UNK wrestler Jackson Kinsella keeps it simple, and keeps winning
KEARNEY – Jackson Kinsella doesn’t overwhelm opponents with flash or speed. He breaks them down with precision.
Teammate Kaden Hart uses a famous Bruce Lee quote to describe it: “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
“That would sum up Jackson Kinsella’s wrestling,” Hart said. “He doesn’t have a bunch of cool moves, but he’s very, very good at the basics. He does a few things extremely well – better than anybody else in the country.”
That approach has helped turn Kinsella into one of the most reliable competitors in NCAA Division II wrestling. A two-time All-American for the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the redshirt senior is currently ranked No. 4 at 197 pounds by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), anchoring a Loper lineup chasing another national championship.
While others are quick to identify the characteristics that make him so difficult to wrestle, Kinsella struggles with the question. Ask him to describe his own style, and he laughs.
“I don’t know if tactical is the right word,” he said. “My wrestling style is kind of different. I’m really good at re-attacks, so it’s an advantage when somebody shoots on me.”
Defining himself is easier when it comes to who he isn’t.
“For being a Division II wrestler, I’m not the greatest athlete in the world,” Kinsella said with a smile. “I’m not very fast, I can’t jump very high. But I’m a really good wrestler, if that makes sense.”
Hart, another fifth-year senior ranked fifth at 184 pounds, knows exactly what that means. The two train together regularly, and those matches are less about withstanding highlight-reel moves and more about surviving a steady grind.
“Wrestling him is very difficult. He has a very strong foundational stance and skill set. It’s like trying to move a rock wall,” Hart said.
“If coach says we’re going to wrestle live for 15 minutes straight and I get partnered with Jackson, there’s like an ‘oh (shoot)’ moment that’s going through my head. Let’s just buckle down and get it over with.”
Finding His Way
Kinsella grew up on a southwest Iowa farm about 15 miles west of Creston, in a family where wrestling was tradition. His father, Jason, was a state qualifier who wrestled a year at South Dakota State, and his uncles were also accomplished athletes.
“So a family affair, long story short,” Kinsella said.
He started wrestling in fourth grade, balancing the sport with football through high school. The appeal was twofold.
“Part of it was that my dad liked wrestling, so any time I went to compete somewhere he would take the reins off and let me go. He wanted me to wrestle, so it was kind of a way to get out of work,” Kinsella said with a laugh.
“I also liked the personal part of it,” he added. “If things go south and things go wrong, I can take the blame. I can take ownership. I kind of like that mano a mano aspect. A lot of it is on you.”
A state finalist with a 171-4 career record in high school, Kinsella had his sights set beyond Division II and never anticipated ending up at UNK.
“I didn’t know where Kearney, Nebraska, was my junior year in high school,” he admits. “I didn’t know anything about UNK wrestling. Coming out of high school, I really wanted to try to make it to the Division I level.”
That changed after he saw the success fellow Iowa wrestlers and Division I transfers Matt Malcom, a five-time All-American and two-time national champion, and Josh Portillo, a four-time All-American, were having at UNK. Loper head coach Dalton Jensen and assistant coach Andrew Sorenson also happen to be Iowa natives and former Division I wrestlers.
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for those connections,” Kinsella said. “Looking back, it was a real blessing, because everything about this place has felt like Division I to me.”
Kinsella arrived at UNK in 2021 and quickly learned that success would take time. During his redshirt season, he went 12-10 while wrestling unattached and questioned how his career might unfold.
“I remember sitting in my dorm room thinking, ‘I don’t know if I’m ever going to start,’” he said. “I was getting beat up so bad in the wrestling room.”
He kept coming back anyway. That’s one of his trademarks.
“No matter what happens, just keep showing up,” Kinsella said. “That’s what got me to where I am today. I’ve consistently improved every year.”
After a 22-11 season as a redshirt freshman, Kinsella took another step forward in 2023-24, winning 23 matches and earning second-team All-MIAA honors. He finished fourth at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships.
Last season, he went 23-8 and received first-team All-MIAA recognition. The regional champion reached the semifinals at the Division II national tournament, then lost a 4-2 decision to Fort Hays State’s Tereus Henry, an opponent he’d beaten twice that season. Kinsella battled back in the consolation bracket to take third place, and the Lopers produced eight All-Americans on their way to the fifth national title in program history.
“That meant a lot,” Kinsella said. “We had a lot of guys who fought through the backside and found a way to the podium. At the national tournament, sometimes it’s not about who’s better. It’s about who’s willing to bite down on their mouthpiece a little harder and get the job done.”
A single word is inscribed inside their championship rings: GRIT.
“That says a lot about our team and the bond we have,” Kinsella said. “We’re willing to fight for each other.”
Carrying It Forward
Jensen describes Kinsella’s style much the same way his teammates do.
“It’s very methodical and controlled,” he said. “You know what to expect from him match to match.”
That consistency makes him difficult to score on and dangerous in close matches.
“He knows he can trust himself late in a match,” Jensen said. “His will to win is probably greater than his opponent’s.”
The UNK coach credits Kinsella’s development to his work ethic and an eagerness to learn and develop his skills.
“He’s just been so coachable, and he puts in a ton of extra time,” Jensen said. “He’s not super flashy and he’s not super athletic by any means. But the areas he’s good at, he’s really good at, and he’s continued to enhance those areas.”
That growth has also shown up in Kinsella’s role as a leader. Teammates gravitate toward him, Hart said, not just for his success on the mat but for the way he carries himself day to day. Known for his easy camaraderie and steady presence, Kinsella is often the first to offer perspective after a tough match – honest when needed, supportive when it matters most.
“He doesn’t always tell you what you want to hear, but he tells you what you need to hear and has your back,” Hart said. “We’re lucky he was able to call Nebraska-Kearney home. I wouldn’t trade him for any other 197-pounder out there.”
This season, Kinsella is 11-3, with all three losses coming against elite opponents. He’s one of nine nationally ranked wrestlers for UNK, which sits at No. 2 in the country.
Both Jensen and Kinsella believe there’s room for improvement before the NCAA Division II Championships, scheduled for March 13-14 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“I know I haven’t wrestled my best this year,” Kinsella said. “I still have more to give.”
“Our goal is always to peak for the national tournament,” Jensen echoed. “Where we’re at now, we expect ourselves to be 5-10% better come late February and March.”
Once that time arrives, the expectations are clear.
“Individual and team national titles,” Kinsella said. “It’s that simple.”
From Jensen’s perspective, the opportunity is there.
“All of the top guys in the bracket he’s beaten before, so it’s just a matter of beating them all on the right day,” he said.
That’s the storybook ending they’re both hoping for.
“In two months, this is over for me. This is the end of the road,” Kinsella said. “And it’s been more than I could have ever asked for. I’ve enjoyed everything about being a Loper. This place was perfect for me, and I’ll forever be thankful.”
An NWCA Scholar All-American, Kinsella earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial distribution in August 2025 and is completing his Master of Business Administration online. He’s worked at Kearney Winnelson, a wholesale distributor of residential and commercial plumbing supplies, since his freshman year.
After the season, he plans to move back to southwest Iowa, continue working in distribution and help on the family farm. What he carries with him will outlast his time on the mat.
“UNK wrestling is about building good men, then also winning wrestling matches,” he said. “Winning is just a byproduct of the culture that was set here. That’s my favorite part about being a Loper – I’m always going to be up on that wall, and I’ll always be part of this culture no matter where I go.”