Valdez and Yineman Set to Compete at NCAA Championships
OSHKOSH, Wis.—Luc Valdez and Beau Yineman are set to represent the UW-Oshkosh Titans at the 2023 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. Action will take place at Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia on March 10-11.
The tournament will start at 11 a.m. on March 10 with the preliminary first and second rounds and the consolation round. The second day of action will begin at 10 a.m. on March 11.
More tournament information can be found here. Live stats and video will once again be handled by Trackwrestling.com. A link for the NCAA Championships will be available shortly before the tournament begins.
Yineman has the No. 5 seed in the 197 bracket while Valdez is unseeded this weekend. Yineman placed third at the 2022 NCAA Championships at 197 and earned All-America honors.
Upper Midwest Recap
Yineman earned his second consecutive trip to the championship. Yineman posted a 9-7 decision over Gabriel Zierden of Concordia College in the semifinal match. In the championship match, Yineman fell to Tyler Hannah of UW-Platteville in a tie breaker (TB-1, 2-1).
Valdez (125) earned his trip to the national championships after posting a 5-3 decision over Brandon Murphy of UW-La Crosse in the semifinal match. In the first place match, Valdez fell in sudden victory to Luca Paladino of UW-Stevens Point (SV-1, 6-4).
WIAC Championships Recap
Yineman, who won the 197 crown in 2021 and 2022, claimed it for a third-straight year.
Valdez, who was the runner-up at 125 a year ago, defeated Brandon Murphy of La Crosse to claim the 125 crown. Valdez was also named the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Rankings
In the NWCA rankings released on February 15, the Titans are 22nd in the team tournament rankings. Yineman is ranked No. 2 at 197-lbs. in the national rankings.
In the individual regional rankings, Yineman holds the top spot in the Upper Midwest rankings. Valdez is ranked No. 2 in the Upper Midwest while Denis Murphy (133) makes an appearance at No. 5 in the region.
In the Open Mat team rankings, Yineman sits at No. 4 at 197 and Valdez holds the No. 12 spot at 125.
In the D3wrestle rankings, released on February 16, the Titans have two wrestlers in the rankings. Yineman leads all wrestlers at 197 while Valdez is an honorable mention at 125.