From the February 1969 Alumni Newsletter

UNO to host NAIA Mat Meet

 

The University of Nebraska at Omaha will be the site of the 1969 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics wrestling tournament March 6, 7 and 8 in what is expected to be the largest NAIA mat event ever held.

 

Registrations are expected to surpass last year's total of 63 schools and 249 contestants at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo., because of Omaha's central location. Hopes are also high for the Indian contingent, which finished in the runner-up spot in last season's tournament to Adams State. UNO managed two individual champions in that event with Roy Washington the 145-pound king and Wendell Hakanson the 160-pound champion. In a pre-season poll by the Amateur Wrestling News, UNO was top-rated among the nation's small college teams. Second-ranked Adams State and No. 3 Wayne State are expected to deal the Indians a big headache when the tournament rolls around.

 

One figure tournament director Don Benning, BS '51, MS '61, hopes to eclipse is the attendance. Last year, 38 hundred fans watched the finale. Seating capacity of the UNO Field House is five thousand.