The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater fell to UW-Eau Claire 20-19, via a tiebreak, in a battle of top 10 teams Thursday night in Kachel Gymnasium. In the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association poll, the Warhawks are ranked eighth in dual matches while the Blugolds are ninth.
 
Jaritt Shinhoster (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Barrington), ranked second according to the NWCA, gave the Warhawks the early momentum against tenth-ranked Niall Schoenfelder. Following a quick takedown at 184, Shinhoster piled on the points leading to a 15-4 major decision and an early 4-0 lead in the match.
 
The Blugolds knotted the match at 197 pounds with Jacob Kaminski (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) falling by major decision to UWEC's Sam Melton 17-6. Eau Claire claimed the lead in the match with a pin at 285 pounds with #11 (at 197) Chase Melton grabbing six points over UWW's Garner Simmons (Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc).
 
The squads traded decisions over the next two weight classes. Tyler Klein (Hartford, Wis./Hartford Union) picked up the 6-3 decision over Carter Schulz before the Blugolds' ninth-ranked Tyler Fleetwood posted a 5-0 decision over Dominik Mallinder (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) at 133. At the halfway mark, UWEC led 13-7.
 
The Warhawk's 141-pounder Dakarai Clay (Madison, Wis./Madison East), ranked fifteenth, tied the match after Andrew Kested had to withdraw mid-bout due to injury. Third-ranked at 149, Jake Burford (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) reclaimed the UWW lead with an exciting 11-10 decision over fifteenth-ranked Zach Sato. An 8-4 decision at 157 for UWEC's Colton Sund over Hunter Rudzinski (Waterford, Wis./Waterford) once again tied the match 16-16.
 
The 165 bout was a thriller as Ryan Vedner (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) took his opponent, tenth-ranked Tristan Massie, into overtime and won in sudden victory 6-4. The decision gave UWW a 19-16 lead heading into the final weight class.
 
UWEC's Jared Stricker, ranked thirteenth, took a 4-1 lead in the first period and went on to win by 5-2 decision over UWW's Ryan Riser (Bloomingdale, Ill./Lake Park).
 
Tied 19-19 after all matches, UW-Eau Claire won the tiebreak adding a final point to the team total for the win.