Saint John's hosts three competitions this weekend in Sexton Arena, starting with a pair of duals against Minnesota North-Itasca (6 p.m.) and Concordia-Moorhead (7 p.m.) on Friday, Jan. 16. The North Country Invitational is set for noon the following day (Saturday, Jan. 17).

LIVE COVERAGE
-Friday's Duals: Live Video
-Saturday's Tournament: Live Results

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's split a pair of dual competitions at Lakeland (Wis.) last Friday (Jan. 9) in Plymouth, Wis. The Johnnies (2-5 dual record) won three of the final four matches to top Wisconsin-Platteville 30-21 in the opener before falling to the host Muskies by a 35-23 score.

Four Johnnies went 2-0 on the day: freshman Carson Gellerman (Becker, Minn./Big Lake) at 184 pounds; sophomore Thomas Holmquist (Mendota Heights, Minn./St. Thomas Academy) at 125; sophomore Dominic Smith (Maple Grove, Minn./St. Michael's, N.M.) at 149; and junior Aidan Wayne (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo) at 197. Gellerman posted a technical fall and his ninth fall of the season to improve his record to 16-2, while Holmquist collected a forfeit and pin to move to 18-3. Smith is now 14-9 after he cruised to a 10-0 major decision and a pin, and Wayne flexed to a pair of pins – his team-leading 10th and 11th of the season – and is 19-4.

Down 15-13 to Platteville, freshman Isaac Hunter (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) started the Johnnies' rally with a technical fall at 174 pounds. Gellerman and Wayne then followed with pins to clinch the victory.

The Johnnies mustered only four wins – three via pin – against Lakeland. Down 6-2, Smith scored a takedown and three-point near fall before his pin at 149 pounds.

SJU'S PROBABLE LINEUP ON FRIDAY
125: Thomas Holmquist (18-3)
133: Connor Krueger (11-1) or Luke Jolly (5-11)
141: Xavier Jones (6-9)
149: Dominic Smith (14-9)
157: Kris Castro (9-9) or Josiah Solliday (5-11)
165: Laiken Copeman (9-13)
174: Isaac Hunter (13-5)
184: Carson Gellerman (16-2)
197: Kenneth Torres (4-8)
285: Aidan Wayne (19-4) or Zeke Conner (3-12)

LAST YEAR'S DUAL: SJU jumped out to a 9-0 lead but dropped the final eight matches in a 38-9 loss to Concordia last Feb. 4 (2025) in Moorhead.

Senior Marcus Hayes (Katy, Texas/Cypress Lakes) gave SJU an early 6-0 lead with a forfeit win at 125 pounds and junior Connor Krueger (Superior, Wis.) evened his season record at 3-3 with a 5-2 victory at 133. Krueger scored a quick takedown at the start of the match, chose down to start the second period and escaped for a 4-1 lead. CC's Kie Anderson chose down to start the third period and Krueger rode him out for the final 1:58 before allowing an escape with two seconds left.

The Cobbers responded with two-straight pins and a major decision. Six of CC's eight-consecutive wins were by bonus points, including four pins.

Wayne ended the dual with a 4-2 loss at heavyweight, his first defeat to an NCAA Division III wrestler since Nov. 23.

at Concordia-Moorhead (CC) 38, Saint John's (SJU) 9
125: Marcus Hayes (SJU) won by forfeit [6-0]
133: Connor Krueger (SJU) dec. Kie Anderson, 5-2 [9-0]
141: No. 9 Ty Bisek (CC) pinned Jose De Los Santos, 1:19 [9-6]
149: Jack Major (CC) pinned Erick Solano, 4:26 [9-12]
157: Alex McPhee (CC) major dec. Kris Castro, 10-0 [9-16]
165: Aidan Ruddy (CC) dec. Laiken Copeman, 13-6 [9-19]
174: Zach Pribyl (CC) pinned Andy Johnson, 6:40 [9-25]
184: Brody Duke (CC) major dec. Zachariah Hunter, 13-3 [9-29] 
197: Connor Chloupek (CC) pinned D.J. Myles, 1:26 [9-35]
285: Mason Swanson (CC) dec. Aidan Wayne, 4-2 [9-38]

WHO WILL BE HERE: The Johnnies are scheduled to be joined Saturday by Concordia, Minnesota North-Itasca and Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

LAST YEAR'S TOURNEY: Five Johnnies finished in the top four at last year's North Country Invitational held on Jan. 19 (2025) in Collegeville. The Johnnies were joined by wrestlers from Concordia, Minnesota-Duluth Club, Division II St. Cloud State and Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Wayne led SJU with a 2-0 record and second-place finish at heavyweight. He topped Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Brody Perry in overtime, 4-1, and advanced out of the semifinals due to disqualification of St. Cloud State's Donnie Hidden after he picked up Wayne and dropped him on his head/neck. The injury led to Wayne's medical forfeit of the championship match. 

D.J. Myles '25 posted a pair of major decisions and a 2-1 record to claim third at 197 pounds. 

Three other Johnnies placed fourth: juniors Kris Castro (Simi Valley, Calif./Chaminade) and Bryce Commerford (Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's), and sophomore Laiken Copeman (Zumbrota, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazeppa). Castro and Copeman collected a 2-2 mark at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively, while Commerford went 1-2 at 197.

FEATURE STORY: Family has always been really important to Aidan Wayne.
 
It's actually how he got involved with wrestling in the first place.
 
Growing up, the current Saint John's junior (in terms of eligibility) just wanted to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Connor. 
 
And that path led directly to the mat.
 
"My dad asked me what I wanted to try," recalled Wayne, who was in third grade when he first started in the youth program in Osseo. "(Connor) was wrestling and I wanted to be like him. So it was a pretty easy decision. 
 
"Then I got there and ended up liking it a lot."
 
The 6-foot-5 Wayne wrestled all through high school, compiling a record of 43-9 as a senior at Osseo and finishing fourth at 195 pounds at the Class 3A state tournament that season. 
 
He set the sport aside for a year when he elected to play football as a freshman at Wisconsin-River Falls in the fall of 2022. But he said that wasn't the right fit. And after making the decision to transfer, it was again family ties that helped draw him to Collegeville. 
 
His cousin Vincent Hillesheim had decided to enroll at SJU to play basketball and Wayne chose to join him.
 
"I missed wrestling and my cousin was coming to school here. So if I came, I could wrestle and go to school with him," Wayne said. "That was a pretty easy decision. We ended rooming together his freshman and sophomore years. We still hang out all the time – playing video games or going fishing."
 
Meanwhile, Wayne has emerged as a standout on the mat. After going 14-11 in his first season with the Johnnies in 2023-24, he finished 23-7 a year ago and placed seventh in the heavyweight division at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet.
 
This year, he is already off to a 19-4 start while fluctuating between heavyweight and 197 pounds.
 
"The thing I appreciate most about Aidan is his versatility," SJU head coach Kevin Schiltz said. "I look at him like a Swiss Army knife. If we need him at 197 pounds, he can drop a pound or two and excel. If we need him at heavyweight, he usually weighs in at 200 pounds anyway so he's right there. He's able to go wherever we need him to."
 
Athletic versatility is nothing new for Wayne, who excelled in football, wrestling and golf at Osseo. He even dabbled in cross country when the football season was shortened due to COVID-19 in the fall of 2020.
 
"That was fun," he recalled. "I've always been pretty good at running and I enjoy doing it. I still do it to help me stay in shape for wrestling season. I usually just run a mile or two. But my mom runs six miles every day. So in the summer, sometimes I join her."
 
Wayne's mother Deanna and father Michael are both Minnesota state troopers. But despite their busy schedule, he said they've always been there to support him.
 
"My dad has only missed one meet since I've been (at SJU)," he said. "My mom usually makes it to at least half of them. And if she can't be there, she livestreams it."
 
Wayne is hoping to give everyone plenty more to watch this season. 
 
He has his sights set on a top-three finish at this year's Great Lakes Regional – scheduled for Feb. 27 and 28 in Eau Claire, Wis. That would earn him a trip to the Division III national meet.
 
The Johnnies haven't had a wrestler make nationals since Noah Becker qualified at 133 pounds in 2019-20 (though that season's national meet was cancelled due to the onset of COVID-19).
 
"It's a big goal for a number of guys on the team," said Wayne, a global business leadership major who is eligible to return for one more season and plans to do so. 
 
"We have three returners who placed at regionals last season and a few more guys we think can do it this year. There's a bunch of opportunities (to get to nationals).
 
"This program has been in rebuilding mode for a few years now," he continued. "But we've taken some huge steps and that progress is starting to show."