Engelland, Mueller To Brawl At NCAA Championship
UW-Oshkosh's Sam Engelland (So. • Neenah) and Zachary
Mueller (So. • Jackson) go after their first All-America award
when they scuffle at this weekend's NCAA Division III Wrestling
Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The two-day tournament begins at 11 a.m. on Friday (March 5) at
the U.S. Cellular Center. Action continues on Saturday (March 6) at
10 a.m. On the line in the 37th edition of the national event are
one team title, 10 individual championships and eight All-America
awards in each of the 10 weight classes.
Engelland (32-12, 9 pins) is one of 17 competitors in the
174-pound weight division. He qualified for the meet after
finishing second at the WIAC Championship held Feb. 21 in Stevens
Point. Engelland posted a 1-2 record in the same category at last
year's NCAA Division III Championship.
Mueller (24-14, 6 pins) is one of 17 participants in the 125-pound
weight class. He earned his first appearance in the national meet
by placing third at the WIAC Championship.
The unseeded Engelland begins his activity at this year's NCAA
Division III Championship against fourth-seeded Kyle Kwiat (38-4)
of Ohio Northern University. It will be the second meeting of the
season between the two wrestlers, with Kwiat posting an 8-1 victory
over Engelland on Jan. 29.
Engelland's second bout, regardless of his opening result, will be
against either fifth-seeded Frank Heffernan (30-7) of Wilkes
University (Pa.) or Christopher Karl (17-9) of UW-Stevens Point.
Engelland owns a 2-2 record against Karl this season, including a
6-3 triumph at the WIAC Championship.
The unseeded Mueller makes his NCAA postseason debut against
seventh-seeded Joshua Roberts (24-8) of Augsburg College
(Minn.).
Mueller's second match, regardless of his first decision, will be
against either second-seeded Mark Kist (18-3) of Wartburg College
(Iowa) or unseeded Lloyd McKinney (22-8) of UW-La Crosse. Mueller
has a 1-2 record against McKinney this season, including a 10-8
setback at the WIAC Championship.
Engelland owns a 58-26 career record with 12 pins, while Mueller
possesses a 40-27 career mark with six pins.
Expected to battle for this year's team title are Augsburg
College, Coe College (Iowa), Delaware Valley College (Pa.), UW-La
Crosse and two-time defending champion Wartburg College.
It is the first time in over a decade that multiple wrestlers have
represented the Titans at the NCAA Division III Championship.
UW-Oshkosh, which is making its 13th overall appearance at the NCAA
Division III Championship, finished sixth in the team standings in
1982 and 21st in both 1983 and 1986.