RELEASED:  Sunday, February 24, 2008

Eagles Capture 11th Straight Wrestling Title

Appleton, Wis.--Bolstered by victories in seven weight classes, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse won its league-record 11 straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) wrestling championship at Appleton West High School on Feb. 24.  The conference meet was hosted by Lawrence University.

The Eagles totaled 147.50 team points enroute to the 12th title in program history and match UW-Whitewater for the most in league archives.

UW-Stevens Point finished second for the sixth consecutive season after accumulating 131.50 points.  The Pointers were followed by third-place UW-Whitewater with 111.50 points, fourth-place UW-Platteville with 86, fifth-place UW-Eau Claire with 82.5, sixth-place Lawrence University with 43.50 and seventh-place UW-Oshkosh with 42.50.

The 16-point margin of victory was the closest since the 1997 championship when the Pointers defeated the Eagles by a 98-85.5 spread.

Leading the way for UW-La Crosse was Josh Chelf who claimed his third straight title at 174 pounds with a 6-0 triumph over UW-Stevens Point’s Eric Bath.   Chelf was voted the John Peterson Co-Wrestler of the Meet after becoming the second individual in league history to win three straight first-place medals at 174 pounds, joining the Pointers’ Cody Koenig (2003-05).

The Eagles had three individuals win their second title in as many years, including co-wrestler of the meet recipient Tim Palmer who earned the 165-pound plaque with a 9-3 decision over UW-Whitewater’s Pat Nagel.   Dan Laurent secured the 285-pound crown with a pin against UW-Stevens Point’s Chad Gregory in 2:52.

Joining Palmer and Laurent as repeat winners was Jordan Kolinski at 133 pounds after a 9-5 decision over UW-Stevens Point’s Jered Kern.   Kolinski is the first individual in WIAC history to win back-to-back titles at 133 pounds.

Brandon Music upended defending champion Jake Calhoun of UW-Stevens Point with a pin at 5:58 to claim the 125-pound crown, while Matt Mauseth surprised UW-Platteville’s Ryan Higgins by a 3-2 margin to claim the 149-pound plaque.

Rounding out UW-La Crosse’s first-place finishers was Josh Zabel who captured the 184-pound championship with an 8-2 decision over UW-Stevens Point’s Ben Engelland.

After finishing second last season, UW-Platteville’s Jesse Milks placed first at 157 pounds with a 4-3 decision over UW-La Crosse’s Jay Milz.

UW-Stevens Point’s Craig Bollig captured the 197-pound championship with a 5-3 decision over UW-Eau Claire’s Josh Holforty.  Bolling placed second at 184 pounds at the 2007 championship.

UW-Whitewater’s Austin Bautista won the 141-pound crown with an 11-3 major decision over UW-Stevens Point’s Chase DeCleene.  Bautista finished second a year ago.

The 10 conference champions, along with nine at-large selections will participate in the NCAA Division III Championship on March 7-8 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.   The nine at-large selections include:  UW-Eau Claire’s Josh Holforty (197 pounds), UW-La Crosse’s Jay Milz (157 pounds), UW-Platteville’s Ryan Higgins (149 pounds), UW-Stevens Point’s Eric Bath (174 pounds), Jake Calhoun (125 pounds), Chase DeCleene (141 pounds), Ben Engelland (184 pounds) and Jason Wozniak (165 pounds) and UW-Whitewater’s Pat Nagel (165 pounds).

UW-La Crosse head coach Dave Malecek was voted the Mertz Mortorelli Coach of the Year for the second straight season, while Chelf was named the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete.

Championship Match Results:
125--Brandon Music (LC) pinned Jake Calhoun (STP), 5:58
133--Jordan Kolinski (LC) dec. Jered Kern (STP), 9-5
141--Austin Bautista (WW) major dec. Chase DeCleene (STP), 11-3
149--Matt Mauseth (LC) dec. Ryan Higgins (PLT), 3-2
157--Jesse Milks (PLT) dec. Jay Milz (LC), 4-3
165--Tim Palmer (LC) dec. Pat Nagel (WW), 9-3
174--Josh Chelf (LC) dec. Eric Bath (STP), 6-0
184--Josh Zabel (LC) dec. Ben Engelland (STP), 8-2
197--Craig Bollig (STP) dec. Josh Holforty (EC), 5-3*
285--Dan Laurent (LC) pinned Chad Gregory (STP), 2:52

*Holforty finished third, UW-Whitewater’s Mike Schmidt placed second

John Peterson Co-Wrestlers of the Meet:  Josh Chelf and Tim Palmer of UW-La Crosse
Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete:  Josh Chelf of UW-La Crosse
Mertz Mortorelli Coach of the Year:  Dave Malecek of UW-La Crosse