Titans Return 10 Previous Place Winners To WIAC Wrestling Championship

UW-Oshkosh will be represented by 10 previous place winners at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wrestling Championship (presented by Culver's) that will be held Sunday (Feb. 28) in Stevens Point.

Competition begins at 1 p.m. in UW-Stevens Point's Multi-Activity Center and concludes with the first-, third- and fifth-place matches at approximately 6 p.m. The 66th version of the league championship will crown 10 individual first-place finishers along with a team champion.

Each of the five competing schools (UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point) is permitted to enter two wrestlers per weight class, with the highest finisher in each category counting toward its team scoring. UW-Whitewater is unable to participate in this year's championship due to COVID-19 protocols.

Last year UW-La Crosse scored 157 points to win its fourth straight WIAC title and league-record 19th overall. The Eagles were followed in the team standings by second-place UW-Whitewater with 129.5 points, third-place UW-Eau Claire with 105, fourth-place UW-Platteville with 84.5, fifth-place UW-Stevens Point with 79 and sixth-place UW-Oshkosh with 78.5. UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater both had four individual champions while UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point had one apiece.

UW-Whitewater ranks second to UW-La Crosse with 17 conference championships while UW-Stevens Point has eight and UW-Oshkosh one (1982). Former programs to win league championships were UW-River Falls (11 titles), UW-Superior (6), UW-Stout (2) and UW-Milwaukee (1).

UW-Oshkosh seniors Jordan Lemcke and Husam Alabed will be participating in their fourth WIAC Championship. Senior Wesam Alabed and juniors AJ Schoenfuss and Muzi Sitshela will be competing at the league event for the third time.

Lemcke will wrestle Sunday in the 285-pound weight division, a category in which he finished third in both 2019 and 2020. Lemcke owns a 2-2 record this season and a 54-37 mark (16 pins) overall.

Husam Alabed is entered the 184-pound weight class after placing sixth at 174 pounds in 2018. Alabed has compiled a 2-1 record this season.

Wesam Alabed previously finished third in 2018 and sixth in 2019 as a competitor in the 141-pound weight class. Alabed has moved up this season to the 149-pound weight division, where he owns a 2-2 record.

Schoenfuss will take part in the 141-pound weight class after finishing second at 125 pounds in 2019. He has earned a 2-1 record (2 pins) this season.

Sitshela will represent the Titans in the 157-pound weight class for the third straight year. He has tallied a 2-2 record this season after placing sixth at the conference meet in both 2019 and 2020.

Other previous place winners returning to the WIAC Championship from UW-Oshkosh are sophomores Guyon Cyprian, Brandon Lenczner, Denis Murphy, Luc Valdez and Beau Yineman.

Murphy finished third at 125 pounds during last year's championship while Lenczner placed fourth at 149 and both Cyprian and Valdez sixth at 285 and 125 pounds, respectively. Murphy owns a 1-2 record at 125 pounds this season while Lenczner is 1-0 (1 pin) at 149, Cyprian 3-1 (2 pins) at 285 and Valdez 2-2 at 133.

Yineman looks to repeat as a 197-pound place winner after finishing second in 2019. He is unbeaten in four bouts (2 pins) this season and owns a career record of 36-6 (8 pins). Yineman is currently D3wrestle.com's top-ranked NCAA Division III wrestler at 197 pounds.

Also representing UW-Oshkosh at this year's conference championship are senior Justin Mitchell (1-2 record) at 125 pounds, freshman Colby McHugh (2-0) at 133, freshman Cade Schmitz (1-2) at 141, freshman Nate Stokhaug (1-3) at 157, freshmen Adib Korabi (0-0) and Preston Morgan (2-2) at 165, juniors Mike Baumann (0-3) and Devin Keast (0-2) at 174, sophomore Josh Te Stroete (0-2) at 184, and sophomore Ryan Wahrman (0-0) at 197.

Returning WIAC individual champions from a year ago consist of UW-La Crosse's Isaac Lahr (197 pounds) and Grant Zamin (157) and UW-Stevens Point's Matt Berlin (133). Zamin was also the conference champion at 157 pounds in 2019.

UW-La Crosse's Konrad Ernst is back after claiming the 285-pound title at the 2018 and 2019 championships.

Spectators will not be allowed at this year's WIAC Wrestling Championship. The championship will be conducted in accordance with NCAA Division III regulations, as well as institutional, state and local health and safety guidelines.

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