Wrestling

[Click Here for PDF Release]

Nebraska-Omaha's JD Naig Named NCC Wrestler of the Year

Nebraska-Omaha senior JD Naig has been named the North Central Conference Wrestler of the Year by a vote of league coaches. The coaches also selected Nebraska-Omaha's Austin Boehm as the Freshman of the Year and Minnesota State's Jim Makovsky as the Coach of the Year.

Naig, from Emmettsburg, Iowa, won the NCAA Division II national championship at 174 pounds and finished the season with a 42-7 record, including an undefeated mark in NCAA Division II competition. He was honored as both the NCAA Division II National Tournament Outstanding Wrestler and the UNO Wrestler of the Year. Of his 42 wins this season, Naig scored bonus points in 24 of them (15 falls, nine major decisions). He finished his career with a 140-26 mark, the fourth-best in UNO history, and a three-time NCAA Division II champion.

Boehm, from Urbandale, Iowa, finished second at 184 pounds at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. He is the first true freshman in UNO history to reach the national finals and finished the season with a 28-14 mark. Of his 28 wins, 11 came by fall along with two major decisions. In the NCAA Division II North Central Region tournament, Boehm defeated four-time All-American Travis Krinkie of Minnesota State to win the region crown. Boehm opened the national championships with a pair of falls before defeating three-time All-American Mark Murphy of Shippensburg in the semifinals.

Makovsky, in his 14th year, led Minnesota State to the NCAA Division II North Region and North Central Conference championships and a four-place finish at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. It was the third consecutive top-five finish for the Mavericks and the fourth time under Makovsky's tuteledge. The Mavericks qualified all ten wrestlers out of the North Central Region meet and collected five All-Americans (Andy Pickar, 2nd, 165 pounds; Jason Rhoten, 3rd, 149 pounds; Brandon Girtz, 7th, 157 pounds; Travis Krinkie, 7th, 184 pounds; Brady Wilson, 5th, Heavyweight).