Titans Collect Awards At NCAA Wrestling Championship

UW-Oshkosh's Efrain Ayala and Nazar Kulchytskyy were honored at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship on Saturday (March 15) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) presented Ayala with the Rookie Coach of the Year award. Marques Gales from Trinity College (Conn.) and Nate Yetzer from Ferrum College (Va.) also shared the honor.

In his first year as head coach, Ayala guided the Titans to a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championship. It was the program's highest finish since 1982. Ayala helped Kulchytskyy win a national title and Dan Schiferl gain All-America status.

Kulchytskyy was voted the championship's Most Outstanding Wrestler. He won all five of his 157-pound matches, including a 4:20 pin of Coe College's (Iowa) Dimitri Boyer in the title bout. During his first four matches, Kulchytskyy outscored his opponents, 36-14.

Kulchytskyy also received the NCAA's Most Dominant Wrestler award for his performance this season. He averaged 5.21 points per match, while second-place Landon Williams of Wartburg College (Iowa) averaged 4.88 and third-place Riley Lefever of Wabash College (Ind.) 4.87.

During the 2013-14 campaign, Kulchytskyy compiled a 41-2 record with 21 pins. His career mark includes a school-record 142 wins (67 pins) and just five losses.

Kulchytskyy was also named to the NWCA Scholar All-America Team for his 3.59 grade point average as a human services major.

Messiah College's (Pa.) Brian Brunk received National Coach of the Year, while Ohio Northern University's Cody Lovejoy collected the NCAA Elite 89 Award.

By Jon Feyen