Titans Primed For Appearance At WIAC Championship

UW-Oshkosh strives for its first top-three finish in 15 years at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Wrestling Championship on Sunday (Feb. 26) in Whitewater. Competition begins at 9 a.m. at UW-Whitewater's Williams Center.

The Titans, who placed third in 1997 for their last top-three finish, enter this year's championship ranked 17th in the NCAA Division III by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Other WIAC squads listed nationally in the top 30 are second-ranked UW-La Crosse, ninth-ranked UW-Whitewater and 26th-ranked UW-Stevens Point.

Last year, UW-La Crosse scored 148.5 points to capture its 14th straight WIAC title. UW-Stevens Point finished second with 123 points, while UW-Whitewater placed third with 121.5, UW-Oshkosh fourth with 93, UW-Platteville fifth with 82 and UW-Eau Claire sixth with 55.5.

UW-Oshkosh owns a pair of nationally-ranked wrestlers in Nazar Kulchytskyy (So. • Sosnivka, Ukraine) at 157 pounds and Sam Engelland (Sr. • Neenah) at 184. Kulchytskyy ranks second in the country with a 38-2 record (16 pins) and Engelland ninth with a 24-2 mark (13 pins). Engelland, who has compiled a career record of 114-38 (34 pins), has finished second at the WIAC Championship each of the last three years.

UW-Oshkosh’s other top competitors include Zachary Mueller (Sr. • Jackson), Jose Quintana (Sr. • Burnsville, Minn.) and Dan Schiferl (So. • Stoughton). Mueller boasts a 30-6 mark at 125 pounds, while Quintana is 20-7 at 149 pounds and Schiferl 23-9 at 174. Quintana placed fourth at last year's meet.

This year's championship features six individuals who have combined to win nine WIAC titles. UW-La Crosse's Mike Schmitz is the three-time defending champion at 174 pounds and could become the first individual in WIAC history to win the weight class four times. The Eagles' Bebeto Yewah is the returning champion at 141 pounds after winning the 133-pound title in 2010.

Other UW-La Crosse wrestlers winning titles last year were Adam Sheley at 133 pounds and Billy Mayer at 285.

UW-Whitewater’s Adam Latella captured last year's 197-pound crown after placing second in 2010, while the Warhawks' Cade Sarbacker earned first-place honors at 157 pounds a year ago.

Each league champion, along with six at-large selections, will advance to the NCAA Division III Championship on March 9-10 in La Crosse. Individuals will receive at-large bids based on voting by the league coaches following the WIAC Championship. The national meet, hosted by UW-La Crosse, will be held at the La Crosse Center.