2020-2021 Season

[Big Bird]

NDSU graduates 3 fifth year seniors, who were all 4 year starters.

Cam Sykora is gone at 133 after qualifying for the NCAA tournament all four years. Same goes for Andrew Fogarty at 165. Both of these guys were ranked in the top 10 throughout a good chunk of their senior seasons.

Cordell Eaton qualified for the NCAA tournament his senior season to cap a four year career as a starter at 197.

Lorenzo De La Riva and Dan Stibral both graduate too. De La Riva qualified for two NCAA tournaments, one at Cal State Bakersfield and one at NDSU. Stibral was a high quality starter for the Bison who likely would have qualified for the NCAA tournament the past two years if he was in a team's starting lineup.

NDSU didn't sign a big or highly rated recruiting class, and with all that talent coming off the books, I would hope they have money available for a transfer or two.

125- The only 125 pounder on the roster is McGwire Midkiff, with Ryan Henningson slated to join the squad next year. Midkiff was a minute away from qualifying for NCAAs and would probably be ranked in the top 30 to start next year. I'd be very open to bringing in a transfer here, and moving Midkiff to 133. The problem is I haven't seen any logical transfer options available. Maybe Aaron Cashman looks to move on from Iowa and stay close to home. It is a big cut for Midkiff, but barring a transfer, it seems like he has to be the guy at 125. I am very interested to see how Henningson develops here too.

133- getting a transfer for 125 and moving Midkiff to 133 would probably be best, but obviously that is contingent on finding a good fit on the transfer market. As things stand here, Midkiff at 125 and Ryan Ripplinger at 133 appears to be the most likely pairing. Barring a massive jump, or a transfer, this weight could be a struggle. Not a lot of names on the transfer market yet either, but one I'm hoping shows up is Tucker Sjomeling from Nebraska. He's a MN kid and buried behind some high end talent at Nebraska. He has already beaten AA Montorie Bridges before and would make for a solid pairing with Midkiff at 125. Kellyn March is the highest rated guy in their 2020 class, so maybe he will be an option.

141- Dylan Droegemueller came on late with a great B12 tourney to qualify for NCAAs. He's a strong bet to return as the starter and Sawyer Degen gives NDSU a strong depth option here. I think Dylan could make a sizable jump with improved confidence. He had two great wins at B12 that should show him that he can compete with most guys. He can definitely be a top 20 guy next year.

149- Jaden Van Maanen returns at this weight. He had a bunch of close losses and just wasn't able to get on his offense like he had previously. If the staff can get him more confident and more aggressive, he can be an NCAA qualifier and a top 20 guy. This is a great test for the staff. Michael Weber looked solid in limited matches last year and should provide aa good depth option.

157- I imagine Franek is back at 157 next year. If he is, he is an All American threat and the best guy on the team. 157 looks like a good fit for him. Nick Knutson is a good depth option at 157/165.

165- This spot makes sense for Luke Weber. He was too small for 174 at the end of the year, but he should be able to add a little more muscle and fill into 165. If he does, he's a probable NCAA qualifier IMO.

174- Austin Brenner showed some real flashes in spot starts last year, and I imagine he settles in as the guy at 174 for the next three years. Jimmy Noel beat Brenner last year though and could factor in here. Jesse Shearer is an option too. I think Brenner could be an NCAA qualifier.

184- Noah Cressell returns after being adequate this year, while TJ Pottinger started a bunch too. Neither screams upside to me, and I'm hoping we see two other guys give this weight a shot. The first is Col Witzig, who was a reserve at 197 last year. Witzig definitely has some weight he could shed if he wants to give it a go. He's not super athletic, but he's got good pace and is constantly working to score. Gary Wokojance could be an option if he progressed from last year.

197- I expect this to be Michael Nelson's weight for the next four years. I also expect him to be very good and qualify for NCAAs right away. Witzig could be an option here, but I think Nelson is going to be one of NDSU's better guys right away.

HWT- Two more years of Metz. A bit concerning that they don't have anyone as a backup here and I guess Witzig/Nelson would handle 197 and HWT if Metz got hurt.

Overall, the team will be a lot younger with a lot more question marks. With that said, of the guys currently on the roster, I could see 125, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 197, and HWT all having good chances to qualify for NCAAs. I really think how Droegemueller, JVM, Nelson, and Brenner develop will tell how next year will go. If they continue to improve, they'll form a very strong lineup with Franek, Midkiff, Weber, and Metz. 184 was already ok this year and all of the guys at the weight return, so that could even improve next year. 133 will be a challenge, but maybe we can bring a transfer in at 125 or 133 to shore it up.

[Big Bird]

Schedule hasn't been released, but sounds like Buffalo will be attending the Bison Open this year. That should improve the quality of the tournament a good amount.

[RadioBison]

I was glad to see travel partners set up for the conference going forward. Hopefully the conference schedule will be a bit more systematic now. I just wish they would have done something a little different with UVU being separate, while WYO, UNC, and AFA are all together.

[RadioBison]

Check out the 157 rankings on this site: https://quantwrestling.com/

I thought they did a nice job on the NCAA tournament simulation.

[RadioBison]

125- The only 125 pounder on the roster is McGwire Midkiff, with Ryan Henningson slated to join the squad next year. Midkiff was a minute away from qualifying for NCAAs and would probably be ranked in the top 30 to start next year. I'd be very open to bringing in a transfer here, and moving Midkiff to

With Old Dominion dropping wrestling, I guess Cardinale could be available.

I know that D1 got a couple of new teams recently, with a couple more in the works, but it feels like we are going in the wrong direction here.

[PaBizon]

With Old Dominion dropping wrestling, I guess Cardinale could be available.

I know that D1 got a couple of new teams recently, with a couple more in the works, but it feels like we are going in the wrong direction here.

Sadly I think there will be more of this coming. Covid-19 will have a big impact on athletic budgets and sports like wrestling and baseball are going to take a hit

[El_Chapo]

Fresno St has dropped wrestling now. booo

*that leaves only 7 D1 wrestling programs west of the Rockies

[Big Bird]

And their team drew just shy of 3000 fans per dual, which ranked in the top 10 nationally.

They have a ton of quality wrestlers on their roster too. It'll be very interesting to see where many of them wind up transferring to.

With Fresno State and Stanford both dropping wrestling, California's fertile recruiting grounds are even more wide open. NDSU already has two top 50ish recruits in 2021 out of California and are a finalist for top 30 recruit Luka Wick as well.

On another note, sounds like NDSU will host UNI on Jan 9th

[PaBizon]

Not sure if it’s a glitch or not but Sawyer Degan is no longer on the roster.

[NDSU_grad]

Not sure if it’s a glitch or not but Sawyer Degan is no longer on the roster.
I just looked after reading your post and he's on there. I know there was an issue with Ryan Ripplinger not being on the roster for a short period of time and it was a mistake. Probably the same case here.

[PaBizon]

I just looked after reading your post and he's on there. I know there was an issue with Ryan Ripplinger not being on the roster for a short period of time and it was a mistake. Probably the same case here.

Thanks. I’m glad he’s back on.

[PaBizon]

Thanks. I’m glad he’s back on.

Edit. Maybe it’s just my IPad. I looked again and I don’t see him. I guess I’ll stay off the roster.

[larson311]

Anyone know when they are supposed to start wrestling? I see basketball games are starting and I can’t even find a wrestling schedule?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Big Bird]

Anyone know when they are supposed to start wrestling? I see basketball games are starting and I can’t even find a wrestling schedule?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Competition wise, I think they'll be on the mat first week of January.

Home opener may be against UNI on Jan 9th.

Haven't seen anything official yet. I'm hoping we get some regional MN-SD-ND open tournaments too so the non starters get some matches

[larson311]

When is the Green vs Gold scrimmage?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Big Bird]

3 home dates: Oregon State and Mizzou on Jan 3rd, Iowa State on Feb 6, and SDSU Feb 20th

https://twitter.com/NDSUwrestling/status/1337141123014402055

Interested to see UNI isn't coming here, since Nic Ryder (who generally is very accurate) said they were coming here in October. Sounds like the schedule has already changed a ton

[PaBizon]

Glad there’s at least dates for some action now.

WrestleStat has Kellyn March listed as the 133 pound starter and not redshirting. (Sawyer Degan is not listed on there either). Gavin Sax is also not being tagged as redshirt but is listed as a 149 pound backup.

[larson311]

Everyone technically gets redshirt this year even if they have used one. So true freshmen can wrestle without losing their redshirt this year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PaBizon]

Yes I know that. All of the freshman but those two are listed as redshirting. In order to keep bringing in more kids each year you will only use that for certain people (ones that can help you now) or you’ll have way too many to roster.

[bruinbison]

New Jackrabbits wrestling facility approved

https://gojacks.com/news/2020/12/11/wrestling-facility-approved-by-bor.aspx

[PaBizon]

Thing is pretty sweet. Must mean wrestling is safe there for a while

[Big Bird]

NDSU added Colby Evens out of Arizona to the 2021 class. State champ and state runner up and projects as a 125 in college.

NDSU also continues to be after the highly sought after Oregon kids in the class of 2022. In addition to James Rowley and formerly Gabe Whisenhunt (prior to his commitment to Oregon State), they're in on Nash Singleton. He's ranked #139 in the Rokfin class of 2022.

[PaBizon]

Bison have added transfer Owen Pentz (FR) from Fresno St. 2x Utah state champ who completed a two year Mormon mission prior to heading to Fresno St. Listed to wrestle 184/197.

[PaBizon]

Flo Wrestling just put out its Big 12 rankings. At 184 TJ Pottinger is listed as the Bison starter over Noah Cressel.

[Big Bird]

NDSU rallied to beat Fresno State 29-15. NDSU trailed a very bad Fresno State team 12-0 after three matches, before Jaden Van Maanen got NDSU on the board.

Fresno State is disbanding their program after this year and fortunately for NDSU, lost a bunch of guys to transfers. Arkansas Little Rock, another of the worst teams in the country, boat raced Fresno State 35-11 (mainly behind forfeits, which is telling of Fresno State's season) in Fresno's only other action.

Some depressing notes:
Since his 2-0 opening weekend, Kellyn March has lost 3 straight.
Dylan Droegemueller is 1-4 this year after a 4th place finish at the B12 tournament and an NCAA tournament berth. He has had a tough schedule, but clearly not seeing a jump.
Midkiff has been pinned in 2 of his 3 matches, after getting pinned while leading in the B12 tourney last year to cost him a trip to NCAAs.
174 and 184 are holes that will struggle to beat any D1 competition.

Some good notes:
Franek is 4-1 (even if he hasn't looked as sharp as last year)
Van Maanen is 3-2 and has won two close matches over quality opponents. He struggled in close matches last year, so it is great to see him win some this year.
They won a bunch of close matches and beat a depleted SDSU two weeks ago.

Overall, this team is a very average D1 team and doesn't look like they have an All American candidate.

They take on Cal Baptist at 5pm on the WAC digital network.

[Big Bird]

NDSU dominated Cal Baptist (who blew out Fresno State) 30-6, and finished 2-0 today.

Midkiff and Pottinger both lost and went 0-2 today. 184 looks to be the biggest hole in the lineup and Pottinger just doesn't do enough offensively to win with any regularity.

Fr Owen Pentz and and Fr Riley Habisch both went 2-0 on the day. Pentz was fun to watch, but I'd be very surprised if he can beat Nelson. He is likely still shaking off some rust (committed to Fresno St and had a 2 year mission trip, before transferring to NDSU), but his length and activity level are going to problems for a lot of 197s. Perhaps Habisch is the starter at 174 going forward. I liked his activity level and endurance, but he was fairly sloppy. I'd still prefer Brenner at 174, but could live with Habisch.

Brandon Metz wrestled a controlled, smart match and came away with an overtime win against Cal Baptist. Good to see.

[Big Bird]

Kudos to Sam Stuhl for a good comeback fall in an extra match.

Zach Watts got a chance to make his debut in an extra match in his home state and won 16-0. He actually looked a lot better than I expected (full disclosure, no clue who he was wrestling). I'm hoping we'll see some more of him in extra matches going forward.

[PaBizon]

Kudos to Sam Stuhl for a good comeback fall in an extra match.

Zach Watts got a chance to make his debut in an extra match in his home state and won 16-0. He actually looked a lot better than I expected (full disclosure, no clue who he was wrestling). I'm hoping we'll see some more of him in extra matches going forward.
Watts also lost a match today

[PaBizon]

NDSU dominated Cal Baptist (who blew out Fresno State) 30-6, and finished 2-0 today.

Midkiff and Pottinger both lost and went 0-2 today. 184 looks to be the biggest hole in the lineup and Pottinger just doesn't do enough offensively to win with any regularity.

Fr Owen Pentz and and Fr Riley Habisch both went 2-0 on the day. Pentz was fun to watch, but I'd be very surprised if he can beat Nelson. He is likely still shaking off some rust (committed to Fresno St and had a 2 year mission trip, before transferring to NDSU), but his length and activity level are going to problems for a lot of 197s. Perhaps Habisch is the starter at 174 going forward. I liked his activity level and endurance, but he was fairly sloppy. I'd still prefer Brenner at 174, but could live with Habisch.

Brandon Metz wrestled a controlled, smart match and came away with an overtime win against Cal Baptist. Good to see.

Habish is stronger than anyone the Bison can put out there at 174. IMO has the frame to go up to 184 providing Pentz can’t get down there. Why do you think Pentz can’t beat Nelson?

[PaBizon]

NDSU rallied to beat Fresno State 29-15. NDSU trailed a very bad Fresno State team 12-0 after three matches, before Jaden Van Maanen got NDSU on the board.

Fresno State is disbanding their program after this year and fortunately for NDSU, lost a bunch of guys to transfers. Arkansas Little Rock, another of the worst teams in the country, boat raced Fresno State 35-11 (mainly behind forfeits, which is telling of Fresno State's season) in Fresno's only other action.

Some depressing notes:
Since his 2-0 opening weekend, Kellyn March has lost 3 straight.
Dylan Droegemueller is 1-4 this year after a 4th place finish at the B12 tournament and an NCAA tournament berth. He has had a tough schedule, but clearly not seeing a jump.
Midkiff has been pinned in 2 of his 3 matches, after getting pinned while leading in the B12 tourney last year to cost him a trip to NCAAs.
174 and 184 are holes that will struggle to beat any D1 competition.

Some good notes:
Franek is 4-1 (even if he hasn't looked as sharp as last year)
Van Maanen is 3-2 and has won two close matches over quality opponents. He struggled in close matches last year, so it is great to see him win some this year.
They won a bunch of close matches and beat a depleted SDSU two weeks ago.

Overall, this team is a very average D1 team and doesn't look like they have an All American candidate.

They take on Cal Baptist at 5pm on the WAC digital network.
Why was SDSU depleted? Missing Cook? Who else?

[Big Bird]

Mainly no Cook. Cook prevents NDSU from winning 149-184 whether they put him at 165 or 174, which swings the dual. I would probably start Jordan over Vega every dual if I were them, so no issues with that.

As far as Pentz vs Nelson, I've seen exactly 1 Pentz match and while he was fun to watch, he was sloppy. Nelson looks stronger and more technically sound to me. Nelson has also had a pretty tough schedule thus far and his win over Tyrell Gordon is probably better than both of Pentz' wins today.

[PaBizon]

On this weekends pre meet lineups Michael Nelson is listed with T.J. Pottinger at 184. Pentz and Rasmussen are listed at 197.

[Big Bird]

On this weekends pre meet lineups Michael Nelson is listed with T.J. Pottinger at 184. Pentz and Rasmussen are listed at 197.

Nelson at 184 and Pentz at 197 would be a positive development IMO. 174-197 would still be question marks, but they do have potential.

[PaBizon]

Agree that Nelson at 184improves the team. It either means Pentz is beating Nelson or he’s able to drop the weight and Pentz can’t.

[Big Bird]

NDSU beat SDSU for the 2nd time on the year. Good, balanced team win.

They lost 9 of 10 matches vs Iowa State following that dual.

Luke Weber went 2-0 on senior day and picked up a fall in his final home match.

[larson311]

Anyone else think the ref today was awful? My goodness!

Seemed like NDSU used up all their energy against SDSU, they came out flat against ISU. We weren’t favorited to win the dual by any means, but there were a handful of matches I thought our guys would have been in and they weren’t. Also, wrestling Degen looks like the most frustrating thing ever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Big Bird]

Anyone else think the ref today was awful? My goodness!

Seemed like NDSU used up all their energy against SDSU, they came out flat against ISU. We weren’t favorited to win the dual by any means, but there were a handful of matches I thought our guys would have been in and they weren’t. Also, wrestling Degen looks like the most frustrating thing ever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The ref was horrible. On the bright side, he was horrible for both sides of the NDSU-SDSU dual. I've never seen Hahn that angry before

[PaBizon]

Agreed. The officiating was brutal. For this level you expect to have better than those two.

[PaBizon]

My predictions for the last two duals of the year

125 AF 3
133 AF 3
141 NDSU 3
149 NDSU 3
157 NDSU 4
165 NDSU 4
174 AF 3
184 NDSU 3
197 AF 4
HWT AF 3

Final NDSU 17 AF 16

125 UV 5
133 UV 4
141 NDSU 4
149 UV 3
157 NDSU 4
165 NDSU 4
174 UV 5
184 NDSU 3
197 NDSU 3
HWT NDSU 3

NDSU 21 UV 17

[Big Bird]

Henningson starting for NDSU vs AFA and getting blown out

[Big Bird]

NDSU and AFA Twitter said it was Midkiff...but I think it was Henningson. Lost by tech fall either way.

NDSU got 6 at 133 behind an injury default. Hope Van Vleet is ok and ready for B12s and NCAAs.

Droegemueller looking for a major over Bitting.

[Big Bird]

Droegemueller gets the major decision, NDSU up 10-5.

Van Maanen up now. Big day for him with two tough matchups that'll be huge for B12 seeding

[Big Bird]

Van Maanen with a throw late in the first and leads 6-0. Martinez has been called for stalling too.

Martinez immediately gets 4 NF to start the 2nd period

[Big Bird]

Martinez turns Van Maanen wice and leads 8-6 heading to the third. Horrible period for Van Maanen. For some reason, Martinez picked bottom to start the third

[Big Bird]

Van Maanen loses 10-9.

10-9 NDSU. This dual should go down to the wire. NDSU should win 157,165, and 184.

Air Force favored at 174 and 197.

Metz is ranked higher at HWT, but Hendrickson is a big, mobile athlete and I think he wins.

[Big Bird]

Franek leads 2-0 with 2 1/2 mins of RT after 1. Needs to play catch and release now and rack up points. Hopefully get a firemans for 6 at some point.

[Big Bird]

Franek not controlling the ties and creating offense. Leads 3-0 and they start neutral in the third.

[Big Bird]

8-2 win for Franek. NDSU up 13-8.

Franek had a body lock late to get the major and wouldn't commit. You could see Kish's frustration.

[Big Bird]

Weber picks up a first period fall! 19-8 NDSU lead.

If they can one of the final four matches, they should win the dual.

[Big Bird]

Habisch gets teched 17-0 and AFA is right back in it, 19-13 NDSU lead. Now NDSU needs to win 1 of the final three and keep the other two relatively close.

[Big Bird]

Man, I love Nelson's speed, strength, and length, but he is so raw/unrefined.

Needs to develop some setups, learn how to deal with scrambles, and finish better.

Scoreless after the first. This a a huge match in determining the winner today.

[Big Bird]

Nelson rides Sund out the entire period and will start on bottom in the third.

[Big Bird]

Nelson with an escape, TD, and rideout to win 4-0. Nice job to beat a fellow MN kid.

Pentz needs to wrestle in control and be sound on bottom here

[Big Bird]

Pentz with a first period fallover a really tough Kayne Hutchinson! Great win for him and NDSU now up big.

[Big Bird]

Hendrickson takes Metz down and pins him in a bar.

NDSU wins 28-19. Owen Pentz' fall at 197 was absolutely huge. He was an underdog in that match and that swung the dual

[Big Bird]

Pottinger loses in an extra match.

Cole Witzig now out there and gets a TD in the first 10 seconds

[Big Bird]

Cole Witzig wins 10-2 in an extra match. Great to see the senior get a match and do so much right and cruise to a win. He's not the most athletic guy, but he's always pushing forward and looking to create action.

[RadioBison]

NDSU and AFA Twitter said it was Midkiff...but I think it was Henningson.

That's what I thought too.

[Big Bird]

I believe that was Ryan Ripplinger that lost that last one. Announcer said Zach Watts, but it wasn't him.

Looks like that is all for the extra matches. NDSU will take on Utah Valley when they finish facing SDSU. SDSU got off to a great start and are up late in that one and should win. SDSU won narrow decision at 125-157 and Utah Valley didn't start star 125 pounder Taylor Lamont.

[Big Bird]

Henningson starting again and facing UVU backup Mauger. Ugly first period with Henningson down 4-1 and Mauger with over 2 min of RT

[Big Bird]

Henningson gets a late TD in the 2nd and cuts it to 6-4, but gives up an even later reversal and trails 8-4 and Mauger has almost 3 min of RT.

Mauger has been physically overpowering him for the majority of the match

[Big Bird]

Henningson loses 9-5 with almost 5 min of RT for Mauger. Henningson is now 0-7 on the year

[Big Bird]

March got the opening TD but gave up a TD in the final 15 secs, and trails 3-2. March has around 1 min of RT

[Big Bird]

March trails 6-3 after 2 and starts on bottom

[Big Bird]

March loses 11-7. Basically any time someone shot, they scored. Smith shot more, and he won.

[Big Bird]

Droegemueller tied 2-2 after 1 but has 2 min of RT

[Big Bird]

Droegemueller leads 5-2 and has riding time locked heading to the third. Need a turn in this period

[Big Bird]

Droegemueller gets NDSU on the board with a 6-3 win. He won't get back to NCAAs if he doesn't finish his shots quicker and better. He's far too comfortable just getting into scrambles, and they don't net him points often. Kish was telling him to bring his single up and that would help a ton.

Big match for Van Maanen. He's 0-2 vs Hunsacker and is coming off a brutal loss vs AFA. Trails 2-0 early.

[Big Bird]

Van Maanen gets tilted AGAIN (third time today) and trails 6-1 after one.

[Big Bird]

Van Maanen loses 7-2 in a non-competitive match. Really bad day for him. Utah Valley leads 9-3

[Big Bird]

Franek looked really good in this one and picks up a first period fall to tie the dual at 9.

[Big Bird]

Weber wins 2-0, and gives NDSU their first lead at 12-9.

#5 Romero takes on NDSUs Austin Brenner

[Big Bird]

Good match by Brenner but he drops a dec to #5 Romero

[Big Bird]

Great job by Nelson in the third period to keep running down takedowns and to pick up a major decision. NDSU up 17-13 with 2 matches to go. Just need to win 1 of the final two matches to win the dual

[Big Bird]

After looking great in his first match, Pentz looking really bad in this one and trails 10-3 after 1.

Sure looks like this dual will be decided at HWT.

[Big Bird]

After looking great in his first match, Pentz looking really bad in this one and trails 10-3 after 1.

Sure looks like this dual will be decided at HWT.

And then Pentz gets to start the 2nd on top, gets a double bar, and pins him. Unreal.

[Big Bird]

Metz wins 3-1, and NDSU takes the dual 25-12.

Great response by Metz after a rough first match

[PaBizon]

I thought Droegemueller, Franek and Weber had good days and Brenner wrestled well against a Top tier kid albeit he looked like he was a bit dinged up. Nelson definitely belongs at 184 where he actually presents both a length and a strength problem for opponents. Pentz showed how strong he really is when he turned and pinned a kid that was kind of manhandling him until that point. IMO This team is a better dual team than last year but probably sends fewer to the NCAA tournament

[larson311]

What is the last chance challenge in brookings next weekend?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PaBizon]

From what I can tell it’s a bunch of exhibition matches so they’re not sitting idle for three weeks prior to the Big 12 tournament. Along with getting matches for those that won’t be in the tournament. SDSU coach Hahn said we’re going to throw them all out on the mat and let them beat the crap out of each other.

[larson311]

Nice! Haha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Big Bird]

NDSU sending several guys to Senior and Junior nationals this weekend. Interested to see how Franek does in particular.

https://theguillotine.com/2021/04/ndsu-wrestlers-competing-at-2021-uww-junior-and-senior-nationals/

[PaBizon]

Looks like in a last second change Stanford is keeping wrestling!!!!!!! Very good news

[PaBizon]

Congrats to Brandon Metz for winning U23 Greco championship!