PARK CITY, Kan. - Midway qualified three wrestlers for the NAIA Men's Wrestling National Championships, with two earning a spot for the first time.

Kyler Adams (149 pounds), Abe Hafez (165), and Aaron Garcia (285) will represent the Eagles as they look to become Midway's first All-Americans. 

KYLER ADAMS

Adams is Midway's first ever four-time qualifier but has put up just a 1-6 record in his first three appearances. Adams earned 15 wins in his senior season and looks to build on that.

He has had overtime matches with the No. 1 and 5 seeds in the 149-pound bracket in Nicholas Yancey (Campbellsville) and Victor Guzman (Cumberland Tenn.) respectfully. He will face off first against NCAA Division-I transfer, 11-seed Hagen Heistand of Concordia (Neb.) who is 16-3 on the season.

Depending on the outcome of the matches, he will face off in his second match against either Devin Griffin of Reinhardt (Ga.) or the No. 6 seed Darnai Heard of Grand View (Iowa). 

Adams was calm and focused when he was asked about his expectations going into his final tournament in a Midway singlet, saying "I just have to compete, trust God, and find a way." 

ABE HAFEZ

Hafez is sporting a 16-12 record in his senior season. He has had a solid career at Midway with wins over All-Americans like Tanner Abbas (Grand View), but had not been able to punch his ticket to the big dance.

That all changed this season as he earned Midway its first win of the 2024-25 season over Rochester Christian's (Mich.) David VanDaele. He would place at multiple tournaments during the year with a second-place finish at the King Open and a eighth-place finish at the Missouri Valley Invite.

The year's success accumulated with a hard-battled, automatic bid at arguably the toughest conference weight in the nation at the Mid-South Championships. He will face off against the No. 3 seed, a junior from Grand View, Cam Robinson.

Depending on the outcome of the matches, he will face off against either Orion Thivierge (Montana State-Northern) or 14 seed Jasitin Kubwimmana (Campbellsville). 

"I don't care about being a national qualifier," Hafez said. "It's just any other tournament. My expectation is to wrestle my best to win nationals."  

AARON GARCIA

Garcia is in his sophomore season for the Eagles. His freshman season was historic for Midway, as he became the first freshman to have a 20-win season, but was unable to compete at the Mid-South Championships due to an untimely illness.

He earned 18 wins on on his way to earn an at-large bid to the national tournament this season, where he will face off first against Darrian Hoobery of Eastern Oregon.

Hoobery is the No. 16 seed in the tournament and a wrestling partner to the No. 4 seed Nico Rodriguez. Win or lose, he will face the winner or loser of the match between Braydon Erb (Indiana Tech) and the top seed Gage Braun (Southeastern).

When asked about his expectations Garcia said, "Honestly, I'm not thinking about the national tournament too hard. I'm treating it like it's another tournament so I don't get caught up in the hype and all that. I expect to go out there and compete at the highest level I am capable of like I have the entire year."

Coach Kenny Mason was in good spirits on the drive out to nationals. He said the following about his third trip to the big show: "It's always an honor to get to represent our university on the national stage. I'm excited for the opportunity to compete and do what I love at the highest level."