Kulchytskyy Becomes Titans' First NCAA Champion

Nazar Kulchytskyy (So. • Sosnivka, Ukraine) established a first for the UW-Oshkosh wrestling program when he captured the 157-pound title at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championship held Friday and Saturday (March 9-10) in La Crosse.

Kulchytskyy won all four of his contests during the tournament, including a 10-9 victory over Augsburg College's (Minn.) Orlando Ponce in the championship bout. The win allowed Kulchytskyy to close the season with a 45-2 record (17 pins) and become the first NCAA Division III wrestling champion in UW-Oshkosh history.

Kulchytskyy, who suffered a 9-4 loss to Ponce in January, built a 5-0 lead two minutes into the opening period. He scored the points by converting a drive into a takedown and then recording a near-fall. Kulchytskyy owned an 8-3 lead early in the third period, but Ponce (23-1) battled back with the help of two takedowns and two stalling penalty points.

Kulchytskyy advanced to the final with a 14-5 win over John Darling of The College of New Jersey. The victory followed Kulchytskyy triumphs of 5-2 over Troy Sterling of the State University of New York-Cortland and 8-5 over Cole Welter of Wartburg College (Iowa).

“It feels great to be a national champion, and I have worked so hard to get here," said Kulchytskyy. “Last year, I had some injuries and was out at the end. This year, I stayed healthy and thought about this moment everyday. My teammates have been a big help and I just want to thank them and my coaches for their support."

Kulchytskyy, who owns a 57-2 career record (24 pins), joins Rick DeMarais as the only other national wrestling champion in UW-Oshkosh history. DeMarias captured the 158-pound title at the 1975 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Championship.

UW-Oshkosh placed 14th in the team standings with 26 points. Both performances were the best since 1982 when the Titans finished sixth at the NCAA Division III Championship with 46 points.

Defending champion Wartburg College scored 141.5 points to capture its ninth NCAA Division III title. The Knights concluded the tournament with eight All-Americans, including four national champions.

Augsburg College finished second in the team standings with 86.5 points, while Coe College (Iowa) placed third with 74, UW-La Crosse fourth with 65 and Ithaca College (N.Y.) fifth with 61.5. A total of 53 teams scored points at this year's championship, including UW-Whitewater which placed eighth with 39.5 and UW-Stevens Point which finished 25th with 13.5.

UW-Oshkosh was also represented at the meet by Sam Engelland (Sr. • Neenah) at 184 pounds, Zachary Mueller (Sr. • Jackson) at 125 and Dan Schiferl (So. • Stoughton) at 174. Both Mueller and Schiferl place ninth with 1-2 records.

Mueller (33-9, 4 pins) dropped a 10-1 decision to Nathan Fitzenreider of North Central College (Ill.) in his opening bout. He then posted a 17-0 win over Stephen Hinton of Lycoming College (Pa.) before losing a 7-0 result to Jimmy Gotto of Coe College (Iowa). Mueller, a two-time national qualifier, concludes his UW-Oshkosh career with a 96-49 record (19 pins).

Schiferl (27-13, 7 pins) opened his activity with a 9-4 loss to Matthew Pfarr of St. John’s University (Minn.). He then pinned Josh Kohler of Augsburg College in 1:03 before suffering a 3-2 loss to Matt Cross of Messiah College (Pa.). Schiferl owns a career record of 41-29 (13 pins).

Engelland (27-5, 13 pins) went winless after losing decisions of 5-4 to Timothy Stewart of Messiah College and 10-8 to Ryan Pieper of Trine University (Ind.). Engelland, a four-time national qualifier, ends his UW-Oshkosh career with a 117-41 record (34 pins).