Sixth-Ranked Eagles Fly Away From Titans

Nationally ranked UW-La Crosse won the first nine bouts and rolled to a 39-3 victory over the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team on Tuesday (Jan. 19) in La Crosse.

UW-Oshkosh (5-6/0-3 WIAC) earned all of its team points on Zachary Mueller's (So. • Jackson) 10-8 win over Albie McKinney at 125 pounds.

UW-La Crosse, which entered the match ranked sixth in the NCAA Division III by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, received pins from Cory Ferguson at 165 pounds, Mitch Artist at 184 and John Poppie at 197.

Ferguson stuck James Dederich (Jr. • Menomonee Falls) to the mat in 4:10, while Artist glued Aaron Erickson (So. • Merrill) to the surface in 59 seconds. Poppie won by a fall over Ryan Heath (So. • Merrill) in 2:26.

The dual meet began at 133 pounds as the Eagles' Adam Sheley won by a 9-2 decision over the Titans' Kyle Kleuskens (Jr. • Freedom). UW-La Crosse (13-2/4-0 WIAC) then extended its lead to 15-0 on wins by Alex Dahl at 141 pounds, Matt Mauseth at 149 and Ryan Farwell at 157. Dahl defeated Carl DeLuca (So. • Wisconsin Rapids), 12-3, while Mauseth ousted Jose Quintana (So. • Burnsville, Minn.), 18-6. Farwell topped Trevor Dyreson (So. • Deerfield), 11-2.

Mike Schmitz and Dan Laurent concluded UW-La Crosse's list of winners. Both wrestlers posted 5-2 victories, with Schmitz edging Sam Engelland (So. • Neenah) and Laurent trimming Jason LaPlante (So. • New Berlin).

UW-Oshkosh is off until it competes at the Wheaton College (Ill.) Invitational on Jan. 29-30.