WHITEWATER, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire wrestling team placed second at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship (Presented by Culver's) on Saturday at Kachel Gymnasium. The Blugolds produced four individual champions: Izzy Balsiger (Jr. - Chippewa Falls, Wis.) at 125 pounds, Zach Sato (Sr. - Oswego, Ill.) at 149 pounds, Jared Stricker (Sr. - High Bridge, Wis./Ashland) at 174 pounds and Ian Pepple (So. - Hastings, Minn.) at 197 pounds.

Balsiger, Sato and Stricker have all won multiple WIAC championships after Saturday. Stricker became the second four-time conference champion in Blugolds history, while Balsiger and Sato earned the second crowns of their careers. Pepple won his first WIAC title.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Blugolds tallied 147.5 points to finish second in the team standings. UW-La Crosse won the meet with 158.5 points.
• Balsiger won the 125-pound title with a 4-0 performance on the day. He capped off his second WIAC title as a Blugold with a 13-10 sudden victory over fourth-ranked Jalen Dunson of UW-Whitewater in the finals. He had two pins and a victory by decision before reaching the finals.
• Sato went 3-0 on his way to the title. He won by technical fall in the quarterfinals, 9-2 decision in the semifinals and defeated UW-La Crosse's Josh Cherba by 2-0 decision in the finals. Sato was also a conference champion in 2022.
• Stricker finished off his piece of history with four wins to clinch the 174-pound bracket. He joins Davey Starks as the only wrestlers in school history to win four conference championships. Stricker started the day with two pins and followed with a 10-0 major decision in the semis. He clinched the title with a 1-0 decision over UW-La Crosse's Eddie Simes in the finals. Stricker now has 161 career victories, which is tied for the WIAC record.
• Pepple won three matches to earn his first WIAC championship. He won by technical fall in the quarterfinals and fall in the semifinals. He clinched the crown with an 11-3 major decision over No. 2-ranked Ben Kawczynski of UW-La Crosse in the finals.
• The Blugolds also had two conference runners-up: Niall Schoenfelder (Sr. - Antioch, Ill.) and Sloan Welch (So. - Arpin, Wis./Auburndale) at 184 pounds and 285 pounds, respectively. Schoenfelder went 2-1 at 184, only dropping the championship match by sudden victory. He surpassed 100 career wins with his semifinal victory, becoming the 12th wrestler in program history to achieve the milestone. Welch moved into the 285 finals with a pair of bonus-point victories before falling to top-ranked Michael Douglas of UW-La Crosse in the finals.
• Cole Matulenko (So. - Libertyville, Ill.) took third at 197 pounds. He went 4-1 on the day, ending with an 11-2 major decision in the third-place match.
• UW-Eau Claire had several fourth-place finishers: Travis Moelter (So. - River Falls, Wis.) at 133, Finn Bloomquist (Fr. - Prior Lake, Minn.) at 141 and Ty Fink (Fr. - Baldwin, Wis./Baldwin-Woodville) at 149.
• Calvin Singewald (Fr. - Cannon Falls, Minn.), Drew Kested (Jr. - Sterling, Ill.), Landon Church (So. - Jordan, Minn./Scott West), Colton Sund (Sr. - Prior Lake, Minn.), Preston Carlisle (Jr. - Red Wing, Minn./Cannon Falls), Brandon Meister (So. - Spooner, Wis.) and Zak McPhee (Fr. - Duluth, Minn./Proctor) were all placewinners for the Blugolds.

UP NEXT

The Blugolds will begin the NCAA postseason with the Upper Midwest Regional on February 28 and March 1 in Minneapolis. Augsburg will host the tournament at Si Melby Hall.

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