Titans To Scuffle At WIAC Championship
UW-Oshkosh's Dellas Vandenberg, Elijah Burdick, Julius Smith and Joe Pelkey will all vie for another top-six result as the Titans compete at the 62nd Annual Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Wrestling Championship (presented by Culver's) on Friday (Feb. 10) in Platteville. Competition begins at noon in UW-Platteville's Williams Fieldhouse.
Vandenberg led UW-Oshkosh at last year's WIAC championship with a fourth-place finish in the 133-pound weight class. Smith and Burdick both placed fifth at 174 and 285 pounds, respectively, while Pelkey finished sixth at 157 pounds.
UW-Whitewater is seeking its sixth consecutive conference title. The Warhawks earned their league-leading 17th first-place trophy in program archives a season ago with 161.5 points. UW-La Crosse finished second in the team standings with 156 points while UW-Stevens Point placed third with 119.5 points, UW-Platteville fourth with 76, UW-Eau Claire fifth with 53.5 and UW-Oshkosh sixth with 49.5.
This year's championship will crown 10 individual first-place finishers, along with a team champion. Each institution is permitted to enter two wrestlers per weight class.
The UW-Oshkosh lineup will feature sophomore Anthony Sentavisouk (7-10, 2 Pins) and freshman Diego Rosas (0-2) at 125 pounds, freshmen Ethan Altabet (9-10, 2 Pins) and Bennett Temple (5-8) at 133, sophomores Kody Azarian (6-1) and Vandenberg (5-13, 1 Pin) at 141, senior Pelkey (6-8) and sophomore Nate Arquinego (9-11, 6 Pins) at 149, and sophomore Mark Choinski (15-2, 7 Pins) and freshman Josh Becker (12-10) at 157.
Rounding out UW-Oshkosh's list of competitors are freshman Aristide Serrano (9-16) and sophomore Corey Knudsen (4-13) at 165 pounds, freshmen Colten Cashmore (11-9, 1 Pin) and AJ Stengel (5-7) at 174, sophomore Smith (4-4, 1 Pin) and freshman Husam Alabed (0-6) at 184, sophomores John DePersia (9-17, 2 Pins) and Patrick Reilly (9-18) at 197, and sophomore Burdick (7-9, 3 Pins) and freshman Michael Dunlap (9-14, 2 pins) at 285.
UW-La Crosse enters this year's WIAC Championship ranked fifth in the NCAA Division III by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). UW-Whitewater ranks 10th nationally and UW-Platteville 20th.
UW-Whitewater welcomes back a pair of champions from last year's championship in sophomores Brandon Arteaga and Nicholas Bonomo. Arteaga claimed the 157-pound title in 2016 while Bonomo captured the 184-pound crown.
UW-La Crosse sophomore Clay Broze captured the 285-pound title at the 2016 championship while senior Ryan Weinmann secured first place in the 125-pound weight division in 2015.
UW-Platteville sophomore Scott Arneson was named the John Peterson Wrestler of the Meet at last year's championship after winning the 133-pound title.
UW-Stevens Point senior Logan Hermsen was selected the 2016 WIAC Wrestler of the Year after finishing second in the 165-pound weight class at last year's league championship. Junior Ben Vosters of the Pointers will aim for a second straight conference title at 125 pounds.
UW-La Crosse has won 15 WIAC titles, including 14 in a row from 1998-2011. UW-River Falls lists third in the conference with 11 championships, followed by UW-Stevens Point with eight, UW-Stout with two and UW-Oshkosh one (1982).
Qualification for the NCAA Division III Championship will be based on regional competition held on Feb. 25. UW-La Crosse, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater will participate at the Midwest Regional hosted by Manchester University (Ind.) while UW-Eau Claire, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Platteville will compete at the West Regional hosted by Concordia College-Moorhead (Minn.).
The NCAA Division III Championship will be hosted by UW-La Crosse at the La Crosse Center on March 10-11.