Fortmann Named To Scholar All-America Team

UW-Oshkosh wrestler Sean Fortmann (Sr. • Mukwonago) has been named to the 2005 NCAA Division III National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-America Team.

In addition to Fortmann, other WIAC wrestlers honored were Lawrence University's John Budi (165 pounds), UW-La Crosse's Adam Kuchina (141) and Ross Needham (157), UW-Platteville's Ned Lease (184) and Tom Venner (197), UW-Stevens Point's Mike Hayes (285) and UW-Whitewater's Nick Karls (141).

Fortmann, who competed at 174 pounds, compiled a 21-16 record and finished third at the WIAC Championship this past season. He is a secondary education major.

Milwaukee School of Engineering tallied a team grade point average of 3.603 to capture the Scholar Team Award from the NWCA.

Titans Finish Fifth At WIAC Championship

Justin Lancaster (Sr. • Monroe) finished second at 157 pounds for the second consecutive season to lead the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team to a fifth-place finish at the WIAC Championship held Sunday (Feb. 20) in Appleton.

UW-La Crosse scored 142.5 points to capture its eighth straight WIAC title. The Eagles had the champion in seven weight classes and the runner-up in two others. Winning championships for UW-La Crosse were Jordan Kolinski at 125 pounds, Mike Rohowetz at 133, Jake Larsen at 149, Ross Needham at 157, Nick Ammerman at 165, Jim Swanson at 197 and Ryan Allen at 285.

UW-Stevens Point finished second in the team standings with 100.5 points, while UW-Platteville placed third at 95.5, UW-Whitewater fourth at 87, UW-Oshkosh fifth at 71, UW-Eau Claire sixth at 67 and Lawrence University seventh at 45. UW-Oshkosh finished sixth at the event a year ago.

Other individual champions at the meet were Joel Burdick of UW-Stevens Point at 141 pounds, Cody Koenig of UW-Stevens Point at 174 and Ben Dictus of Lawrence University at 184.

Lancaster (22-9) advanced to the finals after defeating Curt Polzin of UW-Eau Claire, 17-1, and Chris Lee of UW-Whitewater, 8-0. Lancaster lost 2-0 to Needham in the championship bout, but needed an 11-4 victory over Jeremy Luckey of UW-Platteville to earn a true second-place finish.

UW-Oshkosh also received two third-place finishes, efforts from Jeremy VanSchyndel (So. • Kaukauna) at 133 pounds and Sean Fortmann (Sr. • Mukwonago) at 174.

VanSchyndel (22-11) opened the tournament with a 5-4 loss to Jake Calhoun of UW-Stevens Point before defeating Shane Brady of UW-Eau Claire, 9-4, and Dane Droessler of UW-Platteville, 6-2. Fortmann (21-16) got pinned in 2:48 by Josh Chelf of UW-La Crosse in his first match, but rallied back with victories of 4-3 over Eric Verbeten of UW-Whitewater and 2-1 over Lance Valiquette of UW-Eau Claire. Fortmann finished fourth at 174 pounds a year ago.

Mike Farchione (Sr. • Kewaskum) contributed to UW-Oshkosh's performance by finishing fourth at 285 pounds. Farchione (23-11) lost 2-1 to Mike Hayes of UW-Stevens Point, posted a 4-3 win over Ryan Rozek of UW-Platteville and lost 10-7 to Larry Moen of UW-Eau Claire.

Other wrestlers at the meet for the Titans were Chris Stratton (So. • Appleton) at 125 pounds, Doug Rozelman (So. • Greensboro, N.C.) at 141, Adam Dorner (So. • Casco) at 165, Jason Gruszynske (Sr. • Pickett) at 184 and Kyle Coleman (So. • Poplar) at 197.

Burdick was named the winner of the John Peterson Wrestler of the Meet Award, while UW-Whitewater's Nick Karls was selected as the winner of the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award. UW-La Crosse's Nate Skaar was voted as the recipient of the Mertz Motorelli Coach of the Year Award.

UW-Oshkosh concluded its dual meet schedule with a 5-8-1 record (2-3-1 WIAC).

Titans Take Out Vikings

Mike Farchione (Sr. • Kewaskum) and Jeremy VanSchyndel (So. • Kaukauna) registered pins as the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team closed its regular season with a 26-18 victory over Lawrence University on Friday (Feb. 11) in Appleton.

UW-Oshkosh (5-8-1/2-3-1 WIAC) had the winner in six of the 10 weight classes, including the 285-pound division where Farchione (22-9) pinned Lawrence University's Andrew Moreno in 2:23 and the 133-pound category where VanSchyndel (20-10) pinned the Vikings' James Williamson in 4:19.

The Titans also received wins from Doug Rozelman (So. • Greensboro, N.C.) at 141 pounds, Justin Lancaster (Sr. • Monroe) at 157 pounds, Adam Dorner (So. • Casco) at 165 pounds and Sean Fortmann (Sr. • Mukwonago) at 174 pounds.

Rozelman (10-17) defeated Lawrence University's Daniel Shay, 13-5, while Lancaster (19-8) ousted Jimmy Lima, 10-2, Dorner (14-17) edged John Budi, 4-3, and Fortmann (19-15) trimmed Joe Austin, 3-1.

Lawrence University (2-11/0-6 WIAC) scored six of its team points on a forfeit at 149 pounds. The Vikings also counted five team points when David Quinlan defeated UW-Oshkosh's Chris Stratton (So. • Appleton) at 125 pounds, 16-0.

Division II Rangers Apprehend Titans

The UW-Parkside wrestling team won seven of 10 matches as it defeated UW-Oshkosh, 25-9, on Wednesday (Feb. 9) in Kenosha.

UW-Parkside (3-3), the 12th-ranked team in the NCAA Division II by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, scored six of its points when Steve Winter received a forfeit at 149 pounds. The Rangers also received four points when Craig DeGreef defeated the Titans' Chris Stratton (So. • Appleton) at 125 pounds, 12-4. UW-Parkside scored three team points in each of its five remaining wins.

UW-Oshkosh (4-8-1) posted three victories in the contest as Doug Rozelman (So. • Greensboro, N.C.) won at 141 pounds, Justin Lancaster (Sr. • Monroe) at 157 and Mike Farchione (Sr. • Kewaskum) at 285.

Rozelman (9-17) defeated UW-Parkside's Scott Schramm, 2-1, while Justin Lancaster (18-8) ousted the Rangers' Matt Fiordirosa, 6-5. Farchione (21-9) defeated UW-Parkside's Matt Meyer, 7-6. Each victory counted three team points for the Titans.

UW-Oshkosh's closest setback in the match came at 174 pounds, where Sean Fortmann (Sr. • Mukwonago) dropped a 6-5 decision to UW-Parkside's A.J. Morgan.

Augsburg College Dominates
UW-Oshkosh Dan Gable Open

Competing in a tournament named after American wrestling legend Dan Gable, junior Marcus LeVesseur of Augsburg College (Minn.) surpassed Gable's mark for the second-longest winning streak in collegiate wrestling history at the 2nd annual University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Dan Gable Open held Saturday (Jan. 15) in Albee Hall.

LeVesseur, a two-time NCAA Division III champion, improved to 20-0 on the season and extended his unbeaten streak to 104 consecutive matches by winning all four contests to take the 157-pound title at the UW-Oshkosh Dan Gable Open.

LeVesseur, who has yet to lose a match in three seasons of collegiate competition, surpassed Gable's 100-match winning streak that he compiled while attending Iowa State University from 1967-70. The all-time collegiate record for consecutive victories is 159, set by Cael Sanderson of Iowa State University from 1998-2002.

LeVesseur dominated his four opponents at the UW-Oshkosh Dan Gable Oshkosh, claiming three pins and a major decision. He pinned UW-La Crosse's Collin McKillip in 3:58, Upper Iowa University's Scott Fisher in 1:45, Purdue University's (Ind.) Jake Murphy in 3:49 and beat Tim Palmer of UW-La Crosse, 15-2.

Augsburg College, the top-ranked wrestling team in the NCAA Division III by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, claimed four champions and four second-place finishers at the UW-Oshkosh Dan Gable Open, which featured nearly 150 wrestlers from NCAA Division I, II and III schools.

In addition to LeVesseur, Augsburg College also received first-place finishes from Mark Matzek, Jared Evans and Mark Simmonds. Matzek, the defending NCAA Division III 133-pound champion, topped the University of Wisconsin's Zach Tanelli, 3-2, in the 133-pound title match.

Evans took the 149-pound championship with a 4-2 win over the University of Michigan's Jeremiah Tobias in the final. Simmonds claimed the 285-pound crown with a 4-2 win over the University of Wisconsin's Kyle Massey in the title contest.

The University of Wisconsin had three champions in the tournament as Ed Gutnik finished first at 141 pounds, Brady Reinke at 184 and Dallas Herbst at 197.

Gutnik took his weight class after receiving a medical forfeit from Augsburg College's Jamell Tidwell, a three-time NCAA Division III All-American, in the final. Reinke placed first after defeating Augsburg College's Brad Tupa, 3-2, in the title contest. Herbst captured first place after edging Augsburg College's Justin Sorensen, 9-7, in the championship match.

Central Michigan University had a pair of champions as Matt Steintrager finished first at 125 pounds and Lewis Socier at 174. Steintrager grabbed first place after ousting teammate Jeremy Freinwald, 15-4, in the final. Socier placed first after defeating Augsburg College's Robbie Gotreau, 6-0, in the title bout.

The lone remaining champion, competing unattached, was Nick Ammerman at 165 pounds. Ammerman took his weight division after tripping University of Wisconsin's Seth Garvin, 8-2, in the final.

VanSchyndel Leads Titans At Concordia Open

The UW-Oshkosh wrestling team participated at the Concordia University Open on Saturday (Nov. 20) and returned home from the competition with three awards.

Recording top finishes for the Titans were Jeremy VanSchyndel (So. • Kaukauna), who placed third at 133 pounds, Justin Lancaster (Sr. • Monroe), who listed sixth at 157 pounds, and Adam Dorner (So. • Casco), who ranked sixth at 165 pounds.

VanSchyndel began the meet with a bye, and then defeated Sean Shotliffe of UW-Platteville, 13-6. VanSchyndel's next match came in the quarterfinals, where he ousted Mike Elsbury of UW-Whitewater, 6-2.

VanSchyndel's winning streak vaulted him to the finals, where he lost via a pin in 1:57 to Tim Clum of NCAA Division I University of Wisconsin. VanSchyndel then wrestled his way back to a third-place finish by defeating Scott Schramm of UW-Parkside, 9-4, and George Horvath of Triton College (Ill.), 6-3.

Lancaster's first match resulted in a 1:32 pin over Robert Forseth of UW-Stevens Point. He then defeated Dan Claus of Heidelberg College (Ohio), 7-1, and lost a 7-2 decision to Fred Joseph of UW-Parkside. Lancaster concluded the tournament with a 7-2 win over unattached Cory Van Groll, a 2-1 victory over Nick Hoyt of the University of Chicago (Ill.), a 6-5 loss to Sam Rugg to Concordia University and a loss via a pin in 51 seconds to Jeremy Saylers of Heidelberg College.

Dorner began his activity with a 3-1 victory over Mike Bischoff of the University of Chicago. He then lost matches of 2-1 to Brian Daly of Augustana College (Ill.), 5-1 to Mike Sanchez of Case Western Reserve (Ohio) and 4-1 to unattached Tony Wright.

Titans Beat Up Muskies

The UW-Oshkosh wrestling team turned in a solid performance as it defeated Lakeland College, 46-10, on Wednesday (Nov. 17) in New London.

After receiving a forfeit victory at 125 pounds, Jeremy VanSchyndel (So.  Kaukauna) started UW-Oshkosh's domination of Lakeland College by pinning the Muskies' Scott Toledo at 133 pounds in 1:36.

UW-Oshkosh also posted four other pins in the match, falls in 1:43 by Doug Rozelman (So.  Greensboro, N.C.) over Lakeland College's Ben Booher at 141 pounds, 4:45 by Sean Fortmann (Sr.  Mukwonago) over Tim Vallier at 174 pounds, 2:47 by Jason Gruszynske (Sr.  Pickett) over Nate Johnson at 184 pounds and 4:29 by Mike Farchione (Sr. • Kewaskum) over Mark Vanden Hoogen at 285 pounds.

Other winners for the Titans were Justin Lancaster (Sr. • Monroe) at 157 pounds and Adam Dorner (So. • Casco) at 165. Lancaster defeated the Muskies' Gil Soto, 13-5, while Dorner received a forfeit.

Lakeland College scored its 10 points on an injury default at 149 pounds and Lee Sparks' 10-2 victory over Pat Detmer (Fr. • Lodi) at 197 pounds.

Titan Freshmen Continue To Improve

The UW-Oshkosh wrestling team took to the Stevens Point Open on Saturday (Nov. 13) and continued to show improvement.

This year's tournament was set up in both a Gold and Silver Division. The Gold Division included all upper classmen, whereas, the Silver Division contained freshmen.

UW-Oshkosh's highest finishes in the Silver Division belonged to Kevin Luedtke (Fr.  Two Rivers) and Justin Linzmeier (Fr.  De Pere). Luedtke placed third at 165 pounds, while Linzmeier finished fourth at 174.

Luedtke placed third after defeating unattached Andy Bisek, 5-4. Luedtke lost his quarterfinal round match to UW-Stevens Point's Eric Bath by an 8-4 count.

Linzmeier finished fourth after being pinned by Adam O'Neill of Harper College (Ill.) in 3:53. Linzmeier lost his quarterfinal round match via a pin by Al Gregg of Luther College (Iowa) in 24 seconds.

Titans Fall In Season Opener To Badgers

The UW-Oshkosh wrestling team opened its 2004-05 season with a 46-6 loss to NCAA Division I University of Wisconsin on Friday (Nov. 5) in Green Bay. The dual match was part of the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Clinic being held at the KI Convention Center.

It was the third meeting between UW-Oshkosh and the University of Wisconsin, with the Badgers winning the previous two matches by scores of 23-12 during the 1969-70 season and 24-8 during the 1970-71 campaign.

UW-Oshkosh's lone victory in the match came via a forfeit at 125 pounds. Receiving the win for the Titans was Chris Stratton (So.  Appleton).

University of Wisconsin, ranked 18th in the country, recorded three pins in the contest as Tom Clum pinned UW-Oshkosh's Jeremy VanSchyndel (So.  Kaukauna) at 133 pounds in 1:22, Craig Kehoe pinned Matt Kehoe (Jr.  Grafton) at 149 pounds in 4:48 and Ryan Flaherty pinned Mike Farchione (Sr.  Kewaskum) at 285 pounds in 1:56.

Other winners for the Badgers were Tony Turner at 141 pounds, Tyler Turner at 157, Jake Donar at 165, Kelly Flaherty at 174, Lee Kraemer at 184 and Matt Maciag at 197. Kraemer's victory was a 2-1 decision over UW-Oshkosh's Sean Fortmann (Sr.  Mukwonago).

Titans To Wrestle Badgers

The UW-Oshkosh wrestling team opens its 2004-05 season with a dual meet against the University of Wisconsin on Friday (Nov. 5) at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay. The 12:30 p.m. match kicks off the annual Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Clinic.

The University of Wisconsin is ranked 18th in the NCAA Division I by InterMat and 24th by the Wrestling Mall. The Badgers have six wrestlers who rank nationally, including Tom Clum at 133 pounds, Kelly Flaherty at 174, Ryan Flaherty at 197 and Tyler Turner at 157 who will compete against the Titans.

UW-Oshkosh returns 10 lettermen from last year's team, including senior Justin Lancaster who compiled a 24-9 record and five pins in the 157-pound weight class.

It will be the third meeting between UW-Oshkosh and the University of Wisconsin, with the Badgers winning dual meets of 23-12 during the 1969-70 season and 24-8 during the 1970-71 campaign.

Ken Chertow, a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team will speak at the coaches' clinic, while UW-Oshkosh head wrestling coach Mike DeRoehn will be among the camp instructors.