PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire wrestling team clinched the first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championship in program history on Saturday during the WIAC Championships at UW-Platteville. The Blugolds produced three individual conference champions to score 161.5 team points, which tied atop the standings with UW-La Crosse. The Blugolds and Eagles shared the team title as co-champions.
Izzy Balsiger (So. – Chippewa Falls, Wis.),
Jared Stricker (Jr. – Ashland, Wis.) and
Connor Collins (Sr. – Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West) won the individual titles at 125 pounds, 174 pounds and 184 pounds, respectively. The Blugolds also had runners-up in
Tyler Fleetwood (Sr. – Fulton Ill.) at 133 pounds and
Sloan Welch (Fr. – Arpin, Wis./Auburndale) at 285.
Prior to this season, the Blugolds had never finished better than second at a conference championship meet. In a season where UW-Eau Claire already broke its single-season dual victories record, the Blugolds continued to set new high-water marks on Saturday.
Balsiger cruised into the 125-pound finals by dominating his first two matches. He won by first-period pin in his opener, and followed with a 19-4 technical fall in the semifinals. He became the first Blugold champion of the day by edging Luca Paladino of UW-Stevens Point 8-6 in the championship match.
Balsiger became the Blugolds' first WIAC champion at 125 pounds since 2003.
Stricker had no trouble returning to the 174-pound championship match. The junior won his opener by technical fall and followed with two pins to reach the finals, where he rolled to a 12-0 major decision over UW-Whitewater's Ryan Riser.
Stricker has now won a WIAC title in each of his first three seasons at UW-Eau Claire. He is the second wrestler in school history to have won three conference championships.
Collins moved into the 184-pound finals by winning by pin and decision in his first two matches. In the finals, his upset of ninth-ranked Marcus Orlandoni of UW-La Crosse by sudden victory 4-1 in overtime was crucial to the Blugolds earning a share of the team title. It was the first career WIAC title for the senior.
Collins is the first 184-pound conference champion in UW-Eau Claire's history.
Fleetwood reached the 133-pound finals for the third consecutive season by winning by technical fall and 6-0 decision in his first two matches. Fleetwood, ranked No. 14, battled seventh-ranked Dominik Mallinder of UW-Whitewater in the championship, where he fell by 9-3 decision. It was the third consecutive WIAC runner-up finish for Fleetwood.
Welch dominated his first two matches to advance to the 285-pound finals in his first season as a college wrestler. He won by technical fall and pin in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, before being disqualified in the finals.
Drew Kested (So. – Sterling, Ill.),
Zach Sato (Jr. – Oswego, Ill.),
Tristan Massie (Sr. – Hillsdale, Wis./Barron),
Preston Carlisle (So. – Red Wing, Minn./Cannon Falls),
Ian Pepple (Fr. – Hastings, Minn.) and
Jackson Schichel (Sr. – Hastings, Minn.) all took third place in their respective weight classes.
Kested took third at 141 pounds after going 4-1 in the bracket, finishing just ahead of teammate
Bo Niewiadomski (Jr. – Rosholt, Wis.), who took fourth.
Sato finished third at 149 pounds. He won his first two matches to reach the semifinals, but was disqualified during the semi match. He won the third-place match to end the day with a win.
Massie went 4-1 at 165 pounds to place third. He fell in the semifinals, but rallied to clinch the third-place spot. He had two technical falls and a pin at the tournament.
Carlisle dropped his opening match at 174 pounds, but responded with three straight wins to take third. He won twice by fall and once by decision.
Pepple took home third at 197 pounds. He fell in the semifinals but was able to fight his way through wrestle-backs, where he finished third with a major decision and injury default.
Schichel went 3-1 at 285 to take third, with his only loss coming to the eventual champion. After falling in the semifinals, Schichel won by technical fall and sudden victory in the consolation bracket.
The Blugolds had several other wrestlers finish as place-winners.
Carter Schulz (So. – Rice Lake, Wis.) placed fifth at 125 pounds after going 3-2 on the day.
Travis Moelter (Fr. – River Falls, Wis.) took sixth at 133 pounds with a 1-3 showing.
Landon Church (Fr. – Jordan, Minn./Scott West) took fifth at 149 pounds, winning his final match of the day by pin.
Colton Sund (Jr. – Prior Lake, Minn.) finished fifth at 157 pounds by winning two of his four matches on the day.
Cole Matulenko (Fr. – Libertyville, Ill.) finished fourth at 197 after defaulting to teammate Pepple in the third-place match. Matulenko went 2-1 prior to that match.
UW-Eau Claire will now turn its attention to NCAA regionals, where the wrestlers will have a chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The Blugolds will compete in the NCAA Upper Midwest Regional on March 1-2 at UW-Stevens Point. Wrestling begins at 12 p.m. on March 1.
