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Arizona Christian University

OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE OF ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Castagnaro, Moreno at 24 Nationals

Wrestling Payne Moses

Wrestling Duo Makes History In Wichita

Castagnaro and Moreno helped secure 2nd-best NAIA finish in program history
Wichita, Kan. - Seniors Carlo Castagnaro and Michael Moreno represented Arizona Christian Wrestling in a big way at the 2023-24 NAIA Wrestling National Championships, notching the team's second-highest finish (34th of 55 teams) in the program's five-year history. The Firestorm put up the third-most points (6.5) of a team that did not have at least one All-American wrestler. Notably, ACU edged fellow Cascade Collegiate Conference member Vanguard by 3.5 points.

Grand View (IA) continued their incredible run on the national stage, earning their 12th NAIA National Championship in the past 13 years. The Vikings (209.5) won by a whopping 55.5 points over Life (GA) whose own advantage over third-place Menlo College was 58.5 points.

Castagnaro punched his ticket to the second day (March 1st) of the three-day event by defeating 14-seed Dayton Hill of Ottawa (KS). His run ended in round three of the consolation bracket, losing by a tech fall to Shadrick Slone (Campbellsville).

Moreno too fell into the consolation bracket with an opening loss. He would overpower his next opponent Brahn Howard (Texas Wesleyan), winning by fall in under 90 seconds. A familiar CCC foe in Carl Hansen (MSUN) ended Moreno's hopes of qualifying for day two with a narrow 8-5 sudden victory.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

165-lb.
Carlo Castagnaro - Scored 4.0 team points
  • Champ. Round 1 - Hunter Hobbs (Providence) won by fall (2:36) over Carlo Castagnaro (ACU)
  • Cons. Round 1 - Carlo Castagnaro (ACU) won by fall (2:26) over Hayden Brown (OCU)
  • Cons. Round 2 - Carlo Castagnaro (ACU) won by 12-1 m. decision over Dayton Hill (Ottawa)
  • Cons. Round 3 - Shadrick Slone (Campbellsville) won by 18-2 tech. fall over Carlo Castagnaro (ACU)
197-lb.
Michael Moreno - Scored 2.5 team points
  • Champ. Round 1 - Cameron Cornman (Central Methodist) won by 7-2 decision over Michael Moreno (ACU)
  • Cons. Round 1 - Michael Moreno (ACU) won by fall (1:23) over Brahn Howard (Texas Wesleyan)
  • Cons. Round 2 - Carl Hansen (MSUN) won in 8-5 sudden victory over Michael Moreno (ACU)
COACH MICHAEL BUTTERFIELD'S THOUGHTS
   
"We are incredibly proud of Carlo Castagnaro and Michael Moreno for their performances at the NAIA National Championships this weekend," Coach Butterfield. "We had big goals coming into this weekend, and even though we did not achieve them, we know that God has bigger plans for us. Carlo and Michael's performances helped us to our second-highest team finish in program history. We were also the third-highest scoring team that did not have an All-American. These two are amazing young men… and we are extremely proud of the hard work and dedication they have put into this season."

NEXT UP

ACU Wrestling officially wrapped their fifth season as a varsity program. Follow ACU Wrestling on Instagram (@firestorm_wrestling) to stay up to date with the latest information leading up to the 2024-25 season.


Roll Storm!
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Players Mentioned

Carlo Castagnaro

Carlo Castagnaro

5' 10"
Senior
Michael Moreno

Michael Moreno

6' 2"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Carlo Castagnaro

Carlo Castagnaro

5' 10"
Senior
Michael Moreno

Michael Moreno

6' 2"
Senior