Host Pioneers take third at conference
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville successfully hosted the 62nd annual Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference wrestling championships Friday and gave the home fans quite a show by placing third.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville successfully hosted the 62nd annual Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference wrestling championships Friday and gave the home fans quite a show by placing third.
UW-Platteville had its highest finish since a similar third-place effort in the 2005 championships.
The Pioneers, behind two second-place individual finishers, tied UW-Stevens Point with 97.5 points. UW-La Crosse won its sixth straight title with 160 points, while UW-Whitewater was second with 108. UW-Eau Claire finished fifth with 89, and UW-Oshkosh sixth with 75.
Jon Goetz, at 174, and Grant Wedepohl, at 184, both advanced to the championship matches in their respective weights before falling. Goetz defeated A.J. Stengel of UW-Oshkosh 6-0, Sawyer Massie of UW-La Crosse 5-4, and Nicholas Bonomo of UW-Whitewater 10-5 to reach the title match. Wedepohl, who had a bye in the first round, shutout Christian Dischler of UW-Whitewater 9-0 and stopped UW-La Crosse's Alex Friedman 7-3 to earn his trip to the championship bout.
Cody Meyer wrestled to third place at 197. Scott Arneson, at 133, and Isaac Brosinski, at 165, took fourth, while Carter Barkema was fifth at 149, and Alex Costello (141) and D'Andre Johnson (185) finished sixth.
Coach Mike DeRoehn's team is back in action Feb. 25 at the NCAA III regionals in Moorhead, Minnesota. The Pioneers will be vying to qualify individuals for the NCAA III national championships, held March 10-11 at the La Crosse Center.
By Paul Erickson, Director, UW-Platteville Communications, 608.342.1194, pr@uwplatt.edu
