2004-05 College Wrestling Report

Former Norseman Guffey places at NAIA finals

By Pat Howard

Special to www.sdgrqappler.com

With the scarcity of spots available in NCAA Division I wrestling programs, some area wrestlers have chosen to compete in a variety of small schools sanctioned under the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. In this year's NAIA championship tournament, held March 3-4, in Sioux City, Iowa, Valhalla High graduate Ryan Guffey placed seventh to end his collegiate wrestling career as a two-time NAIA All-American.

Guffey completed his senior campaign at William Penn in Iowa with 112 wins and 68 pins. Besides his seventh-place finish in 2005, he was sixth as a sophomore in 2003.

Guffey was the only San Diego Section wrestler out of four NAIA national qualifiers to come away with a medal. Fellow Valhalla grad Matt Howard (sophomore 165-pounder, Embry-Riddle) went 1-2 while Vista alumnus Kyle Bickford, (junior, Menlo College) was 2-2 and RBV grad Nick Leon (freshman, Embry-Riddle) was 1-2. Hilltop alumnus Brian Scambler (freshman, Nebraska's Dana College) was in attendance at the tournament but not as a competitor.

The NAIA includes 28 teams, many in its Central Region that stretches along the Mississippi River from Iowa to Missouri.  Five new NAIA teams entered in 2004 and plans for an additional 10 teams are in the works. Such would make the NAIA the fastest growing opportunity for incoming college wrestlers.

The small, mostly private school network offers a wide variety of academic opportunities. On the west coast, there are three NAIA schools in the United States and one in Canada.

Menlo College near Palo Alto, Embry-Riddle in Prescott, Ariz., and Southern Oregon University, along with Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, comprise the NAIA’s Western Region.

Embry-Riddle offers programs in all aeronautical fields from flight and engineering to security and intelligence. Menlo College is a liberal arts school also offering management degrees.  Southern Oregon University offers a complete array of choices from business to sciences. Simon Frasier University offers programs in business and health science fields.

At least three NAIA programs offer women’s wrestling: Menlo, Missouri Valley and Simon Frasier. The NAIA tournament featured 212 qualifiers. Sioux City boasted one of the newest programs in the NAIA, Morningside, which sent five freshmen to the tournament.

Missouri Valley competed at the Body Bar U.S. Women’s Freestyle Nationals April 8-10 at Grossmont High School.

For wrestlers willing to explore the center of the United States or even the east coast or Canada, there are 25 other schools with programs that may fit their career goals.

Results and other information on NAIA can be found on the Web site at www.naia.org.