1:50.84
  • 100 breast – 56.01
  • 200 breast – 2:06.83
  • 50 free – 20.76
  • 50 free relay split – 20.01
  • 100 fly – 49.86
  • 200 free – 1:41.83
  • 100 free – 46.30

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

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