LA CROSSE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — A day full of milestones saw the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire wrestling team earn an unprecedented four All-America honors and set a new school record on the opening day of the 2024 NCAA Division III Championships on Friday at the La Crosse Center.
Jared Stricker (Jr. – Ashland, Wis.) became the school's all-time wins leader with his victory in the opening round at 174 pounds and became one of four Blugolds to earn All-America status along with
Zach Sato (Jr. – Oswego, Ill.),
Tristan Massie (Sr. – Hillsdale, Wis./Barron) and
Niall Schoenfelder (So. – Antioch, Ill.).
Sato, Stricker and Schoenfelder are all in contention for a national championship. All three advanced to the semifinals of their respective weight classes and are two wins away from becoming national champions. Massie earned All-America status by winning in the blood round of the consolation bracket. Sato, Massie and Schoenfelder all earned All-America honors for the first time in their careers.
UW-Eau Claire had never had more than three All-Americans in one season previously.
Stricker, the top-seeded wrestler at 174 pounds, became UW-Eau Claire's all-time wins leader with an 11-3 major decision over Ithaca's Jackson Gray in his first match of the day. It boosted his career total to 123, surpassing the mark of 122 set by Nathaniel Behnke from 2012-16. He then went on to add to the tally by making quick work of eighth-seeded Dejon Glaster from Millikin, winning by 17-1 technical fall to advance to the semifinals and secure All-America status for the second straight year. Stricker will take on fifth-seeded Jason Geyer of NYU in the 174-pound semis, looking to return to the national championship match for the second straight season.
Sato, seeded fifth in the 149-pound bracket, got off to a strong start with a 12-7 decision over Ithaca's Matthew Beyer in the first round. It moved him into the quarterfinals, where he squared off with fourth-seeded Charlie Stuhl of Augsburg. A quick move midway through the match allowed Sato to get Stuhl on his back and end the match with a pin at 4:39. It gave him his first career All-America honor and sent him to the national semifinals for the first time. Sato will wrestle top-seeded Michael Petrella of Baldwin Wallace in the semis. Petrella is the defending national champion.
Schoenfelder took a dramatic path to the 184-pound quarterfinals. He upended third-seeded Kasey Ross of Wartburg by 4-1 sudden victory in a prelim match to enter the first round of the championship bracket. He trailed NYU's Trent Furman until the final moment of the match, when Schoenfelder swept for a takedown and a near fall in the final few seconds of the third period to escape with an 8-4 win. He then rode out a 4-3 decision over Ursinus' Max Borton in the quarterfinals to clinch All-America honors and advance to the semifinals. He will wrestle unseeded Ryan DeVivo of Johnson & Wales with a trip to the national championship on the line.
Massie at first appeared to be on his way to the championship bracket at 165 pounds after nabbing a late takedown in the final moments of his prelim against Loras' Dustin Bohren. However, the takedown was overturned upon review and Bohren held on for a 5-4 decision. It sent Massie to wrestlebacks, where he advanced to the consolation bracket with a 9-0 major decision over David Reid of Roanoke. With one more loss ensuring his elimination, Massie wrestled his way through to the blood round by defeating Baldwin Wallace's Andrew Supers by 13-4 major decision. The senior then clinched All-America status by knocking off fifth-seeded Brian Schneider of Elizabethtown by 12-4 major decision. Massie can still earn a third-place finish on Saturday. He'll wrestle Johnson & Wales' Patrick Wisniewski in the consolation quarterfinals.
Tyler Fleetwood (Sr. – Fulton, Ill.) dropped his opening match at 133 pounds, but kept his tournament alive with a consolation victory. He fell to Gabriel Leo-Esparolini of Johnson & Wales by 11-4 decision in his opener, but responded with a third-period pin of Augsburg's Chance Suddeth in wrestleback action to enter the consolation bracket. He earned another win in the next round, scoring a 14-0 major decision over Springfield's Gianni Manginelli. He wrapped up his season in the next round after a narrow 4-3 defeat at the hands of UW-Whitewater's Dominik Mallinder. Fleetwood finished with a 36-10 record this winter.
Izzy Balsiger (So. – Chippewa Falls, Wis.) battled but dropped his first two matches to be knocked out of the tournament. He held a six-point lead entering the third period of his opener against Mac Cafurello of Roanoke, but Cafurello surged to force overtime. Balsiger fell in the extra period to fall by 15-8 sudden victory. He then lost to Augsburg's Wyatt Kaczrowski by 9-2 decision in consolation action to conclude his season. Balsiger finished the campaign with a 12-5 record.
The NCAA Championships continue with the championship semifinals and the remainder of the consolation brackets set for the first session of the day on Saturday, March 16. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m., with the national finals set to begin at 7 p.m.
