Kulchytskyy Captures Blugold Open Title

Nazar Kulchytskyy dominated each of his five opponents to win the 157-pound crown at the Blugold Wrestling Open on Saturday (Feb. 8) in Eau Claire. No team scores were kept.

UW-Oshkosh also received sixth-place finishes from Korey Kleinhans at 184 pounds and Tyler Wetenkamp at 197.

In his first bout, Kulchytskyy pinned Jesse Carlisle in 1:17. He then earned a 24-8 technical fall over UW-La Crosse's Keegan Einerson. After a 2:02 pin of Tanner Schaefer (St. Cloud), Kulchytskyy counted a 4-0 victory against Jordan Rinken (Upper Iowa). Kulchytskyy then pinned Joel Northrup in 3:08 to earn the title.

Kleinhans dropped his opening match, 16-2, to eventual champion Tom Teigen of Augsburg College. Kleinhans then advanced on a medical forfeit by Mankato's James Nelson. UW-Eau Claire's Luke Ortscheid defeated Kleinhans, 9-3, in the fifth-place bout.

Wisconsin's Eric Peissig counted a 5-0 decision over Wetenkamp in their opening matchup. Wetenkamp bounced back by pinning UW-Whitewater's Justin Birschbach in 3:34. UW-La Crosse's Alastair Keys won the fifth-place match by a 7-2 score over Wetenkamp.

The Titans wrestle at the WIAC Championship on Saturday (Feb. 15) in La Crosse.

By Jon Feyen