UW-Oshkosh's Carl DeLuca (Jr. • Wisconsin Rapids) and Sam Engelland (Jr. • Neenah) both came within one victory of earning All-America honors at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Wrestling Championship held Friday and Saturday (March 11-12) in La Crosse.

DeLuca, who compiled a 1-2 record as an unseeded contestant in the 125-pound weight class, received an at-large invitation to the national meet after finishing second at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship held Feb. 27.

DeLuca's inaugural NCAA postseason experience began with a 5-4 win over sixth-seeded Ben Prester of Concordia College (Minn.). DeLuca then lost on a pin in 2:10 to third-seeded Albie McKinney of UW-La Crosse.

In the consolation bracket, DeLuca (19-13) lost a 16-1 decision to eighth-seeded Alex Crown of Waynesburg College (Pa.).

Top-seeded Clayton Rush of Coe College (Iowa) won the 125-pound title with an 11-8 victory over McKinney in the championship bout.

Engelland tallied a 2-2 record as an unseeded participant in the 184-pound weight division. He also received an at-large bid to the national meet after placing second at the WIAC Championship.

Engelland opened his third straight appearance at the NCAA Division III Championship with a 6-4 win over unseeded Justin Marble of Wheaton College (Ill.). Engelland then lost a 6-2 result to third-seeded Mike Denver of The College of New Jersey.

In the consolation bracket, Engelland (31-8) defeated unseeded Andrew Roberts of Cornell College (Iowa) before suffering a 5-2 setback to eighth-seeded Dustin Baker of St. John's University (Minn.).

Phil Moenkedick of Concordia College grabbed the 184-pound title with a 2-1 victory over Ben Engelland of UW-Stevens Point in the championship match. Ben Engelland is the older brother of UW-Oshkosh's Sam Engelland.

All-America awards were presented to the top eight finishers in each of the 10 weight classes. Both DeLuca and Engelland placed ninth.

Wartburg College (Iowa) scored 117 points to capture its eighth NCAA Division III title. Defending champion Augsburg College (Minn.) finished second with 88.5 points, while UW-La Crosse placed third with 76.5, Ithaca College (N.Y.) fourth with 72.5 and Coe College fifth with 67. UW-Oshkosh finished 38th in the 60-team meet with five points.

UW-Oshkosh will be represented by two wrestlers, including three-time qualifier Sam Engelland (Jr. • Neenah), at this weekend's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championship in La Crosse.

The two-day tournament begins at 11 a.m. on Friday (March 11) and continues at 10 a.m. on Saturday (March 12) at the La Crosse Center. This is the 38th edition of the event, which crowns a team champion along with 10 individual champions. All-America awards will be presented to the top eight finishers in each of the 10 weight classes.

Engelland owns a 29-6 record (nine pins) as a competitor in the 184-pound weight class. He received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championship after placing second at the WIAC Championship held Feb. 27 in Platteville.

For his opening match, Engelland takes on Justin Marble (37-13) of Wheaton College (Ill.). Engelland would then battle third-seeded Mike Denver (36-3) of The College of New Jersey in the second round or Seth Rehn (18-13) of Coe College (Iowa) or fourth-seeded Brennan Ward (31-2) of Johnson & Wales University (R.I.) in the wrestlebacks.

Engelland's bracket contains 17 participants, including top-seeded Phil Moenkedick (31-1) of Concordia College (Minn.) and second-seeded Ben Engelland (22-1) of UW-Stevens Point. Ben Engelland is the older brother of UW-Oshkosh's Sam Engelland.

Engelland brings an 88-34 career record (21 pins) to this weekend's meet. At each of the past two national championships, Engelland tallied a 1-2 record. He lost his opening bout before winning his second match in both 2009 and 2010.

Also competing at this year's championship is UW-Oshkosh's Carl DeLuca (Jr. • Wisconsin Rapids). DeLuca, an at-large entrant at 125 pounds, makes his NCAA postseason debut after finishing second at the 2011 WIAC Championship.

DeLuca, who owns an 18-11 record (one pin), is one of 17 competitors in his weight class. He received an opening round bye and will challenge sixth-seeded Ben Prester (21-12) of Concordia College in the second round. DeLuca will then wrestle Steve Godine (24-14) of The College of New Jersey or third-seeded Albie McKinney (18-7) of UW-La Crosse in the third round or wrestlebacks.

DeLuca has registered a 47-41 record (five pins) during his three seasons with the Titans.

Defending champion Augsburg College (Minn.), Ithaca College (N.Y.), host UW-La Crosse and 2009 champion Wartburg College (Iowa) are expected to contend for this year's team title. Wartburg College, which sends 10 competitors to this year's championship, is the top-ranked squad in the country by D3wrestle.com. Second-ranked Ithaca College and third-ranked UW-La Crosse will each be represented in eight weight classes.

Augsburg College won last year's meet with 110.5 points, while UW-La Crosse placed second with 100.5. Engelland’s wins have given the Titans one point at each of the past two championships. UW-Oshkosh placed 44th last year and 45th in 2009.

For more information regarding the 2011 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship, log on to www.ncaa.com. Highlights of the 2011 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship will be shown on CBS at 2 p.m. (ET) on April 30.

A second-place effort by Sam Engelland (Jr. • Neenah) at 184 pounds and a third-place finish by Carl DeLuca (Jr. • Wisconsin Rapids) at 125 helped UW-Oshkosh finish fourth at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Wrestling Championship held Sunday (Feb. 27) in Platteville.

UW-La Crosse, which owned the winner in seven of the 10 weight classes, scored 148.5 points to seize its 14th straight WIAC title and 15th overall.

UW-Stevens Point finished second in the six-team meet with 123 points, while UW-Whitewater placed third with 121.5, UW-Oshkosh fourth with 93, UW-Platteville fifth with 82 and UW-Eau Claire sixth with 55.5. UW-Oshkosh finished fifth at last year's meet and fourth in 2009.

Engelland went 1-1 in the tournament after receiving an opening round bye, Engelland pinned Mitch Artist of UW-La Crosse in 3:20 before losing a 4-2 decision to his brother, Sam, of UW-Stevens Point in the championship bout.

DeLuca went 1-2 in the tournament after receiving an opening round bye. DeLuca defeated Joe Mileski of UW-Stevens Point, 7-4, before losing an 11-2 result to Albie McKinney of UW-La Crosse in the final. DeLuca then lost a 3-2 decison to Mack Drees of UW-Platteville in the bout for a true second-place finish.

The Titans' Aaron Erickson (Jr. • Merrill) finished third with a 2-1 record at 197 pounds. Erickson followed an opening round bye with 13-6 loss to Adam Latella of UW-Whitewater. He then came back to edge Luke Ortscheid of UW-Eau Claire, 2-0, and pin Matt Scott of UW-Platteville in 2:41.

UW-Oshkosh had three fourth-place finishers as Kyle Kleuskens (Sr. • Freedom) went 2-2 with two pins at 141 pounds, Jose Quintana (Jr. • Burnsville, Minn.) 2-2 with one pin at 157 and Aaron Konitzer (Jr. • Abrams) 2-2 at 165.

UW-Oshkosh was also represented at the meet by Zachary Mueller (Jr. • Jackson) at 133 pounds, Nick Hite (Fr. • Stoughton) at 149, Aaron Geiger (Jr. • Mishicot) at 174 and Ryan Heath (Jr. • Merrill) at 285. Mueller and Heath both went 1-2 with one pin, while Hite and Geiger both went 0-3.

In addition to McKinney and Sam Engelland, other winners of their weight class were Adam Sheley of UW-La Crosse at 133 pounds, Bebeto Yewah of UW-La Crosse at 141, Matt Mauseth of UW-La Crosse at 149, Cade Sarbacker of UW-Whitewater at 157, Cory Ferguson of UW-La Crosse at 165, Mike Schmitz of UW-La Crosse at 174, Latella at 197 and Billy Mayer of UW-La Crosse at 285.

UW-La Crosse swept the three major individual awards as Yewah was named the Meet's Outstanding Wrestler, Mauseth the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Dave Malecek the Mertz Mortorelli Coach of the Year.

Named to the WIAC's All-Sportsmanship Team were Will Christ of UW-Eau Claire, Sheley of UW-La Crosse, Alec Hakes (Jr. • Menomonee Falls) of UW-Oshkosh, Mack Drees of UW-Platteville, Coulter Nyenhuis of UW-Stevens Point and Reid Dickerson of UW-Whitewater.

All 10 individual champions, along with eight at-large qualifiers, will represent the WIAC at the NCAA Division III Championship on March 11-12 in La Crosse. Individuals securing at-large spots were Artist (184 pounds) of UW-La Crosse, Engelland (184 pounds) of UW-Oshkosh, Drees (125 pounds) of UW-Platteville, Kris Magruder (149 pounds), Chad Gregory (197 pounds) and Jordan Schulte (165 pounds) of UW-Stevens Point and Jake Fredrickson (133 pounds) and James Zarate (285 pounds) of UW-Whitewater.

2011 WIAC Wrestling Championship Program

UW-Oshkosh guns for its second top-four finish in three years when it competes at the 56th Annual Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Wrestling Championship on Sunday (Feb. 27) in Platteville. Competition begins at 9 a.m. in UW-Platteville's Williams Fieldhouse.

UW-La Crosse earned its league-leading 14th championship last season with 154 points. UW-Whitewater placed second with 118 points, UW-Stevens Point third with 117, UW-Platteville fourth with 105.5, UW-Oshkosh fifth with 90.5 and UW-Eau Claire sixth with 63.

This year’s event features six individuals who have combined to win 10 WIAC titles and three teams ranked in the Brute-Adidas National Wrestling Coaches Association NCAA Division III rankings. UW-La Crosse lists second in the country, while UW-Whitewater is 17th and UW-Stevens Point 18th.

UW-La Crosse senior Matt Mauseth will vie for his fourth straight title at 149 pounds and would become the first individual in WIAC history to achieve that feat. Senior Albie McKinney will aim for his third consecutive first-place medal at 125 pounds, while junior Mike Schmitz will attempt for a third straight crown at 174 pounds.

Junior Bebeto Yewah is the defending champion in the 133-pound bracket after placing second in 2009, while senior Cory Ferguson claimed the 165-pound division last season and was second two years ago.

UW-Stevens Point senior Ben Engelland secured the 184-pound crown in 2010 after posting runner-up performances in 2008 and 2009.

Additional returning second-place finishers from a year ago include UW-Stevens Point junior Joe Mileski (125), UW-La Crosse senior Alex Dahl (141), UW-La Crosse senior Ryan Farwell (157), UW-Stevens Point sophomore Jordan Schulte (165), UW-La Crosse senior Mitch Artist (184) and UW-Whitewater junior Adam Latella (197). UW-Stevens Point senior Chad Gregory fashioned a runner-up finish at 285 pounds in 2008.

Sam Engelland (Jr. • Neenah), with his 28-5 record, should give the Titans a contender at 184 pounds. Zachary Mueller (Jr. • Jackson) owns 22 victories this season and will grapple at 133 pounds, while Carl DeLuca (Jr. • Wisconsin Rapids) at 125 and Jose Quintana (Jr. • Burnsville, Minn.) at 157 each carry a winning record into their brackets. UW-Oshkosh's lineup also includes Kyle Kleuskens (Sr. • Freedom) at 141 pounds, Nick Hite (Fr. • Stoughton) at 149, Aaron Konitzer (Jr. • Abrams) at 165, Aaron Geiger (Jr. • Mishicot) at 174, Aaron Erickson (Jr. • Merrill) at 197 and Ryan Heath (Jr. • Merrill) at 285.

Each of this year’s league champions, along with nine at-large qualifiers, advance to the NCAA Division III Championship in La Crosse. Individuals will receive at-large bids based on voting by the league coaches following the WIAC championship. The national event will be hosted by UW-La Crosse at the La Crosse Center March 11-12.

Zachary Mueller (Jr. • Jackson) placed third and Carl DeLuca (Jr. • Wisconsin Rapids) fourth as the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team finished seventh at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational held Saturday (Feb. 12) in Eau Claire.

Defending NCAA Division III champion Augsburg College (Minn.) won the 15-team meet with 138 points, while NCAA Division II UW-Parkside finished second with 100.5, St. John's University (Minn.) third with 79 and UW-Stevens Point fourth with 59.5. UW-Oshkosh placed seventh with 34 points.

Mueller posted a 4-1 record at 133 pounds, including a 7-5 double-overtime victory over Jordan Kust of UW-Stevens Point in his third-place match. Mueller suffered an 8-3 loss to Tossaporn Suparat of Augsburg College is his opener before registering wins of 9-0 over Justin Schienebeck (So. • Butternut) of UW-Oshkosh, 14-4 over Nathan Lexvold of Augsburg College and 6-0 over Lance Fabry of UW-Stevens Point.

DeLuca compiled a 3-2 record at 125 pounds, including a pin in 4:04 of UW-Whitewater's Matt Oliva in his opening bout. DeLuca then tallied an 8-6 win over unattached Zach Stewart before dropping a 5-4 decision to Alex Helmich of Wartburg College (Iowa). DeLuca then defeated Jedd Wilson of UW-Whitewater, 7-3, before losing a 3-2 result to Martino Balsiger of UW-Platteville in his third-place contest.

Nazar Kulchytskyy (Fr. • Sosnivka, Ukraine) went unbeaten in three matches at 149 pounds, but settled for sixth place after forfeiting his remaining three matches because of an injury. Kulchytskyy began his competition with a pin in 2:48 of UW-Stevens Point's Pat Conrad. Kulchytskyy then ousted unattached Dustin McKinney, 17-6, and Cameron Wagner of Wartburg College, 5-3.

Sam Engelland (Jr. • Neenah) was one of two other Titans to post multiple victories. He compiled a 3-2 mark in the 184-pound bracket. Aaron Erickson (Jr. • Merrill) recorded one pin as he went 2-2 against his fellow 197-pounders.

Another UW-Oshkosh wrestler with one pin was Kyle Kleuskens (Sr. • Freedom), who marked a 1-2 ledger at 141 pounds. Jose Quintana (Jr. • Burnsville, Minn.) and Trevor Dyreson (Jr. • Deerfield) each had a 1-2 record at 157 pounds, while Aaron Konitzer (Jr. • Abrams) also finished 1-2 at 165 pounds.

Alec Hakes (Jr. • Menomonee Falls) booked one victory in his three matches at 174 pounds, as the trio of Chad McLaughlin (Fr. • Sussex), Nick Hite (Fr. • Stoughton) and Dylan Riley (Fr. • Belleville) each went 0-2 in the 149-pound group.

The remaining Titans – all dropping a pair of matches – were Justin Schienebeck (So. • Butternut) at 133 pounds, Mason McMullen (Fr. • New Berlin) at 141, Kyle McKearn (Fr. • Lodi) at 197 and Ryan Heath (Jr. • Merrill) at 285.

UW-Oshkosh's next competition is Feb. 27 at the WIAC Championship in Platteville.

UW-Oshkosh owned the winner in nine of the 10 weight classes as it rolled to a 38-3 victory over the UW-Platteville wrestling team on Friday (Feb. 4) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (8-5/3-2 WIAC) won the first eight bouts, including pins by Zachary Mueller (Jr. • Jackson) at 133 pounds and Nazar Kulchytskyy (Fr. • Sosnivka, Ukraine) at 149. Mueller stuck Rob Brink to the mat in 2:32, while Kulchytskyy stapled Ryan Bormann to the surface in 3:32.

UW-Oshkosh's Carl DeLuca (Jr. • Wisconsin Rapids) opened the contest with a 3-1 victory over Mack Drees at 125 pounds. Mueller then pinned Brink before Kyle Kleuskens (Sr. • Freedom) put the Titans ahead 12-0 with his 8-3 triumph over Mike Ferris at 141 pounds.

Following Kulchytskyy's pin of Bormann, UW-Oshkosh extended its lead to 34-0 on Jose Quintana's (Jr. • Burnsville, Minn.) 18-13 win over Peter Crocco at 157 pounds, Aaron Konitzer's (Jr. • Abrams) 8-0 victory over Jon Quamme at 165, Alec Hakes' (Jr. • Menomonee Falls) 13-5 triumph over Nathan Schmitz at 174 and Sam Engelland's (Jr. • Neenah) 15-0 defeat of Wes Mathieu at 184.

UW-Platteville (2-10/0-3 WIAC) then snapped UW-Oshkosh's string of victories with Matt Scott's 11-6 decision over Aaron Erickson (Jr. • Merrill) at 197 pounds.

UW-Oshkosh closed the match with Ryan Heath's (Jr. • Merrill) 18-4 win over Mike Harman at 285 pounds.

The Titans participate at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational next Saturday (Feb. 12).

UW-Oshkosh had two wrestlers place in the top seven as it finished 16th at the Pete Willson Invitational held Friday and Saturday (Jan. 28-29) in Wheaton, Ill.

The Titans received their top individual results from Nazar Kulchytskyy (Fr. • Sosnivka, Ukraine), who took sixth place at 149 pounds, and Sam Engelland (Jr. • Neenah), who placed seventh at 184.

Kulchytskyy got started by topping AJ Johnson of Heidelberg University (Ohio), 19-3. In match number two, Kulchytskyy dominated UW-Whitewater’s Cade Sarbacker by a 15-6 score. Kulchytskyy settled for sixth place in the tournament after forfeiting his remaining three matches because of an injury.

Engelland compiled four wins, including a 5-3 victory over UW-Parkside's Ryan Woods in the opener. After defeating Trine University’s (Ind.) Jason Alber, 3-0, Engelland suffered a 6-4 loss to Andy Jenkins of the University of Mount Union (Ohio).

In the wrestlebacks, Engelland marked a 6-0 victory over Kyle Raber of Ohio Northern University and lost a 5-3 decision to Billy Malone of North Central College (Ill.). Engelland won his seventh-place match on a medical forfeit over Dirk Hurrin of Lindenwood University (Mo.).

At 165 pounds, Aaron Konitzer (Jr. • Abrams) tallied a 2-2 record that featured a pin over Josiah Brendemuehl of Maranatha Baptist Bible College in 4:37. The Titans’ other pin came from Ryan Heath (Jr. • Merrill), who flattened 285-pound Will Porter of John Carroll University (Ohio) in a time of 2:22. Zachary Mueller (Jr. • Jackson) was the other UW-Oshkosh grappler to earn multiple victories, going 2-2 at 133 pounds.

A total of 32 teams competed, with Lindenwood University posting a meet-high 131 points. UW-La Crosse placed second with 109.5 points, while UW-Parkside finished third with 102.5, University of Indianapolis (Ind.) fourth with 100.5 and the University of Mount Union fifth with 92.5. UW-Oshkosh and Messiah College (Pa.) tied for 16th place with 35 points.

The Titans host their final match of the season when they take on UW-Platteville this Friday (Feb. 4) in Kolf Sports Center.

Following a win over one of the top wrestlers in the country, UW-Oshkosh 149-pounder Nazar Kulchytskyy (Fr. • Sosnivka, Ukraine) has been named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athetic Conference (WIAC) Wrestler of the Week. The award was for oustanding performances in meets held Jan. 17-23.

Kulchytskyy raised his season record to 6-0 by defeating three-time All-American and 2009 NCAA Division III champion Matt Mauseth of UW-La Crosse on Jan. 19.

Kulchytskyy’s victory was one of three tallied by the Titans in their 29-9 loss to the second-ranked Eagles. Kulchytskyy ousted Mauseth, 9-4, to cut UW-Oshkosh’s deficit in the match to 7-6.

UW-Oshkosh’s contest against UW-La Crosse was its only competition of the week.

The UW-Oshkosh wrestling team was victorious in three matches as it lost a 29-9 decision to nationally ranked UW-La Crosse on Wednesday (Jan. 19) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (7-5/2-2 WIAC) took a quick 3-0 lead in the match when David Rosenau (So. • Van Dyne) beat Matt Cole, 3-1 at 125 pounds.

Other Titan wins included a 9-4 victory by Nazar Kulchytskyy (Fr. • Sosnivka, Ukraine) over Matt Mauseth at 149 pounds and 7-2 decision by Sam Engelland (Jr. • Neenah) over Mitch Artist at 184 pounds. Mauseth was the 2009 NCAA Division III champion and is a three-time All-American at 149 pounds.

UW-La Crosse (9-3/3-0 WIAC), ranked second in the NCAA Division III by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, received two pins and five decisions in their win. Adam Sheley nipped Zachary Mueller (Jr. • Jackson), 3-1, at 133 pounds, Bebeto Yewah defeated Kyle Kleuskens (Sr. • Freedom), 22-8, at 141 pounds, JR Lewis slid by Jose Quintana (Jr. • Burnsville, Minn.), 5-2, at 157 pounds, Cory Ferguson beat Aaron Konitzer (Jr. • Abrams), 10-, at 165 pounds and John Poppie inched by Aaron Erickson (Jr. • Merrill), 6-5, at 197 pounds.

The Eagles received pins by Mike Schmitz over Aaron Geiger (Jr. • Mishicot) in 2:34 at 174 pounds and Billy Mayer over Ryan Heath (Jr. • Merrill) in 0:52 at 285 pounds.

UW-Oshkosh competes Friday and Saturday (Jan. 28-29) at the Wheaton College Invitational in Wheaton, Ill.

Nazar Kulchytskky (Fr. • Prairie du Chien) posted the Titans’ only pin as UW-Oshkosh took a 30-18 defeat to the UW-Parkside wrestling team on Wednesday (Jan. 12) in Kenosha.

The Rangers, ranked 12th in the NCAA Division II by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, scored at least four points in six of the nine matches. Luke Rynish downed Aaron Geiger (Jr. • Mishicot) in a time of 1:04, while Taylor Servant added another pin in 2:34 against Mason McMullen (Fr. • New Berlin).

Kulchytskky booked his win after 6:07 of action against Arik Yde. At 184 pounds, Sam Engelland (Jr. • Neenah) tallied a 4-3 victory after two overtimes with Ryan Woods. UW-Oshkosh’s remaining triumph came from Jose Quintana (Jr. • Burnsville, Minn.), who marked a 5-2 decision over Dave Edwards in the 157-pound class.

Curtis Hines contributed to UW-Parkside’s success by topping Ryan Heath (Jr. • Merrill) with a 13-5 score. In the 285-pound clash, James Malechek gained all 15 points to prevail versus Aaron Erickson (Jr. • Merrill).

The other two contests had a wide margin, including Cody Zimmerman’s 16-1 win over Kyle Kleuskens (Sr. • Freedom). Matt Gille rounded out the results with an 11-2 tally against Aaron Konitzer (Jr. • Abrams).

UW-Oshkosh hosts the Dan Gable Open on Sunday (Jan. 16) in Kolf Sports Center.

The UW-Oshkosh wrestling team recorded two pins and won four other bouts to claim a 27-16 victory over UW-Eau Claire on Wednesday (Dec. 8) in Kolf Sports Center.

After falling behind 10-4 after three bouts, UW-Oshkosh (4-2/2-1 WIAC) won four consecutive weight classes to pull out to 22-10 advantage. UW-Eau Claire (0-6/0-1 WIAC) closed to within 22-16 after two straight decisions before Zachary Mueller (Jr. • Jackson) slammed the door with a 15-0 blanking of Neil Manns at 125 pounds.

Kyle Kleuskens (Sr. • Freedom) put the Titans ahead 4-0 after beating Steven Fisher, 9-1, at 133 pounds.

The Blugolds received a pin from Brian Reier over Mason McMullen (Fr. • New Berlin) in 1:35 at 141 pounds and Ryan Seider defeated Jose Quintana (Jr. • Burnsville, Minn.), 23-9 at 149 pounds.

Trevor Dyreson (Jr. • Deerfield) started the Titans’ rally with a 5-3 victory over Kyle Heise at 157 pounds. UW-Oshkosh scored 12 key points off two pins when Aaron Konitzer (Jr. • Abrams) stuck Ricky Gonzales to the mat in 5:47 at 174 pounds and Aaron Geiger (Jr. • Mishicot) flattened Nathan Bowe in 2:24 at 174 pounds.

Sam Engelland (Jr. • Neenah) remained undefeated (12-0) on the season with an 8-2 win over Matthew Rieckhoff at 184 pounds.

UW-Eau Claire recorded two close victories in its next two contests when Luke Ortscheid edged Ryan Heath (Jr. • Merrill), 5-2, at 197 pounds and Joe Pitsch slipped past Jason LaPlante (Jr. • New Berlin), 4-3, at 285 pounds.

UW-Eau Claire could not get the pin they needed in the last bout for the tie when Mueller closed out the contest.

UW-Oshkosh, ranked 17th in the NCAA Division III by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, returns to the mat when it hosts the UW-Oshkosh Duals on Jan. 8 at Albee Hall.

Sam Engelland (Jr. • Neenah) posted UW-Oshkosh’s lone victory as the Titan wrestlers fell to UW-Stevens Point, 30-3, on Tuesday (Nov. 30) in Stevens Point.

The Pointers (2-0/1-0 WIAC), ranked 14th by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, recorded three wins of four points and five decisions of three points to get past the Titans (3-2/1-1 WIAC), who are ranked 17th in the NCAA Division III.

Engelland remained undefeated by notching a 6-1 win over Brandon Jochem at 197 pounds. UW-Stevens Point had captured the opening three bouts of the night, including Jordan Schulte’s 8-2 triumph over Aaron Konitzer (Jr. • Abrams) at 165 pounds and Ryan Conat’s 9-0 decision over Aaron Geiger (Jr. • Mishicot) at 174.

The Pointers’ Ben Engelland then totaled an 18-6 tally against Aaron Erickson (Jr. • Merrill) in the 184-pound class. Zachary Mueller (Jr. • Jackson) compiled UW-Oshkosh’s second-best performance, dropping a 3-1 bout to Joe Mileski at 125 pounds. In the 157-pound match-up, Ben Strobel got by Trevor Dyreson (Jr. • Deerfield) with an 8-3 count.

The Titans’ Jason LaPlante (Jr. • New Berlin) came up just short, 8-4, in his 285-pound meeting against Steve Wozniak. At 149 pounds, Kris Magruder prevailed, 9-7, over Jose Quintana (Jr. • Burnsville, Minn.). The Pointers rounded out the evening with convincing wins from Jordan Kust over Kyle Kleuskens (Sr. • Freedom), 7-1 at 133 pounds, and Shane Sweeney over Justin Schienebeck (So. • Butternut), 14-2 in the 141-pound class.

UW-Oshkosh lines up for a contest at the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Saturday (Dec. 4).

UW-Oshkosh had three wrestlers post a 3-0 record as the Titan wrestling team defeated Loras College (Iowa) and Wheaton College (Ill.) while falling to the University of Dubuque (Iowa) on Saturday (Nov. 13) in Dubuque.

The Titans dominated Wheaton College, 50-3, and tallied a 24-19 victory over Loras College. The University of Dubuque counted wins in the three biggest weight classes to earn a 19-18 decision over UW-Oshkosh.

Sam Engelland (Jr. • Neenah) topped all three of his challengers, including two with pins. He brought down Dubuque’s Justin Cedeno in a time of 2:35 and Loras College’s Matt Dickman in 4:27. Engelland’s final match at 184 pounds resulted in a 3-1 victory over Justin Marble.

To go along with a forfeit win against Wheaton College, Kyle Kleuskens (Sr. • Freedom) recorded a 4-0 blanking of Loras College’s Nate Fuller and a 4-2 triumph over Dubuque’s Derick Smith at 133 pounds. Aaron Erickson (Jr. • Merrill) was the remaining Titan to go unbeaten, with the help of two forfeits at 197 pounds. He conquered Dubuque’s Sam Johnson by a 6-2 tally.

UW-Oshkosh received four other pins on the day, including Zachary Mueller’s (Jr. • Jackson) 59-second victory over Loras College’s Pat Pfantz at 125 pounds. Jose Quintana (Jr. • Burnsville, Minn.) added a pin in 1:41 against Wheaton’s Casey Krahn at 149 pounds, while Aaron Geiger (Jr. • Mishicot) earned a 1:55 pin against Wheaton’s Matt Fenlason at 174. In the 285-pound collision, Kyle McKearn (Fr. • Lodi) pinned Jason Geick after 6:06 of action.

Jason LaPlante (Jr. • New Berlin) won the 10th and decisive bout as the UW-Oshkosh wrestling team opened its 2010-11 season with a 24-21 upset of nationally ranked UW-Whitewater on Wednesday (Nov. 10) in Kolf Sports Center.

LaPlante gave UW-Oshkosh (1-0/1-0 WIAC) the victory by edging James Zarate, 5-4 in double overtime, at 285 pounds. Zarate entered the bout ranked ninth in the NCAA Division III by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

UW-Whitewater (0-1/0-1 WIAC), ranked 21st in the listing of NCAA Division III teams, created a 21-21 tie when Adam Latella pinned UW-Oshkosh's Alec Hakes (Jr. • Menomonee Falls) in 50 seconds at 197 pounds.

UW-Oshkosh, which snapped a seven-match losing streak to the Warhawks, scored the first 15 points of the match. The Titans' Zachary Mueller (Jr. • Jackson) pinned Jedd Wilson in 2:39 at 125 pounds before Kyle Kleuskens (Sr. • Freedom) stuck Matt Oliva to the mat in 4:50 at 133. UW-Oshkosh then received an 8-5 win from Kaleb Stephens (So. • Barron) over Brian Lewis at 141 pounds.

UW-Whitewater took the next two bouts as Adam Spatchek pinned Jose Quintana (Jr. • Burnsville, Minn.) in 6:11 at 149 pounds while Cade Sarbacker defeated Trevor Dyreson (Jr. • Deerfield), 9-4, at 157.

UW-Oshkosh extended its lead to 18-9 on Aaron Konitzer's (Jr. • Abram) 5-2 triumph over Adam Zeh at 165 pounds. The teams exchanged wins during the next two bouts as UW-Whitewater's Cheston Kesselhon pinned Aaron Geiger (Jr. • Mishicot) in 3:23 at 174 pounds and UW-Oshkosh's Sam Engelland (Jr. • Neenah) topped Reid Dickerson, 9-5, at 184.

UW-Oshkosh battles Loras College (Iowa), University of Dubuque (Iowa) and Wheaton College (Ill.) in dual meets on Saturday (Nov. 13) in Dubuque, Iowa.

UW-Oshkosh Director of Athletics Darryl Sims announced Wednesday (Sept. 22) that Chris Stratton has been named the new head wrestling coach for the Titans.

Stratton, who had been an assistant wrestling coach at UW-Oshkosh for the past two seasons, replaces Mike DeRoehn who resigned in August after six years as head coach and eight years with the program to focus on his work with the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation. DeRoehn has since been named the new head wrestling coach at Lakeland College.

"It's an honor and a privilege to be the new head wrestling coach at UW-Oshkosh," said Stratton. "I've been a part of the UW-Oshkosh wrestling program as both a student-athlete and assistant coach, and now I look forward to leading the Titans to new heights at both the conference and national level."

Stratton earned varsity letters in wrestling for UW-Oshkosh in 2004, 2005 and 2007. The Appleton native placed sixth in the 125-pound weight class at the WIAC Championship in both 2004 and 2005.

"Chris did an outstanding job as an assistant coach for us," said Sims. "He has affection for UW-Oshkosh, the educational values we prioritize, and the ability to make the transition from assistant coach to head coach seamless. We have an outstanding group of student-athletes returning, and I think they'll enjoy having Chris as their head coach."

Since 2008, Stratton has been an instructor in UW-Oshkosh's Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education. He also taught exercise sport science courses at UW-La Crosse and physical education classes at Crucifixion Elementary School in La Crescent, Minn., during the 2007-08 academic year.

Stratton, who holds membership in the National Wrestling Coaches Association, received his bachelor's degree from UW-Oshkosh in 2007 and master's degree from UW-La Crosse in 2008.

Stratton inherits a UW-Oshkosh wrestling program that has been represented at the NCAA Division III Championship three times in the past four years. The Titans finished fourth at the WIAC Championship in 2009 and fifth in 2010.

The Titans, who posted a 6-7 dual meet record a year ago, open their 2010-11 season at UW-Whitewater on Nov. 10.