ABR 420 | 2025–26 NAIA Wrestling Season Preview w/ Grand View, Life, Southeastern & Indiana Tech
Update: 2025-12-16
Description
Recorded live on YouTube on November 18, 2025, this Airey Bros Radio roundtable goes belly to belly with the top NAIA wrestling programs in the country for a full 2025–26 NAIA Wrestling Season Preview.
We’re joined by four of the biggest hammers on the small-college scene:
👂 Listen to Airey Bros Radio
☕ Value 4 Value: If this episode helps you find a new program, new coach, or new perspective…
show some love & buy us a coffee
⏱ Time-Stamped Show Notes
0:00 – Howdy & Aloha / Value-for-Value Intro – ABR “Howdy & Aloha” cold open
– Value-for-value, Buy Me A Coffee, and why Airey Bros shines a light on programs they wish they knew about growing up – Tonight’s lineup: Grand View, Life, Southeastern, Indiana Tech
3:12 – Grand View Wrestling (#1) w/ Coach Grant Henderson – Taking over the Grand View dynasty & finding out he’s the head coach fresh off his honeymoon – Shifting from assistant to “CEO” of the program while still keeping championship lifestyle at the center – Deep roster philosophy: development, growth mindset & wanting the best guy at your weight – Why they avoid traditional “wrestle-offs” and let the season sort the lineup – Managing pressure when your program expects national titles every year – Having two Vikings in the national finals & staying impartial in the corner
– Key dates: Grand View Open, Baker duel, DIII Coe trip, National Duals in Cedar Falls, UNK dual in January – What makes Grand View different & why they want to “put on a show,” not wrestle conservative
23:50 – Life University (#4) w/ Coach Jake Laden – Life’s trip to the Grand View Open & Jake’s allergic reaction adventure – Double-header brewery dual at Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta 🍺
– Life U Open: 700+ athletes & NAIA chaos – Key dudes to watch: Maro Michel, Conlin “Tank” Weaver, Rocky Rabby, Alex Cotto, Reese Jones, Trey Morsette, Kenny Norfleet, Gabriel Jacobs & more – Rivalries & dates circled: Lander, Southeastern & National Duals – Culture shift at Life: recruiting high-character guys who love wrestling – Massive, diverse roster & representing states and countries across the map – Getting Jersey guys, Dragon RTC ties, and educating recruits on NAIA depth & two-per-weight – Old-school recruiting: cold calls, calling parents, calling coaches, and living on the phone – Life’s NCWA club team & using it to give more guys a national-tournament experience
– Long-term impact: developing husbands, fathers & leaders, not just All-Americans
46:34 – Southeastern University (#2) w/ Coach Travis Patrick – SEU as true Road Warriors in November: Patriot Open, VT Open, Reinhardt, Georgia Open, Emanuel, Kaiser, Life Open
– Returners and impact guys: Aaron Lucio (133), Andrew Voys, Drew Jones, Mario Deator, Anthony Federico, Gentry Smith, Casten Grape, Jovon Mitchell & more – Dialing in the lineup & where weights are still up for grabs – 700-wrestler Life Open & why it’s a must-see NAIA event – Early conference duels vs Reinhardt & Kaiser – 8 of 10 wins & still plenty to clean up – System vs. adding tools: positional non-negotiables + building around each wrestler’s style – Six returning All-Americans: staying hungry without letting rankings become a cage – Loving the craft of wrestling, not just the grind – sparring, play wrestling & Penn State influence – Being the top program in Florida & recruiting against SoCon D1’s (Campbell, Gardner-Webb, etc.) – Helping recruits pick fit over logo and building men who can win on the mat and in life
1:04:00 – Indiana Tech (#3) w/ Coach Thomas Pompei – Early tests: Patriot Open at Cumberlands, Trine, Findlay & D2/D1 heavy opens – Roster breakdown: ~25 returners, ~15 newcomers, freshmen breaking into the lineup – Deep battles at 125 (two-time AA + Heisy twins) & heavyweight
– Early-season lessons: counters, chain wrestling, fighting through every position – WHAC Super Duals: knocking out five conference duals in one shot – Balancing competition with rest: Thanksgiving break, limited December schedule, youth tournament hosting – Recruiting hard-working students for niche majors: engineering, cyber security, computer science – How demanding majors & wrestling grind sharpen each other – Indiana HS wrestling: one-class system, brutal state tournament format & why some killers never make it to state – Building Indiana Tech from startup to national power over 15 years – Leadership, team culture, and learning to coach “less like a maniac” as you get older
– What it’ll take to win a team title: staying healthy, winning blood-round matches & stacking AAs
1:26:12 – Closing Thoughts / NAIA Landscape & Value 4 Value – Recap of the NAIA Top-4 landscape heading into 2025–26 – Why NAIA is one of the deepest, most slept-on divisions in college wrestling
– Shoutouts to Henderson, Laden, Patrick & Pompei for making time in the middle of the grind
– Reminder this episode was originally streamed live on YouTube (Nov 18, 2025) – Value-for-value closeout: likes, subs, shares & Buy Me A Coffee – “Much love from the Airey Bros” sign-off
We’re joined by four of the biggest hammers on the small-college scene:
- 🏆 Grand View (Preseason #1) – Head Coach Grant Henderson
- 🔥 Life University (Preseason #4) – Associate Head Coach Jake Laden
- 🔥 Southeastern University (Preseason #2) – Head Coach Travis Patrick
- 🔥 Indiana Tech (Preseason #3) – Head Coach Thomas Pompei
- 🔁 Key returners & new faces to watch
- 🧱 How each staff builds culture, buy-in & championship lifestyle
- 🧠 Development vs. “blue-chip” recruiting in NAIA wrestling
- 🗓️ Must-watch duals, opens & National Duals storylines
- 🧭 NAIA vs. NCAA – helping recruits find the right fit, not just “D1”
- 🎓 Academics, niche majors & life after wrestling
- 💪 Why NAIA depth, “two per weight,” and club/NCAA teams make this division sneaky loaded
👂 Listen to Airey Bros Radio
- YouTube: @AireyBros
- Spotify: Airey Bros Radio
- Apple Podcasts: Airey Bros Radio
☕ Value 4 Value: If this episode helps you find a new program, new coach, or new perspective…
show some love & buy us a coffee
⏱ Time-Stamped Show Notes
0:00 – Howdy & Aloha / Value-for-Value Intro – ABR “Howdy & Aloha” cold open
– Value-for-value, Buy Me A Coffee, and why Airey Bros shines a light on programs they wish they knew about growing up – Tonight’s lineup: Grand View, Life, Southeastern, Indiana Tech
3:12 – Grand View Wrestling (#1) w/ Coach Grant Henderson – Taking over the Grand View dynasty & finding out he’s the head coach fresh off his honeymoon – Shifting from assistant to “CEO” of the program while still keeping championship lifestyle at the center – Deep roster philosophy: development, growth mindset & wanting the best guy at your weight – Why they avoid traditional “wrestle-offs” and let the season sort the lineup – Managing pressure when your program expects national titles every year – Having two Vikings in the national finals & staying impartial in the corner
– Key dates: Grand View Open, Baker duel, DIII Coe trip, National Duals in Cedar Falls, UNK dual in January – What makes Grand View different & why they want to “put on a show,” not wrestle conservative
23:50 – Life University (#4) w/ Coach Jake Laden – Life’s trip to the Grand View Open & Jake’s allergic reaction adventure – Double-header brewery dual at Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta 🍺
– Life U Open: 700+ athletes & NAIA chaos – Key dudes to watch: Maro Michel, Conlin “Tank” Weaver, Rocky Rabby, Alex Cotto, Reese Jones, Trey Morsette, Kenny Norfleet, Gabriel Jacobs & more – Rivalries & dates circled: Lander, Southeastern & National Duals – Culture shift at Life: recruiting high-character guys who love wrestling – Massive, diverse roster & representing states and countries across the map – Getting Jersey guys, Dragon RTC ties, and educating recruits on NAIA depth & two-per-weight – Old-school recruiting: cold calls, calling parents, calling coaches, and living on the phone – Life’s NCWA club team & using it to give more guys a national-tournament experience
– Long-term impact: developing husbands, fathers & leaders, not just All-Americans
46:34 – Southeastern University (#2) w/ Coach Travis Patrick – SEU as true Road Warriors in November: Patriot Open, VT Open, Reinhardt, Georgia Open, Emanuel, Kaiser, Life Open
– Returners and impact guys: Aaron Lucio (133), Andrew Voys, Drew Jones, Mario Deator, Anthony Federico, Gentry Smith, Casten Grape, Jovon Mitchell & more – Dialing in the lineup & where weights are still up for grabs – 700-wrestler Life Open & why it’s a must-see NAIA event – Early conference duels vs Reinhardt & Kaiser – 8 of 10 wins & still plenty to clean up – System vs. adding tools: positional non-negotiables + building around each wrestler’s style – Six returning All-Americans: staying hungry without letting rankings become a cage – Loving the craft of wrestling, not just the grind – sparring, play wrestling & Penn State influence – Being the top program in Florida & recruiting against SoCon D1’s (Campbell, Gardner-Webb, etc.) – Helping recruits pick fit over logo and building men who can win on the mat and in life
1:04:00 – Indiana Tech (#3) w/ Coach Thomas Pompei – Early tests: Patriot Open at Cumberlands, Trine, Findlay & D2/D1 heavy opens – Roster breakdown: ~25 returners, ~15 newcomers, freshmen breaking into the lineup – Deep battles at 125 (two-time AA + Heisy twins) & heavyweight
– Early-season lessons: counters, chain wrestling, fighting through every position – WHAC Super Duals: knocking out five conference duals in one shot – Balancing competition with rest: Thanksgiving break, limited December schedule, youth tournament hosting – Recruiting hard-working students for niche majors: engineering, cyber security, computer science – How demanding majors & wrestling grind sharpen each other – Indiana HS wrestling: one-class system, brutal state tournament format & why some killers never make it to state – Building Indiana Tech from startup to national power over 15 years – Leadership, team culture, and learning to coach “less like a maniac” as you get older
– What it’ll take to win a team title: staying healthy, winning blood-round matches & stacking AAs
1:26:12 – Closing Thoughts / NAIA Landscape & Value 4 Value – Recap of the NAIA Top-4 landscape heading into 2025–26 – Why NAIA is one of the deepest, most slept-on divisions in college wrestling
– Shoutouts to Henderson, Laden, Patrick & Pompei for making time in the middle of the grind
– Reminder this episode was originally streamed live on YouTube (Nov 18, 2025) – Value-for-value closeout: likes, subs, shares & Buy Me A Coffee – “Much love from the Airey Bros” sign-off
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