UW-Oshkosh To Host WIAC Wrestling Championship

UW-Whitewater aims for a fourth consecutive title at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Wrestling Championship hosted by UW-Oshkosh on Sunday (Feb. 15) in Kolf Sports Center.

Matches in the 60th edition of the championship are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and conclude with the finals around 3:15 p.m. The event was last hosted by UW-Oshkosh in 2009.

This year's championship will crown 10 individual first-place finishers along with a team winner for the first time since 2012. Last year's championship marked the second consecutive year that the conference determined its team champion using a dual-meet format.

UW-Whitewater earned its 15th first-place trophy in program archives a season ago with a 35-9 triumph over UW-La Crosse in the final. The Warhawks advanced to the championship match with a 38-9 win over UW-Stevens Point while the UW-La Crosse posted a 37-8 victory over UW-Oshkosh in the semifinals. UW-Stevens Point placed third a year ago while UW-Oshkosh was fourth, UW-Platteville fifth and UW-Eau Claire sixth.

UW-Whitewater enters Sunday's championship ranked second in the NCAA Division III by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) while UW-La Crosse is fourth.

Twelve WIAC representatives are ranked nationally in their individual weight classes and expected to compete on Sunday. The conference has one ranked wrestler expected to appear in six of the weight divisions and two ranked individuals in three of the weight classes.

UW-La Crosse's Dustin Weinmann (17-6, three pins) lists 10th at 133 pounds while UW-Whitewater's Matt Adcock (14-7, two pins) and Tom Gerszewski (19-5, six pins) are 10th at 141 pounds and 157 pounds, respectively.

UW-La Crosse's Tyler Schneider (13-5, one pin) ranks seventh at 165 pounds, UW-Whitewater's Jordan Newman (12-5, five pins) ninth at 174 and UW-Whitewater's Anthony Edgren (13-8, three pins) eighth at 285.

At 149 pounds, UW-Whitewater's Elroy Perkin (6-3, two pins) ranks third and UW-La Crosse's Kasey Einerson (19-1, 12 pins) fourth. At 184 pounds, UW-La Crosse's Richard Carlson (19-5, five pins) lists fifth and UW-Whitewater's Ryan Aprahamian (15-2, one pin) seventh. At 197 pounds, UW-Whitewater's Shane Siefert (17-2, nine pins) is the top-ranked wrestler and UW-La Crosse's Eric Twohey (21-1, two pins) is rated fifth.

Five competitors enter the conference meet with 20 or more wins. Joining Twohey in reaching the 20-win mark are UW-Stevens Point's Ben Vosters (27-13, four pins) at 125 pounds, UW-Platteville's Cole Ferguson (23-5, five pins), UW-Eau Claire's Justin Karkula (22-15, nine pins) at 285 and UW-Stevens Point's Logan Hermsen (20-12, six pins) at 165.

The WIAC season pin leaders entering Sunday's competition are Einerson with 12, UW-La Crosse's Nelson Baker (13-6) with 10 at 125 pounds, and nine each by UW-Whitewater's Casey Crangle (13-5) at 149 pounds, UW-Stevens Point's Joe Crook (11-8) at 157, Karkula at 285, UW-Platteville's Trenton Larson (17-9) at 174, and Siefert at 197.

Additional conference wrestlers producing strong performances this season include 141-pounders Nathaniel Behnke (10-3, three pins) from UW-Eau Claire, Craig Mason (12-9) from UW-Oshkosh and Austin Schoen (11-6, two pins) from UW-La Crosse; and UW-Whitewater's Tyler Becker (9-6) at 165 pounds, Zac Denny (13-8, one pin) at 125 and Ronny Hauser (11-2, two pins) at 133.

Prior to UW-Whitewater's run of four straight WIAC titles, UW-La Crosse won 14 consecutive championships from 1998-2011. The Warhawks' and Eagles' 15 team titles are tied for the most in league history while UW-Stevens Point is next with eight. UW-Oshkosh won its lone WIAC team title in 1982. UW-Eau Claire and UW-Platteville are seeking their first WIAC championship.

Qualification for the NCAA Division III Championship will be based on super regional competition held on Feb. 28. UW-La Crosse, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater will participate in a regional hosted by Wabash College (Ind.) while UW-Eau Claire, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Platteville will compete in a regional hosted by Augsburg College (Minn.).

The national championship will be held March 13-14 in Hershey, Pa.

Ticket prices for the WIAC Championship are $6 for adults, $4 for senior citizens (55+) and $2 for students (ages 3 through 18). Students attending a WIAC school will be admitted free with their ID card.

WIAC Wrestling Championship Website • Live Video (starts at 12 p.m.) • Live Scoring