Titans Open Season In Stevens Point
The UW-Oshkosh wrestling program gets the 2018-19 season underway Saturday (Nov. 3) at the Pointer Open in Stevens Point.
The Pointer Open is the first of 14 regular season meets for the Titans, who conduct their home opener by hosting the 16th annual Dan Gable Open on Nov. 10 in Kolf Sports Center.
UW-Oshkosh (4-10, 0-5 WIAC in 2017-18) is also set to host four home duals, including WIAC contests against UW-Eau Claire (11-6, 2-3) on Nov. 13, UW-Whitewater (10-5, 5-0) on Dec. 6 and UW-Platteville (4-3, 3-2) on Feb. 2. The Titans welcome Lakeland University (1-4) to Kolf Sports Center on Jan. 22.
Rounding out UW-Oshkosh's conference schedule are road contests at UW-Stevens Point (6-11, 1-4 WIAC) on Nov. 20 and two-time defending league champion UW-La Crosse (10-4, 4-1) on Jan. 10.
UW-Oshkosh will also compete at the Milwaukee School of Engineering Invitational on Dec. 1 before traveling to the Kalahari Duals in Sandusky, Ohio, on Dec. 15; the University of Dubuque (Iowa) Duals on Jan. 5; the Spartan Mat Classic in Manchester, Ind., on Jan. 12; and the Pete Willson Invitational in Wheaton, Ill., on Jan. 25-26.
The Titans' lone remaining dual meet is at the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Jan. 17.
UW-Eau Claire is scheduled to host both the WIAC Championship on Feb. 8 and the NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Regional on Feb. 22-23. The Division III Championship will be held March 8-9 at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Va.
Last season UW-Oshkosh finished sixth at the WIAC Championship, seventh among 12 teams at the Milwaukee School of Engineering Invitational, ninth at the NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Regional and 29th at the NCAA Division III Championship.
UW-La Crosse claimed its second straight conference championship a year ago by scoring 143 points. The Eagles were followed in the league standings by runner-up UW-Whitewater with 118 points, UW-Stevens Point in third with 116.5, UW-Eau Claire and UW-Platteville in fourth with 100, and UW-Oshkosh in sixth with 89.5.
UW-Oshkosh sixth-year head coach Efrain Ayala brings back 13 letter winners from last year's squad, including senior two-time All-American Mark Choinski and six other Titans who produced top-six finishes at last season's WIAC Championship.
Choinski, who claimed back-to-back conference titles at 157 pounds in 2017 and 2018, placed fifth at the Division III Championship a year ago after finishing sixth in the country in 2017. Choinski, seeking to become the second three-time All-American in program history, boasts a 65-15 career record.
Also back for the Titans are WIAC top-six finishers in seniors Corey Knudsen and Dellas Vandenberg, juniors Husam Alabed and Colten Cashmore, and sophomores Jaylin Johnson and Ben Kitslaar. Cashmore placed fifth at last year's league meet while Alabed, Johnson, Knudsen, Kitslaar and Vandenberg each finished sixth. Cashmore and Knudsen went on to place fifth and sixth, respectively, at the Upper Midwest Regional a year ago.