UW-Whitewater defended its title in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wrestling Championship with a pair of victories Sunday in Eau Claire.  Using the team dual meet format for the first time, UW-W defeated UW-Platteville 42-7 in a semifinal match and UW-La Crosse 23-10 in the title match.  UW-W was the last team to win a title in the old weight class bracketed tourney, in 2012, and the first to win in the bracketed team format.

team championship photo courtesy of ProProductions

Whitewater came into the tournament as the number one seed, having gone 5-0 in WIAC duals.  That earned the Warhawks a first round bye Sunday. 

UW-Whitewater began defense of its WIAC championship in the second round against UW-Platteville.  Although Whitewater was the higher seed, and Platteville had just earned a hard fought 23-22 win over UW-Oshkosh in the first round, no one could have expected what followed.

The Pioneers took the lead with a win at 125.  UW-P's Cole Ferguson shut out Joe Meylor (Darlington/Darlington), scoring two points in the first period, adding four in the second and closing with five more in the third for a 9-0 win.  Platteville led 4-0.

Grant Sutter (Dodgeville/Dodgeville) put Whitewater on the board with an 11-6 win over Mason Bohm at 133 pounds.  Sutter led a high scoring first period 6-4, then added an escape and a two point nearfall in the second for an 11-4 lead.  Platteville's lead was 4-3.

At 141 pounds UW-W's Jake Fredricksen (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) and UW-P's Tyler Henken fought a scoreless first.  An escape from the bottom position and takedown put Fredricksen ahead 3-0 after two.  He added two penalty points from Henken for stalling, a two point nearfall and riding time to close out an 8-0 win.  Whitewater took the lead 7-4.

And then the tsunami started gathering. 

Elroy Perkin (Greenfield/Whitnall) almost doubled Whitewater's point total with a quick pin of Brad Blechschmidt at 149.  Perkin scored a takedown and turned that into a pin at 1:25 to put UW-W in front 13-4.

UW-W's Cade Sarbacker (Mineral Point/) almost pinned Mike Uliana in the first period of the 157 pound match, scoring five points, including a three point nearfall.  Sarbacker added six more points in the second, among the points another three point nearfall.  It was 4-0 in the third, with a two point nearfall, as Sarbacker won by technical fall, 15-0 at 6:06, and UW-W's lead increased to 18-4.

Tyler Becker (Fox Lake Grant, IL/) had a 2-1 lead in the first period when he pinned Peter Crocco of Platteville at 165 pounds, ending the match in 1:46 and adding six points to the Whitewater lead, 24-4.

At 174 pounds, UW-W's Andrew Pettit (Hoffman Estates, IL/Hoffman Estates) closed the match even earlier, pinning Randy Wade in 0:54.  It was Pettit's third pin in 37 matches this season, and Whitewater's lead increased to 30-4.

Roland Dunlap (Muskego/Muskego ) and Dylan DeShane exchanged takedowns and escapes in the first period at 184, with Whitewater's Dunlap leading 4-2 after one.  Dunlap escaped from the bottom in the second period, scored a takedown, then finished the match with a pin at 3:38 to up the Warhawks' margin to 36-4. 

UW-Platteville broke the streak with Abe Graziano's 3-1 win over Justin Birschbach (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) at 197 pounds.  Graziano led 2-1 after one period and made that lead stand up through a scoreless second.  He added another point on an escape from the bottom position for the win.  Whitewater led 36-7.

There was one last wave to roll in, as Anthony Edgren (New Lisbon/New Lisbon) added another pin for UW-W at 285.  Edgren, who had piled up a 9-2 lead in just over a minute of action, recorded the fall against Cody Soderstrom at 1:09.  Whitewater won the match 42-7.

UW-W went 8-2 in the ten bouts.  Five of the eight wins were by pin, one by technical fall, one by major decision, with one decision. 

UW-Whitewater 42, UW-Platteville 7
125   Cole Ferguson, PV, defeated Joe Meylor (Darlington/Darlington), WW, 9-0 MD
133   Grant Sutter (Dodgeville/Dodgeville), WW, defeated mason Bohm, PV, 11-6
141   Jake Fredricksen (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock), WW, defeated Tyler Henken, PV, 7-4
149   Elroy Perkin (Greenfield/Whitnall), WW, pinned Brad Blechschmidt, PV, 13-4
157   Cade Sarbacker (Mineral Point/), WW, defeated Mike Uliana, PV, technical fall 15-0 in 6:06
165   Tyler Becker (Fox Lake Grant, IL/), WW, pinned Peter Crocco, PV, 1:46
174   Andrew Pettit (Hoffman Estates, IL/Hoffman Estates), WW, pinned Randy Wade, PV, 3:38
184   Roland Dunlap (Muskego/Muskego ), WW, pinned Dylan DeShane, PV, 3:38
197   Abe Graziano, PV, defeated Justin Birschbach (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac), WW, 3-1
285   Anthony Edgren (New Lisbon/New Lisbon), WW, pinned Cody Soderstrom, PV, 1:09

With the number two seed, UW-La Crosse, beating UW-Stevens Point 22-12 in a semifinal, the championship match was set.  Whitewater is ranked fourth in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III poll, and UW-La Crosse is ranked fifth.  Both rosters are studded with individually ranked wrestlers.  UW-W beat UW-L 24-14 January 18 in La Crosse.  Prior to Whitewater's title last year, UW-La Crosse had reeled off fourteen consecutive league titles.  Truly a battle of heavyweights (and not just the 285 class).

UW-La Crosse got on the scoreboard first with a win at 125 pounds.  The Eagles' Izzy Balsiger played cat and mouse with Joe Meylor (Darlington/Darlington) in the first period, with Balsiger recording three takedowns and Meylor three escapes for a 6-3 lead after one period.  It was two of each in the second, plus a penalty point for Balsiger, for a 10-5 lead after two periods.  Balsiger added nine points, including three takedowns, for a 19-7 win.  La Crosse opened with a 4-0 lead.

Grant Sutter (Dodgeville/Dodgeville) closed the gap for Whitewater with a 6-3 win over James Bennett at 133.  Sutter led 2-0 after one and 2-1 after two, then added an escape, takedown and riding time for the win.  La Crosse led 4-3.

At 141 pounds Whitewater's Jake Fredricksen (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) and La Crosse's Adam Sheley hooked in wrestling's version of a pitcher's duel.  There was no score after one period, and Sheley's escape from the bottom position was the only point of the second.  Fredricksen put up a point with an escape in the third to tie the match 1-1, but Sheley won the match with a takedown with 0:37 left in the third as La Crosse upped its lead to 7-3.

If 141 was a pitcher's duel, then 149 was a Cy Young matchup.  Elroy Perkin (Greenfield/Whitnall) of Whitewater and RJ Dilcher of La Crosse went through the first three minutes without scoring a point.  Perkin managed a point with an escape at 1:03 of the second, and then neither scored a point on the mat in the third, with Perkin adding a point with riding time for the 2-0 win.  One point separated the teams, La Crosse 7, Whitewater 6.

UW-W took a 9-7 lead at the halfway point with Cade Sarbacker (Mineral Point/)'s 3-1 win over J.R. Lewis at 157.  Like the earlier matches, the first period was scoreless.  Lewis scored first with an escape from the down position, but Sarbacker scored a takedown with six seconds left in period two for a 2-1 lead.  Sarbacker ended the scoring with an escape from the bottom position in the third.  Sarbacker has seen limited competition this year, entering this dual with a 7-0 mark.

Cedric Gibson (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) increased Whitewater's lead to 13-7 with a 16-6 major decision at 165 over Sean Huls.  Huls scored all of his points on escapes, which means that Gibson was scoring with lots of takedowns.  It was 6-2 after one, with three takedowns and three escapes for the scoring.  In the second Gibson added three takedowns and Huls three escapes.  In the third Gibson added his seventh takedown of the match.

Kevin O'Brien brought UW-L closer with a 5-3 win over Ryan Aprahamian (Mukwonago/Mukwonago) at 174 pounds.  O'Brien led 2-1 after the first three minutes, and Aprhamian tied it with an escape from down, 2-2 after two.  O'Brien took the lead with an escape from the down position, then added a takedown while Aprahamian escaped to end the scoring.  Whitewater was still in the lead, 13-10.

In just his ninth match of the season, all wins, Whitewater's Roland Dunlap (Muskego/Muskego ) defeated Eric Twohey 5-1 at 184.  Dunlap scored with two takedowns in the first and led 4-1 after one, and escaped from the bottom position in the second for final point of the match.  The decision gave Whitewater a 16-10 lead.

Shane Siefert (Mundelein, IL/Carmel) clinched the WIAC title for UW-Whitewater with a 3-1 win over Tony Piechowski at 197 pounds.  Siefert led 2-0 on a takedown in the first.  Piechowski escaped in the second to make it 2-1, and Siefert adding one point for riding time for the final score.  With a nine point lead, 19-10, any result at 285 would not change the team decision.

Anthony Edgren (New Lisbon/New Lisbon) wrapped up Whitewater's win with an 8-0 win over Cody Endres at 285 pounds.  Edgren led 2-0 after one with a takedown, and extended that to 5-0 with an escape and takedown in the second.  He added a two point nearfall and riding time for the major decision.

UW-Whitewater 23, UW-La Crosse 10
125   Izzy Balsiger, LC, defeated Joe Meylor (Darlington/Darlington), WW, 19-7 MD
133   Grant Sutter (Dodgeville/Dodgeville), WW, defeated James Bennett, LC, 6-3
141   Adam Sheley, LC, defeated Jake Fredricksen (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock), WW, 4-1
149   Elroy Perkin (Greenfield/Whitnall), WW, defeated RJ Dilcher, LC, 2-0
157   Cade Sarbacker (Mineral Point/), WW, defeated JR Lewis, LC, 3-1
165   Cedric Gibson (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North), WW, defeated Sean Huls, LC, 16-6 MD
174   Kevin O'Brien, LC, defeated Ryan Aprahamian (Mukwonago/Mukwonago), WW, 5-3
184   Roland Dunlap (Muskego/Muskego ), WW, defeated Eric Twohey, LC, 5-1
197   Shane Siefert (Mundelein, IL/Carmel), WW, defeated Tony Piechowski, LC, 3-1
285   Anthony Edgren (New Lisbon/New Lisbon), WW, defeated Cody Endres, LC, 8-0 MD

Freshman 125-pounder Joe Meylor (Darlington/Darlington) was named Whitewater's representative on the WIAC's Sportsmanship Team. 

Unlike years past, the WIAC championship is no longer a NCAA Division III qualifying tournament.  Division III wrestling has moved to a regional format, where the top six wrestlers advance to the NCAA III championship March 15-16 at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  UW-W will compete in the Midwest Regional hosted by Elmhurst College March 2.







tf/ak