The Luther Wrestling team finished their season at Nationals with two competitors finishing on the podium. Walter West (‘25) finished 7th in the 285-pound division and Clayton McDonough (‘26) earned 4th in the 157-pound division. Both are first time All-Americans, and their efforts landed Luther at 13th in the team race.
Both West and McDonough finished third in the Lower Midwest Regional on March 1, and both found themselves in the All-American round on Friday night of the NCAA DIII Tournament in La Crosse, Wisconsin on March 15. In a round where the winner lives to see day two and the loser falls short of their goal, Luther shined; both competitors defeated their opponents, sending their teammates and cheering section in a frenzy.
McDonough found himself in the All-American round for the second time in his career after losing in the same round a season ago. One year later, he finished the job by defeating Tim Smith of Wabash 10-0 to become an All-American. After the fashion in which his tournament went last season, he was happy to finish the job this time around.
“Going into that match I knew I was in a great spot to [earn All-American honors,]” McDonough said. “I felt like I was better than [Smith] technically and I knew I could beat him if I just did what I usually do.”
In his first trip to the National Tournament, West took advantage of the opportunity finishing 3-2 and in 7th place. After losing his first match in the 285-pound division, he won two straight matches in the consolation bracket. His win total included a victory over 2023 NCAA DIII runner-up Donovan King of the University of Olivet by a score of 5-1. Like many of his family and teammates, West was emotional after achieving a life-long goal.
“Everything came together for that last match, just the feeling I had,” West said. “I cried afterwards, I was very happy, my family was happy, that’s when all the hard work paid off and dreams came true.”
Luther finished the tournament with a team score of 22.5, placing 13th. This was the highest finish for the Norse since 2016, when they finished 3rd. The tournament was won by Augsburg University, who won their 15th title in program history by finishing with a team score of 95. Luther’s American Rivers Conference rival Wartburg College finished 2nd with 87.5.
The weekend capped a season in which Luther made their mark on and off the mat, as they had a large cheering section consisting of family, alumni, current wrestlers and Luther fans. The team hosted a social on Saturday after West and McDonough finished wrestling where the two were honored and the program relished in their successes. Luther finished the season 12-7 with a national ranking of #21, and West and McDonough will both return to the team next year.
Brackets from the NCAA DIII Wrestling Championships can be found here. For results and information from Luther Wrestling’s entire 2023-2024 season, head to luthernorse.com.
