CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State wrestling will welcome the two-time defending national champions to the Chicoine Center on Thursday when the Eagles wrestle Nebraska-Kearney in a dual at 5:30 p.m.
It will be the first dual of the season for both teams after CSC opened the year competing at the DWU Open last week. The Lopers are ranked No. 2 in the nation in the National Wrestling Coaches Association's preseason Tournament Team Rankings.
Thursday's event, the first of four home duals during the 2026-27 season, will also be the first bout for Chadron State under new head coach
Taygen Smith.
How to Go
Single-dual tickets for Thursday are available at
this link. Tickets are sold for $10 for adults and $5 for children, seniors or military members. Online purchases will include third-party fees.
Men's wrestling duals are also included in Chadron State's new "Court Sport" pass. The "Court Sport" pass provides the buyer access to all men's and women's basketball plus men's and women's wrestling Chicoine Center events, for $178 for adults and $98 for child/senior/military.
RMAC Network Reminder
All four of Chadron State's home duals will be broadcast on the RMAC Network, which requires a pay-per-view subscription to watch. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league's membership to enhance their broadcast systems and programs.
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them access to all live and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription (for all sports) costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants the viewer access to a single event for 24 hours. Subscriptions can be purchased through Hudl at
rmacnetwork.com.
RMAC Network monthly and annual subscriptions apply to any event and any sport that is hosted by an RMAC institution, regardless of whether Chadron State is participating.
Fans will technical support issues can contact
Hudl, visit the RMAC email the
RMAC Network FAQ page, or directly email the RMAC at
rmac@rmacsports.org.
Looking Back
The Eagles opened their competition season last Thursday at the DWU Open hosted by Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D.
RECAP:
Berger, Loosvelt Place at DWU Open
Chadron State recorded two placers, with
Logan Berger coming fourth in the 174-pound bracket and
Brooks Loosvelt placing fourth at 184 pounds. Both wrestlers went 4-2 in the tournament. Six other wrestlers won multiple matches, including fifth-years
Skyler Geier-Dodson and
Kyle Lewis plus returning starter and sophomore
Aidan Callahan.
The Polls
Chadron State has one nationally-ranked wrestler in the NWCA's preseason rankings –
Logan Berger. The fifth-year wrestler is ranked No. 12 at 165 pounds despite competing for much of his career at 174. Berger wrestled at 174 last Saturday at the DWU Open but will be dropping down a weight class for the RMAC season.
Aidan Callahan is ranked No. 2 at 149 pounds in the NWCA's regional rankings for Super Region 6. Berger is ranked No. 3 at 165.
Scouting the Lopers
Nebraska-Kearney has won the Division II national championship in each of the past two seasons. The Lopers defeated Chadron State 22-13 in a dual last season and were 14-4 in duals overall. This will be a season-debut for most of UNK's heavy hitters, with the Lopers having just an intrasquad scrimmage and non-varsity competitions so far.
The Lopers have six nationally-ranked wrestlers, with four of them listed in the probable lineup for Thursday night. Otgonbayar Batsuuri, ranked No. 1 in the nation, is the reigning national champion at 174 pounds and was one of six total (three returning) All-Americans from last season's national championship team.
UNK also picked up a big-time transfer in former Chadron State All-American
Mason Villwok, who will replace Jackson Kinsella in the UNK lineup after defeating Kinsella in a consolation semifinal at the national tournament on his way to a third-place finish as a sophomore.
Action Weights
For Chadron State at 149 pounds,
Aidan Callahan is the only returning member out of the four Eagles to win matches during last year's UNK/CSC dual in Kearney. Callahan's 2025 opponent, Brady Collins, is on the UNK roster but not listed among the probable starters. Callahan was victorious in a 4-3 decision last year.
According to submitted probable lineups, all 10 matchups will have a different wrestler for one or both schools from last year's lineup.
Fifth-year
Skyler Geier-Dodson, with an opportunity in CSC's starting lineup after the graduation of former national qualifier
Caleb Chaves, will have a tough opening test with No. 3-ranked Joseph Airola. Otgonbayer Batsuuri, the reigning national champion, is scheduled to face senior
Dominic Joyce.
Freshman
Peyton Pacheco could have an engaging Chicoine Center debut as he is scheduled to draw former Eagle and No. 2-ranked
Mason Villwok at 197 pounds.
Projected Lineup
subject to change
| Weight Class |
#RV Chadron State |
|
#2 Nebraska-Kearney |
| 125 |
Rudy Rodriguez (Fr., 2-2) |
vs. |
Cadyn Coyle |
| 133 |
Kyle Lewis (5th, 3-2) OR
Jack Glendy (Fr., 0-2) |
vs. |
Marcus Terry |
| 141 |
Skyler Geier-Dodson (5th, 3-2) |
vs. |
#3 Joseph Airola |
| 149 |
Aidan Callahan (So., 2-2) |
vs. |
Connor Ritonya |
| 157 |
Wyatt McDermott (Sr., 1-2) |
vs. |
Job Lee |
| 165 |
Clayton Robinson (5th, 0-0) |
vs. |
Corbin Reisz |
| 174 |
Dominic Joyce (Sr., 0-2) |
vs. |
#1 Otgonbayer Batsuuri |
| 184 |
Brooks Loosvelt (So., 4-2) |
vs. |
Lazaro Crespo |
| 197 |
Peyton Pacheco (Fr., 1-2) |
vs. |
#2 Mason Villwok |
| 285 |
Cody Netherton (So., 0-2) |
vs. |
#11 Naasir Edmonds |
Coach's Corner
Taygen Smith is in his first season as the head coach of the Chadron State men's wrestling program after four seasons as an assistant.
During his time on staff, the Chadron State program has had 12 national qualifiers, five All-Americans and 31 NWCA Academic All-Americans.
Smith competed as a student-athlete with Hastings College in Nebraska (NAIA), where he was a three-time national qualifier in 2020, 2021 and 2022, earning NAIA All-American honors with a seventh-place national finish in 2021. He was also an Academic All-American that season.
