Wrestling USA Magazine gives Vikings the nod for non-NCAA Division I category

The wrestling season won’t begin for another couple of months, but Dana College Wrestling has already achieved a national championship of sorts. In the current issue of Wrestling USA Magazine, the country’s premier publication for the sport, the Vikings were named as having the top recruiting class in the country for non-NCAA Division I schools.

The honor is a great start for the 2005-06 Vikings, who are coming off a Top 5 finish at the NAIA National Championships last spring. Overall, the 32-member class includes 26 high school state champions, 18 All-Americans, nine junior college All-Americans, six National Champions, seven nationally ranked wrestlers and two high school All-Americans.

“Dana’s coaching staff did an exceptional job with this year’s recruiting class,” said Dan Fickel, author of the rankings and article. “It is a class filled with top-notch incoming freshmen as well as some of the nation’s most elite transfers. This class will guarantee future greatness for the Viking’s already well-respected program.”

Dana’s achievements are even more extraordinary considering that the NAIA school was competing in a category with junior colleges, and NCAA Division II and III teams. The Vikings were ranked above Division II schools like University of Nebraska at Omaha, University of Central Oklahoma and Minnesota State University-Mankato. They also pulled ahead of NAIA wrestling powerhouses Lindenwood University and Montana State University-Northern.

Dana Wrestling Head Coach Steve Costanzo said the recognition of the coaching staff’s recruiting work was good, but he’s most excited about the possibilities for the student athletes.

“This is the best recruiting class in Dana College school history,” Costanzo said. “I am really looking forward to working with this group of very talented young men.”

Dana College is a place where all students make things happen — in their own lives and in the lives of others. Through a highly supportive faculty and campus community,

Dana students develop interpersonal skills, leadership abilities, and other important values and knowledge as they make choices about their future. Dana’s outstanding academic programs in business, education and social work, among others, ensure that students have the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to pursue challenging careers or placement in graduate school.

Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution in Blair, Neb. To learn more, visit www.dana.edu.

Dana College: Develop talents, Take charge, Build a future — We’re with you all the way.

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For more information contact:

Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu