WHITEWATER, Wis. - The Warhawk wrestling team, ranked second in the most recent National Wrestling Coaches Association poll, topped Division II UW-Parkside 44-9 Thursday evening to wrap up the regular season. In the long tradition of the Sake Bottle between the two teams, the win brings the trophy back to Whitewater for the sixth time in 26 years.

Photo Gallery (courtesy of Angela Kelm)

Opening the dual in the 285 pound weight class, Anthony Edgren (New Lisbon/New Lisbon) won by forfeit. Zac Denny (Machesney Park, IL/Harlem) followed suit in the 125 pound weight class with another win by forfeit to give the Warhawks a 12-0 without any action on the mat.

Joseph Her got the Rangers going with a pin in the 133 pound weight class to make the score 12-6 in favor of the Warhawks. 

In the 141 pound weight class, Maxx Hubbard (Sterling/Newman Central Catholic) pulled out a 3-2 decision over Parkside's Adam Yde to improve his record to 8-13 this season. 

Elroy Perkin (Greenfield/Whitnall), ranked ninth at 149 pounds, recorded his fifth pin of the season stopping the clock in 4:50 against Brandt Welcher to improve to 20-8 and give UW-W a 21-6 advantage in the match.

Zach Noel provided the final points for the Rangers with a 10-6 decision at 157 pounds. 

Two consecutive forfeits sealed the dual for the Warhawks with Cedric Gibson (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) picking up the win at 165 pounds and Andrew Pettit (Hoffman Estates, IL/Hoffman Estates) at 174 pounds. 

Ryan Aprahamian (Mukwonago/Mukwonago) put the finishing touches on the dual meet for UW-Whitewater. Aprahamian provided a lot of action recording four nearfalls, a reversal and a takedown on his way to a 16-0 technical fall that ended the bout at the 5:37 mark.

In the final weight class, Parkside was forced to forfeit once again handing Shane Siefert (Mundelein, IL/Carmel) win number 31 for the season. 

The Sake Bottle tradition was started by the head coaches of UW-Whitewater and UW-Parkside, Willie Myers and Jim Koch, as a reminder of an international wrestling experience the two shared. In 1975, the NAIA All-State Team which Myers and Koch were a part of toured Japan and Korea. The Sake Bottle was given to the two coaches by Mr. Hatta, the former president of Japanese Wrestling, and made into a trophy that is given to the winning team of the annual dual.  

The Warhawks will head to La Crosse to compete in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Saturday. Whitewater, the number one seed in the bracketed team tournament, will receive a first round bye. The Warhawks will face the winner of a dual between UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point in a semifinal. 


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