CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The UW-Whitewater wrestling team finished second, the best finish in program history, in the NCAA Division III Championships held in Cedar Rapids Saturday. Shane Siefert (Mundelein, IL/Carmel) and Matt Adcock (Bloomingdale, IL/Lake Park) led the way with individual national runner-up finishes at 197 and 141 pounds respectively. The Warhawks bettered their previous best, third place from last season, to write the 2013-14 season in the school history book.

Final Brackets || Final Team Scores

Adcock met the top seed, Messiah's Kaleb Loht, unbeaten against Division III competition this season at 37-0, in the championship bout. Loht started the offense with a shot and single leg but Adcock defended well and did not allow a takedown. With just five seconds remaining in the first period, Loht was successful on a shot and takedown to head into the second period with a 2-0 lead. Loht extended his lead in the second period on an escape and takedown off a single leg and trip combo. Adcock faced a 5-0 deficit to open the final period of regulation. Choosing the bottom position, Adcock slid up and out quickly for the escape. He continued to be aggressive, pressing on offense to register a takedown. Forced to release Loht in effort to make up the margin, Adcock gave up the point and had an opportunity with a single leg but was short on time to fall by 6-3 decision. Adcock's national runner-up finish is the best in UW-W history at 141 pounds. He is the tenth Warhawk to earn All-America honors by finishing in the top eight in the weight class. Adcock finishes the season 26-9 after going 3-1 in the championship.

The 197 pound weight class came down to the #1 and #2 seeds, with UW-W's Siefert taking on Cornell's Alex Coolidge. Siefert opened the scoring just 12 seconds into the bout with a takedown after turning a single leg into a double and pushing forward for two points. Coolidge registered the reversal just seven seconds later but Siefert was able to escape to take a 3-2 lead after one period. Coolidge chose the bottom position and slid forward and up for the fast escape for the only score of the second period. The bout was tied 3-3 heading into the final period of wrestling. Siefert chose the down position and was able to capitalize with a reversal. Coolidge escaped from Siefert's grasp to pull within one with less than one minute left. Coolidge shot with less than 30 seconds left, Siefert stymied the opportunity but Coolidge went up and over, forcing the two to roll with Coolidge getting position for a two-point takedown. Siefert tried to get up and out quickly but Coolidge held on for the win by 6-5 decision. Siefert earns All-America honors for the second season in a row after finishing fourth last year. He is just the second Warhawk to garner All-America honors in the 197 pound weight class and holds the best finish ever for a UW-W wrestler at the weight. He finishes the season with a 36-5 record and adds the Most Technical Falls Award from the Division III National Wrestling Coaches Association with 11 this season.

Wartburg College won the team title with 103.5 points followed by Whitewater with 67 and Messiah College with 64.

Four Warhawks joined Adcock and Siefert on the mats this weekend with Jimmy Nehls (Downers Grove, IL/North) (133), Elroy Perkin (Greenfield/Whitnall) (149) and Cedric Gibson (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) (165) each finishing fifth in their respective weight classes. Anthony Edgren (New Lisbon/New Lisbon) participated in the 285 pound weight class but two overtime bouts Friday.


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Saturday Session I
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Two Warhawks will wrestle for the distinction of national champion Saturday evening in the NCAA Division III Championships with the title rounds beginning at 7:00 pm in Cedar Rapids. Matt Adcock (Bloomingdale, IL/Lake Park) advanced to the title bout with a 3-1 decision over Charles Banaszak of Chicago at 141 pounds. In the 197 pound weight class, Shane Siefert (Mundelein, IL/Carmel) advanced to the championship with a fall in 3:16 over Thiel's Jacob Lowry. Three others finished fifth in the championships to earn All-America honors. Click here to access live video of the championships.

At 133 pounds, Jimmy Nehls (Downers Grove, IL/North) opened Saturday with a 5-1 decision over Coast Guard's Nathaniel Giorgio. He was knocked out of the battle for third with a 2-0 loss to Jeremy Border of Mount Union. Nehls fifth place match slated him against Jacoby Bergeron (Concordia-Moorhead) for the third time this season and second in the championships. Nehls continued his success against Bergeron with a 10-4 decision to finish fifth. Nehls went 4-2 at the championships and ends his first season as a Warhawk as an All-American with a 23-7 record.

Elroy Perkin (Greenfield/Whitnall) started Saturday on a high note with a 9-6 decision over Dubuque's Nick Drendel at 149 pounds. A high-action, intense bout in the battle to advance into the third place match ended with Mark Hartenstine (Wilkes) recording the 13-9 decision over Perkin. The first period alone saw 14 points posted on the scoreboard. Hartenstine led 10-4 after the first and 12-6 after the second. Perkin made a valiant effort but ran out of time in the match. In the fifth place match, Perkin met Daniel Mirman for the second time in the championships. Mirman topped Perkin Friday in a quarterfinal bout but Perkin sought revenge and defeated his foe from John Carroll by 8-5 decision. Perkin earns All-America honors for the first time and finishes the season with a 26-10 record.

Cedric Gibson (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) earned his second consecutive All-America honor finishing fifth at 165 pounds this season. Gibson opened Saturday with a 2-0 decision over Collin Crowell of Roger Williams. The bout came down to the final period where Gibson registered a reversal with 1:36 on the clock to score the lone points of the bout and advance. Gibson fell to Kristopher Schimek of Ithaca by 6-4 decision in his second match of the day but bounced back with a 5-3 decision over Springfield's Dylan Foley to finish fifth. Gibson finishes the season 23-7.

Friday Session II Recap
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Matt Adcock (Bloomingdale, IL/Lake Park) and Shane Siefert (Mundelein, IL/Carmel) advanced to the semifinals at 141 and 197 pounds respectively to lead a group of five Warhawks that will wrestle in the final day of the NCAA Division III Championships in Cedar Rapids. Jimmy Nehls (Downers Grove, IL/North), Elroy Perkin (Greenfield/Whitnall) and Cedric Gibson (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) will join Adcock and Siefert on the mats Saturday. The Warhawks are in third heading into the final day of competition with 35.5 team points. Wartburg leads the team standings with Messiah in second after day one.

Brackets || Team Standing

Adcock opened his quarterfinal match against Brian Bistis of SUNY-Cortland with a takedown for the lone score of the first period. Bistis chose the down position and registered an escape but the wrestlers went into the third period with Adcock ahead 2-1. Adcock chose the down position to begin period three and took just five seconds to get up an out for the escape. Bistis was able to notch a takedown but Adcock sealed the win with an escape and a takedown nearing the end of the bout for the 6-3 decision. Adcock will meet Chicago's Charles Banaszak in a semifinal Saturday morning.

Siefert topped Aaron Karns of Delaware Valley 4-1 in his quarterfinal matchup at 197 pounds. The two wrestlers used the first period to size up one another with no score heading into the second period. Siefert started in the down position and after a restart registered an escape and reversal that nearly had Karns to his back to take a 3-0 lead. Karns' lone score came off of an escape as Siefert added one point of riding time for the 4-1 decision. Siefert will continue in the championship bracket with a match against Jacob Lowry of Thiel Saturday morning.

At 133 pounds, Nehls fell to Alex Gomez of Ithaca in the quarterfinal. Gomez opened the period with two takedowns. Nehls got on the board with an escape but trailed 4-1 after one period. Nehls, in the down position to start the second period, got up and out for an escape point but Gomez held Nehls at bay with a takedown with less than 20 seconds left in the period. Nehls chose the bottom position and registered an escape but was unable to narrow the gap further. In the wrestleback, Nehls trailed Marcus Lubner of Concordia-Wisconsin 5-3 going into the second period with Lubner adding 1:25 of riding time after three minutes. Nehls, in the top position, whittled away at the riding time, maintaining the top position for the entire second period to put riding time in his favor by 34 seconds. A stalling call near the end of the second on Lubner put Nehls within reach, 4-5 heading into the final period of regulation. From a neutral stance, Nehls shot for the ankle of Lubner, grabbed and recorded the takedown to take the 6-5 lead. He added 2:18 of riding time to seal the 7-5 decision and advance to Saturday. Nehls will meet Nathaniel Giorgio (Coast Guard) Saturday morning as he aims for third.

Perkin was upended by Daniel Mirman of John Carroll in a quarterfinal bout at 149 pounds. Trailing 2-1 after one period, Perkin got up and out quickly to start period two and tie the match 2-2. Mirman shot for the single leg, Perkin scrambled but was unable to ward off the takedown. Perkin was able to escape for a point but trailed 4-3 heading into period three and was unable to capitalize in the final minute of play. In the wrestleback, Perkin made quick work of Marcus Pinero of Wartburg registering the pin just 43 seconds into the bout, his fastest fall of the season. Perkin will face Dubuque's Nick Drendel in his next match in the wrestleback as he sets his sights on third.

Gibson lost a heartbreaker at 165 pounds in the fourth overtime period. A close bout all the way through with Washington and Jefferson's Nicholas Carr, Gibson led 2-1 after one period. Gibson tallied an escape in period two to take a 3-1 lead. Carr chose the down position and registered the escape. With his back against the wall facing a loss, Carr's last-ditch effort ended in a takedown as time expired in regulation to knot the bout 4-4 and force overtime. The sudden victory overtime did not produce a winner and the wrestlers traded escapes in the 30 second overtime rounds. Carr continued to be aggressive and nearly had a takedown with 41 seconds to go in the fourth overtime but an official review reversed the call. Just 28 seconds later, Carr did get the takedown to advance with a 7-5 decision. Gibson rebounded with a 13-2 major decision over Stephen Cannon of Messiah in the wrestleback. Leading 4-1 after the first period, Gibson recorded an escape and takedown in period two and capped the bout with a reversal, three-point nearfall and a point for riding time. Gibson will open Saturday with a match against Collin Crowell of Roger Williams in the wrestleback.

Edgren took his second bout of the day at 285 pounds into extra time but fell to Cory Becker of Coe 7-5 in the fourth overtime. Edgren powered through Becker for an early takedown but Becker was able to release from Edgren's grasp for the escape. Becker tied the score 2-2 with an escape in period two and took the lead with a takedown of his own. Edgren escaped to pull within one, 3-4 heading into the final period of regulation. With Edgren in the down position, he broke the hands to get up and out, spun around and went on the offensive for a takedown heading out of the circle. The call was reviewed by the officials and overturned to keep the score 4-4. A similar situation ended the bout, with Becker recording the takedown as the wrestlers left the circle but the points stood as Edgren finishes his season 25-8.

SESSION I RECAP
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Five of six Warhawk wrestlers advanced in the championship bracket in the first session of competition in the NCAA Division III Championships in Cedar Rapids Friday. Session II is set to begin Friday evening at 7:00 pm. UW-W is tied for fourth in the team standings.

Jimmy Nehls (Downers Grove, IL/North) opened the championships in the 133 pound weight class with a 7-4 decision over Concordia-Moorhead's Jacoby Bergeron. Nehls, the six seed, started the scoring rolling through a shot attempt to record a takedown. He accumulated 2:13 of riding time in the first period. In the top position to start the second period, Nehls released Bergeron for the escape. Working on the edge of the mat, Nehls grabbed his opponent's ankle and turned it into a takedown as the wrestlers left the circle. Bergeron tallied another escape to end the scoring in the second period. Bergeron was able to get ahold of Nehl's ankle in the third period, lifted and secured the trip for a takedown but was forced to immediately release Nehls to try and score another takedown. Nehls held off the flurry of attempts for the 7-4 win to advance. This is the second time Nehls has beaten Bergeron this season. The 133 pounder will advance to face the three seed Alex Gomez of Ithaca in the second session.

Matt Adcock (Bloomingdale, IL/Lake Park), also the sixth seed, opened the scoring in his first bout at 141 pounds in the championships with a double leg takedown near the edge of the mat. Henry Stauber of Johns Hopkins recorded the escape after the two were brought back to the center to end the scoring in the first period. Period two saw little scoring action with Adcock registering an escape. In period three, Adcock shot for a single leg, turned it into a double leg but Stauber grabbed Adcock's ankle to keep him for scoring. Adcock worked through to gain better position and record the takedown. Stauber added one point for an escape but Adcock raised his hand at the end of the bout with the 5-3 decision. Adcock will face Brian Bistis of SUNY-Cortland in session two.

Possibly the hardest first round bout for a Warhawk Friday morning came in the 149 pound weight class. Elroy Perkin (Greenfield/Whitnall) and Gage Pederson of Olivet provided a very exciting match, with Pederson winning the previous bout between the two wrestlers by 7-4 decision in the Midwest Regional semifinal. Perkin opened the scoring with a single leg he turned into takedown points. Pederson answered with a double leg takedown sending Perkin to his back. A short time later, Pederson collected nearfall points to take a 5-2 lead heading into the second period. Perkin chose the down position and quickly recorded the escape. He scrambled for a takedown to tie the bout at 5-5 and flipped the riding time into his favor through the rest of the period. Pederson chose the down position in the third period but Perkin would not allow the escape finishing the match with 1:27 of riding time for the 6-5 decision. Perkin will take on Daniel Mirman of John Carroll Friday evening.

At 165, fourth-seeded Cedric Gibson (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) easily advanced past his opponent, Peter Koostra of MSOE with an 11-3 major decision. Gibson scored the first takedown as time expired in the first period. Early in period two, Gibson notched a reversal and was able to get the double leg, lift and put Kootstra down on his back for a two-point nearfall. Kootstra registered the escape and tried to power Gibson down but the Warhawk's speed was too much as he scrambled and got around for back position and another takedown. Gibson went on to add a takedown and riding time points in the final period for the major decision. Gibson advances to face Nicholas Carr of Washington and Jefferson in the second session of the championships.

Number two seed Shane Siefert (Mundelein, IL/Carmel) took a 12-0 lead with over four minutes of riding time heading into the third period over his opponent, Petros Hologitas of Trinity, at 197 pounds. With top position, Siefert worked for Hologitas' arm and spun around to force Hologitas to his back and register the pin in 6:08, his eighth pin of the season. Siefert will face Aaron Karns of Delaware Valley in the second session Friday night.

Anthony Edgren (New Lisbon/New Lisbon) and Nino Majoy of Heidelberg wrestled a marathon at 285 pounds. Edgren, 1-0 against Majoy this season with a pin, went into the sixth overtime period. In the second tiebreaker, Majoy registered one point of riding time for the win after 11 minutes of wrestling. Edgren, seeded seventh, drops into the wrestleback Friday evening.

PREVIEW
UW-Whitewater will be represented by six wrestlers at the 2014 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships set for Friday-Saturday, March 14 and 15 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The championships will take place at the US Cellular Arena with Cornell College of Iowa serving as the host institution. A total of 180 student-athletes will compete with 18 individuals in each weight class. The top three finishers from six regional sites advanced to the national championships. Click here to view the official brackets.

Jimmy Nehls (Downers Grove, IL/North), the six seed, will open the championships Friday morning with a first round bout against Jacoby Bergeron (26-8) of Concordia-Moorhead in the 133 pound weight class. Nehls (22-5) won his weight class in the Midwest Regional to advance to the championships. The two wrestlers have met one other time this season with Nehls coming out with the victory by 5-1 decision at the Border Brawl Duals.

In the 141 pound weight class, Matt Adcock (Bloomingdale, IL/Lake Park), the six seed, will face Henry Stauber (23-10) of Johns Hopkins for the first time this season. Adcock, the Midwest Regional runner-up, is 27-9 this season.

Elroy Perkin (Greenfield/Whitnall), a third place finisher at the Midwest Regional, will compete in the 149 pound bracket. Perkin (27-9) will open with arguably the hardest first round opponent of any of the Warhawks. His opponent is the fifth seed, Gage Pederson (34-7) who defeated Perkin earlier this season by 7-4 decision at the Olivet Comet Duals.

The Midwest Regional champion at 165 pounds, Cedric Gibson (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) has earned the fourth seed with a season record of 22-5. He will face Peter Koostra of Milwaukee School of Engineering (22-14) in the first round of the championships.

Shane Siefert (Mundelein, IL/Carmel), the number two seed in the tournament, will open with a bout against Petros Hologitas (27-5) of Trinity in the 197 pound weight class. Siefert (38-4) won the Midwest Regional Title in the 197 pound weight class.

Anthony Edgren (New Lisbon/New Lisbon) will represent the Warhawks at 285. Edgren (28-7), the seventh seed, will face Nino Majoy (34-13) of Heidelberg to open the championships. Edgren, the Midwest Regional runner-up at 285 pounds, pinned Majoy in 27 seconds, the second fastest by a Warhawk this season, in the Olivet Comet Duals.

UW-Whitewater won the Midwest Regional Title hosted by Wabash College and capped their conference season with their third consecutive league title. UW-W finished third in the NCAA Division III Championships last season, their best finish in program history.


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