Thanks to his performance in the Heart of America Conference Championships, Diego Machado earned a spot in the NAIA Wrestling National Championships.

This will be Machado's first trip to the National Tournament. He earned an automatic qualification berth by finishing true-second in the 165-pound bracket during the conference tournament.

Machado won his first match at the conference tournament by decision, 4-2. In his second match, he dropped a close match 7-4 in sudden victory. In the consolation bracket, he won two matches via major decision, and one via decision to earn his spot in the National Tournament.

St. Ambrose brought back its wrestling program in 2021-22, the Bees have had at least one wrestler qualify in each of the three seasons. In 2022, Mick Chagnon, Matt Robertson and Jayden Terronez represented St. Ambrose. Last year, Jayden and Daniel Terronez both qualified. And this year, Machado will compete against the NAIA's best.

The brackets for the National Championships will be announced on Friday by the NAIA, and the tournament will begin on Feb. 29 at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan.