Titans To Wrestle At NWCA National Dual Meet Championships
UW-Oshkosh will be among a record 92 collegiate wrestling programs competing at the U.S. Marine Corps National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships this weekend in Louisville, Ky.
The event, which begins both Friday and Saturday (Jan. 10-11) at 9 a.m. (EST) from the Kentucky Expo Center, will crown a team champion in six categories – National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and III Men, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Men and Women, NCAA Women and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Men.
Of the competing programs, 65 are nationally ranked, including the top-ranked team in five of the six categories. A total of 12 schools will have both their men's and women's wrestling teams in action.
Joining UW-Oshkosh in the NCAA Division III men's field are 23 other programs, including defending champion Augsburg University (Minn.). The third-ranked Auggies have won seven titles at the NWCA National Dual Meet Championships.
Other Division III ranked programs competing in Louisville this weekend are top-ranked Wartburg College (Iowa), second-ranked Loras College (Iowa), fourth-ranked Wabash College (Ind.), fifth-ranked Johnson & Wales University (R.I.), sixth-ranked University of Mount Union (Ohio), seventh-ranked Baldwin Wallace University (Ohio), eighth-ranked Coe College (Iowa), ninth-ranked UW-La Crosse, 10th-ranked North Central College (Ill.), 13th-ranked Ithaca College (N.Y.), 14th-ranked Rochester Institute of Technology (N.Y.), 15th-ranked New York University, 17th-ranked Millikin University (Ill.), 18th-ranked UW-Whitewater and 25th-ranked Olivet College (Mich.).
Finishing behind Augsburg University at last year's NWCA National Dual Meet Championships were second-place Johnson & Wales University, third-place Wartburg College, fourth-place Wabash College, fifth-place Baldwin Wallace University, sixth-place University of Mount Union, seventh-place UW-La Crosse and eighth-place Coe College.
UW-Oshkosh, which owns a 2-6 dual meet record this season, will wrestle Millikin University in its first match at 9 a.m. (EST) Friday. The winner will advance to meet 11-time champion Wartburg College at 11 a.m. (EST) Friday. The loser between UW-Oshkosh and Millikin University will battle either Augsburg University, Olivet College or Roger Williams University (R.I.) in an elimination match at 1 p.m. (EST) Friday.
The championship bout of the double-elimination tournament is scheduled for 3 p.m. (EST) Saturday.
UW-Oshkosh enters the NWCA National Dual Meet Championships with five wrestlers owning 10 or more victories, including Colten Cashmore who possesses a 17-8 record with two pins at 197 pounds.
Titan Jordan Blanchard has compiled a 16-6 record with 13 pins at 174 pounds while UW-Oshkosh's Bryce Herlache is 13-5 with four pins at 184 pounds, Denis Murphy 12-8 with three pins at 125 and John DePersia 10-10 with three pins at 184. Blanchard's pin total, which includes three under 30 seconds, is the second-highest count in the NCAA Division III this season.
NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships • Event Program