Choinski Repeats As WIAC Wrestling Champion
UW-Oshkosh's Mark Choinski went unbeaten in four matches to successfully defend his 157-pound title at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Wrestling Championship (presented by Culver's) held Friday (Feb. 9) in Whitewater.
Choinski, the ninth multiple WIAC champion in UW-Oshkosh history, won his weight class with a 4-0 victory over UW-La Crosse's Grant Zamin. The win improved Choinski's season record to 16-0 (3 pins) and his career mark to 58-12 (17 pins).
Choinski advanced to the final by sticking UW-Eau Claire's Hunter DeLeon to the mat in 4:18 and posting wins of 13-3 over UW-Whitewater's Scott Schieldt and 6-2 over UW-La Crosse's Michael Murnane.
UW-Oshkosh had a pair of place winners in the 141-pound weight division as Wesam Alabed finished third and Dellas Vandenberg sixth.
Alabed won three of his four matches, including a 4-2 result over UW-Eau Claire's Hunter Pierce in the third-place contest. Alabed defeated UW-Stevens Point's Bobby Uttecht by an 11-9 score in his first bout before suffering a 9-3 loss to UW-La Crosse's Hayden Schlough. Alabed qualified for the third-place match by defeating Vandenberg, 3-1.
Vandenberg compiled a 1-3 record, with his lone victory being a 9-3 triumph over UW-Stevens Point's Drosianos Louvaris. Vandenberg lost his fifth-place match by an 11-4 score to UW-Platteville's Luke Pradel.
The Titans' Colten Cashmore finished fifth in the 184-pound weight class with a 3-2 record. Cashmore split his first four matches before ousting UW-Eau Claire's James Huntley in the division's fifth-place contest by a 6-3 score. Cashmore opened with a pin of UW-Stevens Point's Dominic Gunderson in 6:30 and a 7-0 win over UW-Whitewater's Nick Sundberg.
Other sixth-place award winners for UW-Oshkosh were Jaylin Johnson (1-3 championship record) at 125 pounds, Anthony Senthavisouk (1-3) at 133, Corey Knudsen (2-3) at 149, Husam Alabed (2-3) at 174, John DePersia (2-3) at 197 and Ben Kitslaar (2-3, 2 pins) at 285. Kitslaar recorded his pins in times of 39 seconds over UW-Eau Claire's Paul Carter and 2:28 over UW-Whitewater's Nick Graziano.
UW-Oshkosh finished sixth in the team standings with 89.5 points.
UW-La Crosse scored 143 points to capture its second straight WIAC title and 17th overall. The Eagles were followed in the standings by second-place UW-Whitewater with 118 points, third-place UW-Stevens Point with 116.5 and fourth-place UW-Eau Claire and UW-Platteville with 100.
UW-Whitewater entered the championship ranked eighth in the NCAA Division III by the National Wrestling Coaches Association while UW-La Crosse listed 10th and UW-Platteville 25th.
All six WIAC teams will compete at the NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Regional on Feb. 23-24 in Minneapolis, Minn. The top three finishers in each weight class from the regional will advance to the national championship on March 9-10 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone/UW-Whitewater Athletics