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2001 Highlights

Dziedzic Drops Opening Bouts At NCAA Championship

Joel DziedzicUW-Oshkosh wrestler Joel Dziedzic was eliminated from competition at the NCAA Division III Championship on Friday (March 2) following a pair of setbacks in his opening round matches. The junior 149-pounder entered the event held in Waverly, Iowa, as the sixth seed, but fell victim to two unranked opponents.

Dziedzic opened his third appearance at the NCAA Division III Championship by dropping a 17-3 decision to junior Mike Markovic of John Carroll University. Markovic later won his next match to advance to the semifinals in the field of 15 wrestlers at the 149-pound weight class.

Dziedzic's attempt to stay alive in the consolation bracket lasted only one match as he dropped a 7-4 decision to sophomore Alex Morf of St. Olaf College. The loss ended the year for Dziedzic at 17-4 (nine pins) and denied him an opportunity to gain All-America accolades, an honor he claimed in 1998 after recording an eighth-place finish.

Dziedzic qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship by winning his weight class at the WIAC Championship held Feb. 28 in Stevens Point. Dziedzic has compiled an 86-29 record during his three years at UW-Oshkosh, including 53 pins.

UW-Oshkosh concluded its first season under head coach Larry Marchionda with a 5-8-1 dual meet record and a fourth-place finish at the WIAC Championship. The Titans scored 87 points at the WIAC Championship, the highest total ever recorded at the event by UW-Oshkosh.

Dziedzic Wins 149-Pound Title At WIAC Championship

Tim DeMars Joel Dziedzic Ron Klein Eric Maloney

Junior Joel Dziedzic won the 149-pound title as the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team finished fourth at the WIAC Championship held Sunday (Feb. 18) at UW-Stevens Point's Quandt Fieldhouse.

UW-La Crosse won its fourth straight WIAC title, totaling 156 points and claiming six of the 10 individual champions. UW-Stevens Point finished second with 98 points, while UW-Eau Claire placed third with 95.5, UW-Oshkosh fourth with 87 and UW-Platteville fifth with 85. The 87 points scored by the Titans were the most recorded at the event in school history, eclipsing 81.50 points scored in 1999.

Dziedzic, the number two seed, defeated top-seed Pat Kearns of UW-La Crosse, 8-2, in his title match. His title bout followed consecutive pins in times of 2:16 and 2:30 over Matt Hansen of UW-River Falls and Jason Kleinschmidt of UW-Stevens Point, respectively. Dziedzic will take a 17-2 record into the NCAA Division III Championship for which he qualified as a conference champion. The national event is scheduled for March 2-3 at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Dziedzic, with a career record of 86-27 and a career pin count of 53, finished eighth to gain All-America accolades at the NCAA Division III Championship in 1999.

UW-Oshkosh and UW-La Crosse were the only teams to score points in all 10 weight classes. In addition to Dziedzic, the Titans also received a third-place finish from freshman Tim DeMars at 125 pounds, and fourth-place finishes from junior Ron Klein at 141 pounds and senior Eric Maloney at 197 pounds.

Finishing fifth for UW-Oshkosh were freshman Mike Farchione at 184 pounds, sophomore Nick Jasurda at 174 pounds, freshman Adam Pearson at 285 pounds, freshman Ben Smith at 165 pounds and freshman Mike Uyeda at 157 pounds.