BOSSIER CITY, La. - The Builder wrestling squad concluded their 2023-24 season with a fourth place finish at the NCWA National Championships. Bellarmine defended their team title with 245.5 team points, crowning six individual champions. Liberty was runner-up with 182, followed by Thomas More at 143.5. Apprentice was able to retain fourth place with 125.5, holding off Lindenwood at 123.5.
The first session Saturday established the placement match for the six Builders looking to come back for bronze in their respective consolation brackets. The final session Saturday evening showcased the championship finals bouts on the elevated stage, accompanied by the remaining top eight placement bouts.
2024 All-Americans
133 lbs - Dillon Messick: Fourth place
After falling in the quarterfinal to the eventual champion from Bellarmine, Messick won three straight bouts in the wrestle-backs for the opportunity to wrestle for third place. He recorded a 7-5 decision over Jonathan Tanguma of Washington in the consolation quarters, followed by a 10-5 win over eighth seeded Isaiah Duran of UCLA. Messick ultimately fell to Caiden Pelc of Lindewood in the bronze medal match to finish in fourth place. With his performance, Messick finishes his career as a three time NCWA All-American as he was in the blood round his freshman season before Apprentice withdrew from the tournament and could likely have been one of the rare four time All Americans for the program.
141 lbs – Jordan Robins: Fifth place
Robins dropped from the championship semifinals to face top seeded Thomas McCane of Central Florida, ultimately losing a close 2-0 decision dropping him to the fifth place bout. Undeterred and unsatisfied, he won his final bout of his career with a 10-2 major decision over Kenneth Lambert of Clemson. He is now a two time NCWA All-American, finishing in fourth place last season. He ends the season with a team-high 41-6 record.
141 lbs – Bruno Alves: National Runner-Up
After surging through his bracket and advancing to the championship finals as the No. 8 seed, Alves will once again be bringing home a silver medal. Going up 3-0 early by securing the first takedown against Cole Thomas of Thomas More, Thomas found an escape followed by a takedown and nearfall to close the first period up 6-3. In the second period, Alves nearly found a hail mary by throwing Thomas to his back on the edge of the match to re-gain the lead. He found a reversal early in the final period to close the gap down to 12-10. Thomas secured a late takedown with short time to thwart Alves's third attempt at NCWA gold. Bruno is now a three time All-American, finishing in second place every season.
149 lbs – Zach Ortega: Fourth place
Ortega capped off his junior season with his third All-American honors. He has reached the semi-finals on all three occasions, becoming the National Runner-Up his freshman campaign. After dropping his semifinal bout to the eventual champion from Thomas More Friday evening, he rebounded with a 8-5 win in sudden victory over Gabriel Ojeda of UNLV in the consolation semifinal. He went on to drop a close 5-2 decision with two seconds remaining in his third place bout.
165 lbs – Landon Kissell: Seventh place
Dropping to the consolation bracket on Thursday, Kissell mounted a gritty comeback by winning three straight bouts to guarantee his second All-America honor. He dropped his opening bout in the consolation quarterfinal Saturday morning to Toledo, sending him to the seventh place bout. He wasted little time in his final match of the season, converting an early takedown to a first period pin. Kissell has placed both seasons since moving up from 157 pounds mid-season last year.
174 lbs – Josh Seaton: Seventh place
After a season ending injury dashed Seaton's chance for a trip to nationals as a freshman last year, he avoided the ski slopes in 2023-24 to qualify for his first National Championships as the No. 14 seed. Falling to the consolation bracket on Friday, he reeled off a trio of wins himself advancing to Saturday. In his consolation quarterfinal, he would drop into the seventh place bout, losing to the eventual bronze winner from Lindenwood. In his final bout Saturday evening he was dominant start to finish, recording a 15-4 major decision over seventh-seeded Jahmon Spiller of Thomas More.
184 lbs – David McElravy: Eighth place
Visibly handicapped after a tough quarterfinal loss to the eventual champion, McElravy manned up in the wrestle backs to ensure his place on the podium before medically forfeiting his seventh place bout. After reaching the semifinals as a true freshman, he endured several abbreviated seasons before qualifying for the big show once again in 2024. He is now a two-time All-American with a 58-20 career record.
2024 marks the sixth straight season the Builders have had a top five finish at the National Championships, and with a healthy stock of quality returners and incoming prospects they will look to continue that success into 2025.
