Engelland, DeLuca To Wrestle At NCAA Championship
UW-Oshkosh will be represented by
two wrestlers, including three-time qualifier Sam Engelland (Jr.
• Neenah), at this weekend's National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) Division III Championship in La Crosse.
The two-day tournament begins at 11 a.m. on Friday (March 11) and
continues at 10 a.m. on Saturday (March 12) at the La Crosse Center. This is the
38th edition of the event, which crowns a team champion along with
10 individual champions. All-America awards will be presented to
the top eight finishers in each of the 10 weight classes.
Engelland owns a 29-6 record (nine pins) as a competitor in the
184-pound weight class. He received an at-large bid to the NCAA
Division III Championship after placing second at the WIAC
Championship held Feb. 27 in Platteville.
For his opening match, Engelland takes on
Justin Marble (37-13) of Wheaton College (Ill.). Engelland would
then battle third-seeded Mike Denver (36-3) of The College of New
Jersey in the second round or Seth Rehn (18-13) of Coe College
(Iowa) or fourth-seeded Brennan Ward (31-2) of Johnson & Wales
University (R.I.) in the wrestlebacks.
Engelland's bracket contains 17 participants, including top-seeded
Phil Moenkedick (31-1) of Concordia College (Minn.) and
second-seeded Ben Engelland (22-1) of UW-Stevens Point. Ben
Engelland is the older brother of UW-Oshkosh's Sam Engelland.
Engelland brings an 88-34 career record (21 pins) to this
weekend's meet. At each of the past two national championships,
Engelland tallied a 1-2 record. He lost his opening bout before
winning his second match in both 2009 and 2010.
Also competing at this year's championship is UW-Oshkosh's Carl
DeLuca (Jr. • Wisconsin Rapids). DeLuca, an at-large entrant
at 125 pounds, makes his NCAA postseason debut after finishing
second at the 2011 WIAC Championship.
DeLuca, who owns an 18-11 record (one pin), is one of 17
competitors in his weight class. He received an opening round bye
and will challenge sixth-seeded Ben Prester (21-12) of Concordia
College in the second round. DeLuca will then wrestle Steve Godine
(24-14) of The College of New Jersey or third-seeded Albie McKinney
(18-7) of UW-La Crosse in the third round or wrestlebacks.
DeLuca has registered a 47-41 record (five pins) during his three
seasons with the Titans.
Defending champion Augsburg College (Minn.), Ithaca College
(N.Y.), host UW-La Crosse and 2009 champion Wartburg College (Iowa)
are expected to contend for this year's team title. Wartburg
College, which sends 10 competitors to this year's championship, is
the top-ranked squad in the country by D3wrestle.com. Second-ranked
Ithaca College and third-ranked UW-La Crosse will each be
represented in eight weight classes.
Augsburg College won last year's meet with 110.5 points, while
UW-La Crosse placed second with 100.5. Engelland’s wins have
given the Titans one point at each of the past two championships.
UW-Oshkosh placed 44th last year and 45th in 2009.