Wrestling To Remain In UW-Oshkosh Sports Module

UW-Oshkosh officials announced Friday (March 21) that the school will continue to sponsor wrestling as an intercollegiate sport.

In his budget message last month, Governor Jim Doyle called for a $250 million cut in the state support for the University of Wisconsin System as part of his plan to offset the projected $3.2 billion state budget deficit over the 2003-05 biennium.

In anticipation of the significant budget cuts at UW-Oshkosh, Chancellor Richard Wells directed campus administrators to submit two budget scenarios for the 2003-04 budget. In one of the plans it called for the sport of wrestling to be dropped.

After evaluating the anticipated budget cuts at UW-Oshkosh, barring any extraordinary change in the circumstances, it was determined that it was unnecessary to drop wrestling, thus, continuing its membership in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III.

"As we explained and promised, throughout the process of dealing with the budget crisis, we have remained open minded to new information, and remained open minded to suggestions and comments about the wrestling program," said Elliott Garb, UW-Oshkosh Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

To continue the longevity of the wrestling program at UW-Oshkosh, head coach Nick Matiash and wrestling administrator Larry Marchionda are beginning to establish an endowment fund. The first fund-raising event will be held March 29 in Kolf Sports Center when former University of Iowa coaching legend and current motivational speaker Dan Gable addresses the general public. He will hold presentations for Business and Industry at 6:00 p.m. and another for the general public and area-wrestling enthusiasts at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students.

For further information about the UW-Oshkosh wrestling program, the endowment fund or Dan Gable's presentations, please contact Matiash or Marchionda at (920) 424-1201 or by email at marchion@uwosh.edu.

Titans Finish Fifth At WIAC Championship

Joel Dziedzic (Sr. • Allenton) was the lone UW-Oshkosh wrestler to advance to the finals as the Titans placed fifth out of seven teams at the WIAC Championship held Sunday (Feb. 23) in Platteville.

Five-time defending champion UW-La Crosse finished first at the event with 133.5 points, while 14 points separated the next five teams. Second place went to UW-Stevens Point with 95.5 points, third to UW-Eau Claire with 94, fourth to host UW-Platteville with 91, fifth to UW-Oshkosh with 85 and sixth to UW-Whitewater with 81.5. Lawrence University, making its WIAC Championship debut, finished seventh with 45 points.

Dziedzic advanced to the finals of the 149 pound weight class after defeating Dave Vanevenhoven of UW-Eau Claire and Jason Rogers of UW-Platteville via technical falls. In the championship match, Dziedzic dropped a 5-4 decision to UW-La Crosse's Troy Fabry, It was just the fourth loss this season in 28 contests for Dziedzic, who won the 149 pound weight class at the 2001 WIAC Championship.

UW-Oshkosh also had three other wrestlers win their opening round match at the meet, Mike Farchione (Jr. • Kewaskum) at 197 pounds, Luke Madson (Jr. • Clinton) at 141 pounds and Nate Muckerheide (So. • Oostburg) at 285 pounds.

Farchione went 2-2 in the tournament, sticking Mark Schmoll of Lawrence University to the mat in 1:45 before being pinned himself by Yan White of UW-Stevens Point in 2:53. Farchione then topped Dan Robinson of UW-Platteville, 5-4, and lost 22-14 to Matt Morris of UW-La Crosse to finish in fourth place. Farchione concluded the year with a 16-14 record.

Madson also went 2-2 in the meet to finish the season with a 19-12 record. His wins were 13-1 over Noah Planavsky of Lawrence University and 13-3 over Tony D'Auono of UW-Eau Claire. Sandwiched in between those victories was a 5-4 loss to UW-Platteville's Adam Anderson. Madson finished in fourth place after dropping a 5-2 decision to Nick Karls of UW-Platteville.

Muckerheide began his competition by pinning Mike Hayes of UW-Stevens Point in 2:33. He then was pinned himself by Ryan Allen of UW-La Crosse in 4:20 before defeating Nick Campbell of UW-Eau Claire, 9-4. Muckerheide concluded the meet with two more victories, a 2-1 win over UW-Platteville's John Adler and a pin in 1:33 over UW-Whitewater's Brian Mingus, to finish in second place. Muckerheide ended the year with a 26-4 record, including 16 pins.

Also finishing in fourth place for the Titans was Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) at 184 pounds. Jasurda went 1-2 in the meet, with hie lone win being a 6-5 score over Josh Frie of UW-Eau Claire. His defeats were a pin in 5:53 to Drew Hammel of UW-Whitewater and a 3-1 setback to Rob Szmanda of UW-La Crosse. Jasurda finished the year with a 20-14 record.

UW-Oshkosh's Nick Matiash, the first year head coach of the Titans, was named WIAC Coach of the Year. UW-Stevens Point's White was named the John Peterson Outstanding Wrestler of the Meet, while UW-Eau Claire's Adam Kolo was named the Max Sparger WIAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Two Titans Win Titles At UW-Eau Claire Invite

Luke Madson (Jr. • Clinton) and Nate Muckerheide (So. • Oostburg) each won all three of their contests to help the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team finish fifth at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational held Saturday (Feb. 1) in Eau Claire.

UW-Stevens Point won the 21-team event with 74 points, while UW-Parkside finished second with 70.5 points and UW-Eau Claire third with 66.5. UW-Oshkosh scored 52.5 points for its fifth-place standing.

The top seed at 141 pounds, Madson raised his record to 17-10 on the season by defeating Jake Johnson of St. John's University, 3-2, Jon Burdick of UW-Stevens Point, 8-4, and Zack Schroeder of Concordia College by default. His victory over Schroeder came in the title bout.

Muckerheide, the top seed at 285 pounds, improved his record to 22-3 on the year by pinning Mike Hayes of UW-Stevens Point in 20 seconds and defeating Jeremiah Knabe of Augsburg College, 5-3, and Nick Campbell of UW-Eau Claire, 11-4. Muckerheide's win over Campbell came in the championship contest, while his pin of Hayes was the fastest recorded by a UW-Oshkosh wrestler this season.

UW-Oshkosh also had one champion in the consolation bracket as Joel Dziedzic (Sr. • Allenton) gained the honor at 149 pounds. Dziedzic, the top seed in the weight class, posted a 4-1 record after defeating Josh Erlandson of Augsburg College, 12-4, in the title bout. Dziedzic's record is now 22-3 on the season.

UW-Oshkosh's Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) arrived in the finals of the 184-pound consolation bracket, but dropped a 6-2 decision to Clint Hodgdon of Augsburg College. Jasurda, now 19-10 on the year, went 2-2 in the tournament.

Titans Down Blugolds In Dual Finale

Highlighted by major and superior decisions, the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team won five of the eight contested bouts to defeat UW-Eau Claire, 24-16, on Friday (Jan. 24) in Albee Hall. The match closed UW-Oshkosh's 2002-03 dual schedule with a 10-5 record, including a 4-2 mark in the WIAC.

Following an exchange of forfeits, UW-Oshkosh took a 15-6 lead in the match as the Titans' Luke Madson (Jr. • Clinton) defeated Tony D'Antuono at 141 pounds by a major decision score of 12-1 and Joel Dziedzic (Sr. • Allenton) crushed Dave Vanevenhoven at 149 pounds by a superior decision count of 19-2.

UW-Eau Claire (7-6/0-3 WIAC) cut its deficit to 15-12 with a pair of victories before the Titans won three of the last four bouts to establish the final score.

Down the stretch UW-Oshkosh's Sean Fortmann (So. • Mukwonago) defeated Troy Seubert at 174 pounds, 7-1, Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) defeated Josh Frie at 184 pounds, 7-2, and Nate Muckerheide (So. • Oostburg) defeated Nick Campbell at 285 pounds, 6-4.

Rangers Apprehend Titans

Scoring the minimum of three team points in six of the first-seven bouts, UW-Parkside withstood a late UW-Oshkosh rally and defeated the Titans, 18-15, in a wrestling match held Wednesday (Jan. 22) in Kenosha.

Ranked 19th in the NCAA Division II, UW-Parkside (2-6) took an 18-3 lead over UW-Oshkosh (9-5) following a double forfeit and six wins in the next seven bouts. The lone UW-Oshkosh victory during that time came at 149 pounds, where the Titans' Joel Dziedzic (Sr. • Allenton) raised his season record to 17-2 with an 8-4 win over UW-Parkside's Brad Becker.

Ranked 29th in the NCAA Division III, UW-Oshkosh closed the score to 18-15 on Jed Lechleitner's (So. • Tomahawk) pin in 6:48 over UW-Parkside's John Goal at 197 pounds and Nate Muckerheide's (So. • Oostburg) win by forfeit at 285 pounds.

UW-Oshkosh lost three close bouts in the match as Sean Fortmann (So. • Mukwonago) dropped an 8-6 decision at 174 pounds to the Ranger's Ben Thiem, Jeff Baker (So. • Freedom) an 11-7 decision at 133 pounds to Matt Jacobs and Jason Gruszynske (So. • Pickett) a 9-5 decision at 165 pounds to Fred Joseph.

Pointers Nip Titans

Making the most of its four victories, including one by forfeit, the UW-Stevens Point wrestling team edged UW-Oshkosh, 20-19, on Wednesday (Jan. 15) in Stevens Point. The contest pitted a pair of nationally-ranked teams as UW-Stevens Point entered the match classified 27th in the NCAA Division III and UW-Oshkosh 29th.

UW-Stevens Point (3-3/1-2 WIAC) took a 20-9 lead in the match before UW-Oshkosh (9-4/3-2 WIAC) made things interesting down the stretch by winning the final three bouts. The Titans cut their deficit to 20-12 on Luke Madson's (Jr. • Clinton) 3-1 win over Jon Burdick at 141 pounds, 20-16 on Joel Dziedzic's (Sr. • Allenton) 15-6 victory over Justin Geitner at 149 pounds and 20-19 on Adam Dorner's (Fr. • Casco) 9-2 win over Ed Wynimko at 157 pounds. Dziedzic raised his season record to 16-2 with the win.

UW-Oshkosh also received wins from Jason Gruszynske (So. • Pickett) at 165 pounds, Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) at 184 pounds and Nate Muckerheide (So. • Oostburg) at 285 pounds. Gruszynske defeated Logan McLennan of the Pointers, 9-5, while Jasurda topped Brian Waldvogel, 10-5, and Muckerheide edged Mike Hayes, 5-3. Muckerheide upped his season record to 17-3 following the victory.

Eagles Fly Past Titans

Nate Muckerheide (So. • Oostburg) was the lone UW-Oshkosh victor as the Titans dropped a 31-6 wrestling decision to nationally-ranked and defending WIAC champion UW-La Crosse on Saturday (Jan. 11) in Fond du Lac.

Muckerheide, competing at 285 pounds, recorded the only pin in the match as he stuck UW-La Crosse's Deke Stanek to the mat in 1:24. Muckerheide is now 16-3 on the season after counting his UW-Oshkosh-best 13th pin.

UW-La Crosse (12-2/3-0 WIAC), ranked fourth in the NCAA Division III, won nine of its 10 bouts against UW-Oshkosh (9-3/3-1 WIAC), but five were by four points or less and another by a forfeit.

Dropping tightly-contested bouts for UW-Oshkosh were Joel Dziedzic (Sr. • Allenton) by a 5-4 score to Troy Fabry at 149 pounds, Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) by a 2-1 tally to Jason Lulloff at 184 pounds, Sean Fortmann (So. • Mukwonago) by a 4-0 score to Nick Patenaude at 174 pounds, Jeff Baker (So. • Freedom) by a 7-3 score to David Silva at 133 pounds and Luke Madson (Jr. • Clinton) by an 8-4 count to Ben Zwaschka at 141 pounds.

Titans Reel In Muskies

Winning seven of 10 bouts, including three by forfeit, the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team defeated Lakeland College, 34-15, on Monday (Jan. 6) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (9-2) won for the seventh time in eight decisions as Joel Dziedzic (Sr. • Allenton), Jason Gruszynske (So. • Pickett), Sean Fortmann (So. • Mukwonago) and Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) all posted victories on the mat. Dziedzic defeated Matt Preimesberger of Lakeland College at 149 pounds, 15-3, while Gruszynske defeated Scott Blanchard at 165, 19-7, Fortmann defeated Patrick Redmond at 174, 14-4, and Jasurda defeated Lee Sparks at 184, 14-6.

Winning by forfeit for the Titans were Luke Madson (Jr. • Clinton) at 141 pounds, Jeff Baker (So. • Freedom) at 133 and Mike Farchione (Jr. • Kewaskum) at 197.

UW-Oshkosh also had wrestlers compete in eight exhibition matches, including three against members from NCAA Division I University of Wisconsin. Among the six UW-Oshkosh victories were two by 125-pounder Aaron Burbach (Fr. • Markesan). Burbach defeated Justin Fortier of Lakeland College by a pin in 1:11 and Casey Jentz of the University of Wisconsin, 11-1.

Titans Win Two Of Three Matches In Hoosier State

Nate Muckerheide (So. • Oostburg) pinned all three of his opponents as the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team posted a 2-1 record at the Rose-Hulman Institute Duals held Saturday (Dec. 14) in Terre Haute, Ind.

UW-Oshkosh (7-2) opened the event with a 27-18 loss to William Penn University (Iowa) before defeating Olivet College (Mich.), 23-19, and Rose-Hulman Institute, 47-0.

Muckerheide was one of only four winners for the Titans in their loss to William Penn University, pinning Shawn Savage of the Statesmen in 43 seconds at 285 pounds. Also victorious for UW-Oshkosh were Luke Madson (Jr. • Clinton) by a 5-4 count at 141 pounds, Joel Dziedzic (Sr. • Allenton) by a 3-1 score at 149 pounds and Mike Farchione (Jr. • Kewaskum) by a pin in 2:45 at 197 pounds.

UW-Oshkosh won six bouts against Olivet College, including Muckerheide's pin of Ryan Morris in 1:57at 285 pounds. The Titans also received wins of 10-7 from Jeff Baker (So. • Freedom) at 133 pounds, 14-5 from Madson at 141 pounds, 7-4 from Dziedzic at 149 pounds, 6-4 from Adam Dorner (Fr. • Casco) at 157 pounds and 10-5 from Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) at 184 pounds.

With the aid of four forfeits, UW-Oshkosh rolled past Rose-Hulman Institute in the last match of the event. The Titans' remaining six wins included pins by Muckerheide in 2:40 over Dan Goebel at 285 pounds and Dorner in 4:48 over Matt Spurgeon at 157 pounds. UW-Oshkosh's other victories on the mat went to Jason Gruszynske (So. • Pickett) by a 12-10 score at 165 pounds, Sean Fortmann (So. • Mukwonago) by a 2-1 count at 174 pounds, Jasurda by a 15-7 score at 184 pounds and Farchione by a 9-1 tally at 197 pounds.

Late Rally Gives Titans Sweep of Raiders, Warhawks

Mike Farchione (Jr. • Kewaskum) pinned UW-Whitewater's Mason Wood in the final bout of the night as the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team defeated both the Warhawks and the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Tuesday (Dec. 10) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (6-1/3-0 WIAC) opened the double-dual with a 35-12 win over the Milwaukee School of Engineering (2-3) before rallying from deficits of 15-0 and 18-9 to defeat UW-Whitewater (4-1/0-1 WIAC), 24-18. The win over UW-Whitewater was just the Titans' second in their last 12 matches (2-9-1 record) with the Warhawks.

UW-Oshkosh dropped its first-four bouts to WIAC-rival UW-Whitewater before the Titans' Joel Dziedzic (Sr. • Allenton) pinned the Warhawks' Ross Babcock in 2:37 at 149 pounds to make the score 15-6. Adam Dorner (Fr. • Casco) closed UW-Oshkosh's deficit to 15-9 by defeating UW-Whitewater's Tony Wright at 157 pounds by a 6-3 score.

Following a loss at 165 pounds, UW-Oshkosh won its next-three bouts in convincing fashion to clinch the doubleheader sweep. Sean Fortmann (So. • Mukwonago) started the trifecta for the Titans by defeating the Warhawks' Arik Grundahl, 11-3, at 174 pounds. Shortly after, UW-Oshkosh's Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) tied the match, 18-18, with his 20-5 rout of UW-Whitewater's Rob Youngsma at 184 pounds. In the final bout of the match and the night for the Titans, Farchione pinned Wood in 1:50 at 197 pounds to give UW-Oshkosh the six-point victory.

Against the Milwaukee School of Engineering in the opener, UW-Oshkosh won seven of the 10 bouts. The Titans had three pins in the contest as Adam Pearson (So. • Beloit) accomplished the feat in 2:05 over the Raiders' Bill Fank at 285 pounds, Jeff Baker (So. • Freedom) in 3:55 over Aaron Gudeyon at 133 pounds and Dziedzic in 4:47 over Bryant Johnson at 149 pounds.

UW-Oshkosh also received wins of 9-3 from Dan Winkler (Fr. • North Fond du Lac) at 141 pounds, 11-2 from Dorner at 157 pounds, 12-1 from Fortmann at 174 pounds and a forfeit to Jasurda at 184 pounds.

Titans Go 2-1 At UW-La Crosse Dual Tournament

The UW-Oshkosh wrestling team won two of its three matches to place fourth at the UW-La Crosse Dual Tournament held Saturday (Dec. 7) in La Crosse.

UW-Oshkosh opened its competition with a 24-15 loss to Augustana College (Ill.) before defeating Central College (Iowa) and Concordia University by counts of 25-15 and 24-19, respectively.

UW-La Crosse and UW-Platteville both went unbeaten in three contests to tie for first place, but the host Eagles were declared the event champion due to a higher total of match points. UW-Eau Claire finished third in the seven-team tournament with a 2-0-1 record.

Joel Dziedzic (Sr. • Allenton) and Nate Muckerheide (So. • Oostburg) led UW-Oshkosh (4-1) in the tournament by winning all three of their bouts and combining for five pins.

UW-Oshkosh won only three bouts against Augustana College, but two of them were pins by Muckerheide in 1:08 over Daniel Daly at 285 pounds and Dziedzic in 4:41 over Robert Golombek at 149 pounds. The Titans' other victor was Sean Fortmann (So. • Mukwonago), a 5-1 winner at 174 pounds.

UW-Oshkosh's victory over Central College included pins by Mike Farchione (Jr. • Kewaskum) at 197 pounds and Muckerheide at 285. Farchione and Muckerheide pinned their opponents in consecutive bouts, with Farchione sticking Zach Whitehead to the mat in 1:24 and Muckerheide Matt Thompson in 1:52. The Titans also received victories of 15-9 from Jeff Baker (So. • Freedom) at 133 pounds, 7-5 from Luke Madson (Jr. • Clinton) at 141 pounds, 15-1 from Dziedzic at 149 pounds and 5-1 from Fortmann at 174 pounds.

The Titans had three more pins in their victory over Concordia University as Farchione put Paul Manning to rest in 2:40 at 197 pounds, Muckerheide Bryan Otto in 2:40 at 285 pounds and Dziedzic Sam Rugg in 56 seconds at 149 pounds. UW-Oshkosh also registered wins of 2-1 from Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) at 184 pounds and 14-9 from Baker at 133 pounds.

Pearson Wins Title At Lawrence University Invite

Adam Pearson (So. • Beloit) finished first at 285 pounds and Jed Lechleitner (So. • Tomahawk) third at 197 pounds as the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team placed fourth at the Lawrence University Invitational held Saturday (Dec. 7) in Appleton.

Olivet College (Mich.) won the seven-team event with 96 points, while Lawrence University finished second with 70.5, Wheaton College (Ill.) third with 50 and UW-Oshkosh fourth with 32.

Completing the team scoring were fifth-place Maranatha Baptist Bible College with 27.5 points, sixth-place UW-Platteville with 18.5 points and seventh-place Lakeland College with 9.5 points.

Pearson went unbeaten in three bouts, defeating Ryan Morris of Olivet College, 4-1, in the title contest. Lechleitner posted a 3-1 record, with a 6-5 victory over UW-Platteville's Dan Robinson in the third-place squabble.

UW-Oshkosh competed in the meet with only half of its squad as the remaining team members were wrestling on Saturday at a dual tournament hosted by UW-La Crosse.

Seven Titans Place At Concordia Open

Joel Dziedzic (Sr. • Allenton) placed second at 149 pounds to highlight the individual performances for the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team at the Concordia University Open on Saturday (Nov. 23) in Mequon.

Dziedzic fashioned a 4-1 record, including one pin, for his second-place finish in the tournament. Dziedzic lost to Chris Vogel of Loras College in his title contest.

The Titans also received third-place finishes from Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) at 184 pounds and Nate Muckerheide (So. • Oostburg) at 285. Jasurda went 4-1 in the event, while Muckerheide went 5-1, including pins of just 21 and 28 seconds.

Other UW-Oshkosh wrestlers to place were Mike Farchione (Jr. • Kewaskum) at 197 pounds, Jeff Baker (So. • Freedom) at 133, Brad Baker (Fr. • Freedom) at 125 and Luke Madson (Jr. • Clinton) at 141. Farchione finished fourth with a 3-2 record, while Jeff Baker finished fifth with a 4-2 mark. Brad Baker and Madson each finished sixth by compiling 3-3 and 3-2 records, respectively.

In all, the 19 UW-Oshkosh wrestlers who competed at the meet took part in 73 matches.

Titans Edge Nationally-Ranked Pioneers

The UW-Oshkosh wrestling team compiled a 19-7 lead and then held on to trip nationally-ranked UW-Platteville, 22-19, on Friday (Nov. 15) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (2-0/2-0 WIAC) built a 12-point advantage (19-7) against the 19th-ranked team in the NCAA Division III by winning four of the first-six bouts. The Pioneers (0-1/0-1 WIAC) made things interesting down the stretch, however, by winning three of the final-four contests.

UW-Oshkosh's Nate Muckerheide (So. • Oostburg), competing in the 285-pound weight class, began the match by pinning UW-Platteville's Ned Lease in a time of 1:02. Four bouts later, 149-pounder Joel Dziedzic (Sr. • Allenton) gave the Titans a 16-7 lead by pinning the Pioneers' Lucas Kern in 6:42.

Other victors for UW-Oshkosh were Brad Baker (Fr. • Freedom) at 125 pounds, Adam Dorner (Fr. • Casco) at 157 pounds and Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) at 184 pounds.

UW-Platteville had a chance to tie the match with a pin in the final bout, but the Pioneers' Roy Forsyth recorded only an 8-2 win at 197 pounds over the Titans' Mike Farchione (Jr. • Kewaskum).

Titans Ruin Vikings' WIAC Debut

The UW-Oshkosh wrestling team spoiled the WIAC debut of Lawrence University by thrashing the host Vikings, 31-6, in a dual meet held Tuesday (Nov. 12) in Appleton. The victory was the first for UW-Oshkosh in six meetings with Lawrence University, which joined the WIAC this past summer after competing previously as an independent member of the NCAA Division III.

UW-Oshkosh (1-0/1-0 WIAC) won eight of the 10 bouts against Lawrence University (0-1/0-1 WIAC), including at 285 pounds where the Titans' Nate Muckerheide (So. • Oostburg) pinned the Vikings' Kenny Hamm in 1:14.

UW-Oshkosh also won seven other contests on the mat as Brad Baker (Fr. • Freedom) was victorious at 125 pounds, Jeff Baker (So. • Freedom) at 133 pounds, Luke Madson (Jr. • Clinton) at 141 pounds, Jason Gruszynske (So. • Pickett) at 165 pounds, Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) at 184 pounds and Mike Farchione (Jr. • Kewaskum) at 197 pounds. Madson won his bout by a 7-5 count in overtime.

Winning by forfeit for the Titans was Joel Dziedzic (Sr. • Allenton) at 149 pounds.

UW-Oshkosh Trio Place At Golden Eagle Open

A pair of second-place finishes and one third helped the UW-Oshkosh wrestling begin the 2002-03 season with a solid performance at the Golden Eagle Open held Saturday (Nov. 9) in Stevens Point.

UW-Oshkosh had wrestlers Nick Jasurda (Sr. • Mukwonago) and Nate Muckerheide (So. • Oostburg) finish second at 184 and 285 pounds, respectively, and Jason Gruszynske (So. • Pickett) third at 165 pounds.

Jasurda went 3-1 in the tournament, dropping a 3-2 decision to Joel Schrimpf of NCAA Division II Mankato State University (Minn.) in the title match. Muckerheide posted a 2-1 record in the event, including a 14-5 loss to Dave Neumyer of NCAA Division I University of Wisconsin in the title bout. Gruszynske compiled a 4-1 ledger in the meet after defeating unattached Matt Petsinger, 6-5, in the third-place match.

The Titans also had Jed Lechleitner (So. • Tomahawk) finish fourth at 197 pounds and Brad Baker (Fr. • Freedom), Jeff Baker (So. • Freedom), Luke Madson (Jr. • Clinton) finish fifth at 125, 133 and 141 pounds, respectively.