Two Titans Place In Top Three At WIAC Championship

Junior Nick Jasurda placed second at 184 pounds and sophomore Tim DeMars third at 125 as the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team finished sixth at the WIAC Championship held Sunday (Feb. 17) in River Falls.

UW-La Crosse, with the aid of six individual champions, scored 147 points to capture its fifth straight WIAC title. UW-Platteville finished second with 117 points, UW-Stevens Point third with 110, UW-Eau Claire fourth with 92, UW-Whitewater fifth with 83.5, UW-Oshkosh sixth with 73.5 and UW-River Falls seventh with 5.

Winning individual titles for UW-La Crosse were senior Josh Habeck at 133 pounds, senior Brady Cudd at 141 pounds, sophomore Troy Fabry at 149 pounds, sophomore Nick Patenaude at 165 pounds, junior Ben Bly at 174 pounds and senior Jason Ott at 285 pounds.

Other individual champions were junior Davey Starks of UW-Eau Claire at 125 pounds, freshman Mark Meyers of UW-Platteville at 157 pounds, senior Troy Austin of UW-Platteville at 184 pounds and sophomore Yan White of UW-Stevens Point at 197 pounds.

Jasurda went 2-1 for the Titans at 184 pounds, dropping an 8-3 decision to Austin in the title bout. Previously, Jasurda defeated Nate Anderson of UW-Whitewater, 9-6, and Rob Rodriguez of UW-La Crosse, 9-5.

DeMars also went 2-1 in the meet, including a 16-2 win over UW-Platteville's Dan Coburn in the third-place bout at 125 pounds. Prior to competing in his third-place bout, DeMars defeated UW-Stevens Point's David Davila, 6-4, and dropped a 5-2 decision to UW-La Crosse's Nick Mueller. DeMars was a fourth-place finisher a year ago.

UW-Oshkosh also received a fourth-place finish from freshman Nathan Muckerheide at 285 pounds. Muckerheide posted a 2-2 record in the meet, including a 10-7 loss to UW-Platteville's Devin Kraege in the third-place bout.

UW-Stevens Point's Yan White was named the John Peterson Wrestler of the Meet, while UW-La Crosse's Tim Fader was named the 2002 WIAC Coach of the Year.

Titans Finish Fourth At UW-Eau Claire Invitational

Junior Luke Madson won his 141-pound weight class as the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team finished fourth at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational held Saturday (Feb. 2) in Eau Claire.

UW-Stevens Point won the 19-team event with 87.5 points, while Augsburg College finished second with 70.5, UW-La Crosse third with 69, UW-Oshkosh fourth with 50 and UW-Eau Claire fifth with 42.5. UW-Oshkosh's "B" team finished 11th with 8.5 points and UW-Oshkosh's "C" squad 18th with 1.5.

Madson raised his record to 21-11 on the season by defeating Drew Sciacca of UW-La Crosse, 5-4, Justin Lessard of Augsburg College, 8-7, and Joel Burdick of UW-Stevens Point, 6-1. The Titans also received a second-place finish from freshman Nathan Muckerheide at 285 pounds. Muckerheide (14-3) pinned Nate Demulling of UW-River Falls in 58 seconds and won by a forfeit over Mark Burger of UW-Stevens Point before dropping a 14-5 decision to Jason Ott of UW-La Crosse in the title bout.

Winning consolation championships for UW-Oshkosh were sophomore Tim DeMars (18-11) at 125 pounds, junior Nick Jasurda (18-14) at 184 pounds, freshman Jed Lechleitner (13-10) at 197 pounds and sophomore Dustin Drexel (4-6) at 285 pounds. Drexel competed for UW-Oshkosh's "B" team.

Titans Defeat Muskies, Lose To Raiders

The UW-Oshkosh wrestling team concluded its 2001-02 dual meet schedule by splitting a pair of matches against the Milwaukee School of Engineering and Lakeland College on Tuesday (Jan. 29) in Sheboygan.

UW-Oshkosh lost to the Milwaukee School of Engineering, 24-19, and defeated Lakeland College, 37-6, to finish its dual meet schedule with an 11-9 record. The Titans end the 2001-02 season by competing at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational on February 2 and the WIAC Championship on February 17.

UW-Oshkosh won four bouts in its lost to the Milwaukee School of Engineering, including pins by sophomores Tim DeMars at 125 pounds and Mike Kratz at 174 pounds. Both wrestlers pinned their opponent to mat quickly, with DeMars performing the task in 35 seconds and Kratz in 37. UW-Oshkosh also gained wins of 7-2 from junior Nick Jasurda at 184 pounds and 12-4 from freshman Mike Sebesta at 157.

UW-Oshkosh dominated Lakeland College by winning four of the five contested bouts. The Titans had a pair of pins in the match as sophomore Luke Madson stuck his 149-pound opponent to the mat in 6:11 and Sebesta his 157-pound foe in 2:55. The Titans also had wins of 11-0 from Jasurda at 184 pounds and 2-1 in overtime from freshman Nathan Muckerheide at 285. Winning by forfeit for UW-Oshkosh were freshman Andy Blessing at 141 pounds, DeMars at 125 pounds, Kratz at 174 pounds and freshman Jed Lechleitner at 197 pounds.

Titans Fall To Blugolds

The UW-Eau Claire wrestling team won two of the last three bouts to defeat UW-Oshkosh, 19-12, in a dual meet held Friday (Jan. 25) in Eau Claire. It was the third straight dual victory for UW-Eau Claire (4-4), while it was the fourth consecutive dual loss for UW-Oshkosh (8-10).

UW-Oshkosh took a 7-6 lead over UW-Eau Claire as sophomore Mike Kratz and junior Nick Jasurda won bouts at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively. Kratz raised his record to 21-7 on the season with a 14-5 victory over sophomore Troy Seubert, while Jasurda evened his record at 13-13 with a 6-4 win over junior Josh Frie.

With exception of a double forfeit at 125 pounds, UW-Eau Claire won four of the remaining five bouts to gain the win. The Blugolds clinched the victory in the final bout as freshman Matt Renkas defeated UW-Oshkosh sophomore Mike Uyeda by an 11-8 tally. Renkas overcame a two-point deficit in the third period by scoring a takedown and three near-fall points.

UW-Oshkosh also had the bout winner at 141 pounds, where sophomore Luke Madson defeated freshman Jesse Matchey, 17-2. Madson increased his season record to 17-10 with the victory.

Rangers Capture Titans

UW-Parkside displayed why its the ninth-ranked wrestling team in the NCAA Division II by overwhelming UW-Oshkosh, 35-3, on Tuesday (Jan. 22) in Albee Hall. The The Rangers (7-1) won nine of the 10 bouts held, including the first five of the match.

UW-Oshkosh (8-9) recorded its lone victory at 174 pounds, where sophomore Mike Kratz defeated freshman Rick Schmoll by a 6-4 score. The win was Kratz's 20th of the season in 27 decisions.

Losing close decisions for UW-Oshkosh were sophomore Tim DeMars by a 5-2 tally at 125 pounds, sophomore Dustin Drexel by a 1-1 double-overtime criteria count at 285 pounds and junior Nick Jasurda by a 7-3 score at 184 pounds.

UW-Oshkosh has lost its last three dual matches after winning seven of its previous eight. The Titans close their 2001-02 dual meet schedule with matches on January 25 at UW-Eau Claire and January 29 against Lakeland College and the Milwaukee School of Engineering. The WIAC Championship will be held February 17 in River Falls.

Titans Bitten By Pointers

The UW-Stevens Point wrestling team won eight of 10 bouts to defeat UW-Oshkosh, 31-6, on Wednesday (Jan. 16) in Albee Hall.

Victorious in their bouts for the Titans (8-8) were sophomores Tim DeMars at 125 pounds and Luke Madson at 141. DeMars raised his record to 13-9 on the season with an 8-2 win over UW-Stevens Point freshman David Davila. Madson increased his record to 16-9 with a 4-1 win over the Pointers' Joel Burdick.

UW-Oshkosh wrestlers losing tightly-contested bouts were sophomore Dustin Drexel by an 8-4 count at 285 pounds and junior Nick Jasurda by a 7-2 tally at 184 pounds and senior Ron Klein by a 9-4 score at 133 pounds.

Leading 11-6 after five bouts, UW-Stevens Point (1-3) pulled away from UW-Oshkosh down the stretch, winning the five remaining bouts by a combined score of 20-0.

UW-Oshkosh closes its 2001-02 home schedule on January 22 by hosting NCAA Division II UW-Parkside in a 7 p.m. match.

Nationally-ranked Eagles Fly Past Titans

Competing as the third-ranked wrestling team in the NCAA Division III, UW-La Crosse won eight of 10 bouts to defeat UW-Oshkosh, 38-7, on Friday (Jan. 11) in Albee Hall. The defending WIAC champion Eagles ended the match by winning the last five bouts, including three by pins.

UW-Oshkosh (8-7) recorded two victories in the match as sophomore Tim DeMars won at 125 pounds and junior Nick Jasurda at 184 pounds. DeMars defeated Nick Mueller of UW-La Crosse by a 12-4 score, while Jasurda defeated the Eagles' Rob Szmanda by an 8-5 count.

Losing by decisions for UW-Oshkosh were sophomore Mike Farchione by a 21-9 score at 197 pounds, freshman Jason Gruszynske by a 10-3 score at 165 pounds, sophomore Mike Kratz by a 10-4 score at 174 pounds and sophomore Luke Madson by a 17-6 score at 141 pounds.

UW-La Crosse (7-1) entered the match with six wrestlers ranked in the top eight in the NCAA Division III, including top-ranked Jason Ott at 285 pounds, second-ranked Josh Habeck at 133 pounds and eighth-ranked Troy Fabry at 149 pounds who pinned their UW-Oshkosh adversaries in times of 4:40, 3:38 and 6:00, respectively.

Forfeits Help Titans Thrash Falcons, Oles

Aided by nine forfeits, the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team trounced UW-River Falls, 45-9, and St. Olaf College, 36-15, in matches held Wednesday (Jan. 9) in River Falls. The Titans have now won seven of their last dual meets, with their only blemish being a 19-18 setback to Olivet College on December 15.

In UW-Oshkosh's win over UW-River Falls, the Titans received forfeits in five of the 10 weight classes. UW-Oshkosh gained its remaining wins from sophomore Mike Farchione at 197 pounds, junior Nick Jasurda at 184 pounds and sophomore Luke Madson at 141 pounds. Farchione and Madson won by pins in times of 2:28 and 1:41, respectively.

UW-Oshkosh (8-6) received four forfeits against St. Olaf College and benefited from pins by sophomore Tim DeMars at 125 pounds and senior Ron Klein at 133 pounds. Klein stuck his opponent to the mat in 2:16 and DeMars in 6:45.

Titans Nearly Perfect At Rose-Hulman Institute Duals

With the only blemish being a one-point loss to Olivet College, the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team won five of its six matches at the Rose-Hulman Institute Duals held Friday and Saturday (Dec. 14-15) in Terre Haute, Ind.

UW-Oshkosh (6-6) opened the event with victories of 24-23 and 32-9 over Manchester College and 39-9 over Rose-Hulman Institute before dropping a 19-18 decision to Olivet College. The Titans followed their one-point setback with victories of 33-2 over Olivet College and 27-2 over the University of Indianapolis.

UW-Oshkosh had five wrestlers go undefeated on the mat, with sophomore Mike Kratz going 6-0 with six pins at 174 pounds and freshman Nathan Muckerheide going 6-0 with five pins at 285 pounds. Kratz (19-5) recorded pins in times of 3:53, 1:35, 3:45, 3:15, 1:51 and 1:59, while Muckerheide (12-1) registered pins in time of 1:39, 2:46, 1:37, 1:17 and 1:12. Kratz has 12 pins on the season, while Muckerheide, who has won his last 12 bouts, has seven.

Also going perfect for the Titans were sophomore Mike Farchione (9-6) with four wins and freshmen Sean Fortman (5-5) and Jed Lechleitner (9-5) with three victories each. Winning four bouts for UW-Oshkosh were sophomores Tim DeMars (9-9) and Luke Madson (13-8). Farchione had three pins among his four victories.

Titans Go 1-2 At Central College Duals

Freshman Nathan Muckerheide won all three bouts and sophomores Mike Kratz and Luke Madson a pair as the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team booked a 1-2 record at the Central College Duals held Saturday (Dec. 8) in Pella, Iowa.

UW-Oshkosh (1-5) defeated Central College, 25-15, before suffering setbacks of 28-9 to Simpson College and 36-12 to Buena Vista University. Buena Vista University entered the Central College Duals as the eighth-ranked team in the NCAA Division III.

Muckerheide raised his record to 6-1 by pinning two opponents and winning by a decision over the other. He pinned Nick Brooks of Central College in 40 seconds, pinned Dillon Ward of Simpson College in 56 seconds and won by a 10-6 count over Dax Doran of Buena Vista University.

Kratz won his two bouts by defeating Tom Atkinson of Central College, 5-3, and Adam Buthe of Buena Vista University, 4-3. Madson gained his two wins by defeating Danny Edling of Central College, 8-7, and Jeff Kuhl of Simpson College, 5-1.

Warhawks Gnaw Titans

The UW-Oshkosh wrestling team saw its dual meet record fall to 0-3 when it dropped a 31-5 decision to UW-Whitewater on Tuesday (Dec. 4) in Whitewater.

UW-Whitewater, which battled to a 17-17 tie with UW-Oshkosh a year ago, won eight of the 10 bouts against the Titans, including pins by Tony Wright in 5:48 at 149 pounds and Matt Sommerville in 4:27 at 157 pounds. The Warhawks (2-0) also received wins of 15-5 from Jeff Zastrow at 174 pounds, 10-3 from Nate Anderson at 184 pounds and 10-4 from Cody Tonsor at 197 pounds.

Winning bouts for UW-Oshkosh were sophomore Luke Madson at 141 pounds and freshman Nathan Muckerheide at 285. Madson was a 9-4 winner over Nick Karls, while Muckerheide was a 4-2 victor over Brian Mingus.

UW-Oshkosh also suffered a pair of one-point setbacks in the match, with sophomore Tim DeMars losing a 6-5 bout at 125 pounds to Justin Nelson and freshman Jason Gruszynske a 3-2 outing at 165 pounds to Jason Krueger.

Titans Finish Second At Lawrence University Invite

Winning four weight classes and placing second in four others, the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team finished second at the Lawrence University Invitational held Saturday (Dec. 1) in Appleton.

Lawrence University won the event with 108 points, while UW-Oshkosh finished second with 105, Wheaton College third with 40, Maranatha Baptist Bible College fourth with 21.5 and Lakeland College fifth with 11.

Winning weight classes for the Titans were sophomore Luke Madson at 141 pounds, sophomore Mike Kratz at 174 pounds, sophomore Mike Farchione at 197 pounds and freshman Nathan Muckerheide at 285 pounds. Kratz and Madson went 3-0 in the tournament, while Farchione and Muckerheide went 2-0. Kratz and Madson both had impressive outings, with Kratz recording a pin at 3:47 and winning bouts by counts of 14-1 and 10-0 and Madson registering a pin at 3:25 and winning bouts by scores of 11-1 and 5-0.

Finishing second for the Titans were freshman Andy Blessing (2-1 & 1 pin) at 133 pounds, freshman Jason Gruszynske (2-1 & 1 pin) at 165 pounds, junior Nick Jasurda (1-1) at 184 pounds and sophomore Mike Uyeda (1-1 & 1 pin) at 157 pounds.

Titans Toppled By Pioneers In WIAC Opener

The UW-Platteville wrestling team won its fourth straight dual match with a 30-6 victory over UW-Oshkosh on Thursday (Nov. 29) in Platteville. The Pioneers entered the contest ranked 18th in the NCAA Division III.

UW-Platteville (4-0 & 3-0 in the WIAC) won eight of the 10 bouts, including a pin by Chris Vogel at 149 pounds and a technical fall by Chris McDaniel at 157.

UW-Oshkosh (0-2 & 0-1 in the WIAC) totaled its six points with victories by sophomore Tim DeMars at 125 pounds and freshman Jason Gruszynske at 165. DeMars (3-2) defeated UW-Platteville's Dan Coburn, 3-1, while Gruszynske (7-4) edged the Pioneers' Peter Moe, 11-8.

UW-Oshkosh lost a pair of tightly-contested bouts in the match as freshman Andy Blessing and sophomore Luke Madson were edged 4-2 and 6-3, respectively.

The next WIAC dual meet for the Titans is December 4 at UW-Whitewater. Last year, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater wrestled to a 17-17 tie.

Titans Edged By Vikings In Dual Meet Opener

The 10th and final bout decided the match as the nationally-ranked Lawrence University wrestling team trimmed UW-Oshkosh, 19-16, on Tuesday (Nov. 20) in Albee Hall. Lawrence University entered the contest as the 22nd-ranked team in the NCAA Division III.

UW-Oshkosh (0-1), which lost its previous two matches to Lawrence University by a combined score of 73-9, led the Vikings, 9-8, after five bouts. Each team won twice during the next four bouts to make the score 16-16 with one bout remaining, a squabble in the 184-pound weight class. Lawrence University (1-1) won the match in the final bout as returning NCAA Division III All-American Andy Kazik defeated UW-Oshkosh junior Nick Jasurda by a 10-3 count.

Winning bouts for UW-Oshkosh were sophomore Tim DeMars at 125 pounds, sophomore Mike Farchione at 197 pounds, sophomore Luke Madson at 141 pounds, freshman Jason Gruszynske at 165 pounds and sophomore Mike Kratz at 174 pounds. The Titans went without a pin in the match, but Kratz did account for four points in the team scoring with his 14-2 win over the Vikings' Steve Guenther.