UIndy wrestler takes top ranking UIndy wrestler Derek Blubaugh reigns in the number one position for the DII NWCA standings

That ability to balance performing on the mat as well as in the classroom has not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff, according to Warthan.

“I think if one would come in and watch our practice, I think you would be drawn to him [Derek Blubaugh],” said Warthan. “... He’s a workhorse, but he’s also very humble.”

Warthan, an alum and three sport athlete that graduated in 2001, remarked on Derek Blubaugh’s tenacity.

“He does the right things outside the wrestling room and outside the classroom walls too—rise early and eat and drink and sleep; all the right things,” Warthan said.

In the 2020-2021 season, Derek Blubaugh was voted a Kelso Reid Mental Attitude nominee, according to UIndy Athletics.

“I was extremely grateful to receive that [Kelso Reid Mental Attitude] award,” said Derek Blubaugh. “That, honestly, meant just as much to me as any awards that I would win from wrestling.”

Derek Blubaugh’s grandfather, Doug Blubaugh, was the 1960 Olympic Gold medalist in Rome, according to the Olympics’ website. Doug Blubaugh and his brother Jack Blubaugh, both won Gold at the PanAmerican games in wrestling. Derek Blubaugh said the effects of that lineage mean everything.

UIndy wrestler to take down his Lake Erie opponent on the mat at the University of Indianapolis in Nicoson Hall. The Greyhounds competed in the 43rd Midwest Classic. UIndy wrestling has a record of 9-3 on the 2022-2023 season at this time. Wrestling is looking towards the NCAA DII National Tournament coming up on Feb. 26.

By Seth Wall STAFF WRITER

The University of Indianapolis Greyhounds are currently ranked sixth in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll, exemplifying excellence in the program. Six UIndy wrestlers that qualified for the 2022 National Championships returned this season, including defending national runner-up redshirt sophomore Derek Blubaugh at 197 pounds. Derek Blubaugh holds the top individual ranking in the country for his weight class, according to UIndy Athletics. Three additional wrestlers hold spots in the top ten, according to

NWCA rankings, including the Bailey brothers—Breyden Bailey and Logan Bailey at 133 and 157 pounds respectively—as well as 165 pound Jack Eiteljorge. Head Coach Jason Warthan, now in his fourteenth season as head coach, said there is a significance to having a veteran crew.

“It’s also great to have experienced guys to return, just from the practice standpoint,” Warthan said.

During the break between semesters, according to Warthan, the team doubled down on preparing for the remainder of the year. The Greyhounds will make their fourth trip to a non-neighboring state when they go to Springfield, Missouri for the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships on Feb. 12, according to UIndy Athletics.

At the NWCA National Duals in Louisville, Ky. in early January, the team faced off against three of the top five Division II ranked programs in the country, according to UIndy Athletics as of Reflector press time. Having managed a season of such rich competition, Warthan said he is optimistic about the team’s prospects heading into the postseason.