WIAC Wrestling Championship Preview

UW-La Crosse will aim for a 13th straight title at the 55th Annual WIAC Wrestling Championship on Saturday (Feb. 21) in Stevens Point.

The Eagles earned last year’s crown with 146 points to nip UW-Stevens Point’s second-place sum of 144. The margin of victory represented the closest since UW-Stout outdistanced UW-River Falls by a score of 53-52 in 1970.

The remainder of last season’s standings showed UW-Whitewater in third place with 126 points, UW-Oshkosh in fourth with 74, UW-Eau Claire in fifth with 73, UW-Platteville in sixth with 61 and Lawrence University in seventh with 20.

This year’s championship features six wrestlers who have combined to win 10 WIAC titles. UW-La Crosse's Dan Laurent will strive for his fourth straight championship at 285 pounds. If successful, he would become the fourth individual in WIAC history to claim four consecutive titles in the weight class. UW-Whitewater’s Tim Carmin (1979-1982), UW-Stevens Point’s Perry Miller (1995-98) and UW-La Crosse’s Ryan Allen (2003-06) are the other individuals to accomplish the feat.

UW-La Crosse's Matt Mauseth was named the WIAC Wrestler of the Year a season ago. He has won back-to-back first-place trophies at 149 pounds and will attempt to become the first three-time winner in the division.

UW-Platteville's Jesse Milks has won consecutive first-place medals at 157 pounds after finishing second in 2007. He would join UW-La Crosse’s Ross Needham (2004-07) as the only other individual to win three straight crowns in the weight class.

UW-Whitewater's Austin Bautista has captured back-to-back championships at 141 pounds after placing second in 2007. He could become the first three-time 141-pound title winner in WIAC archives.

UW-La Crosse's Albie McKinney earned the 125-pound crown in 2009, while the 2008 title was claimed by UW-La Crosse's Brandon Music.

At 174 pounds, UW-La Crosse's Mike Schmitz is the defending champion.

Returning second-place finishers from a year ago are UW-Whitewater's Max Oldenburg at 125 pounds, UW-La Crosse's Bebeto Yewah at 133, UW-Eau Claire's Andy Johnston at 149 pounds, UW-La Crosse's Cory Ferguson at 165, UW-Oshkosh's Sam Engelland (So. • Neenah at 174, UW-La Crosse's Andy Moore at 197 and UW-Stevens Point's Bret Oswald at 285. UW-Stevens Point's Ben Engelland has fashioned back-to-back second-place finishes at 184 pounds.

All of this year’s league champions, along with nine at-large qualifiers, advance to the NCAA Division III Championship on March 5-6 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.