UW-Platteville Wrestling Competes Against a Field Filled with Nationally Ranked Teams
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville wrestling team competed at the 20th annual Concordia Open on Saturday, which featured eight nationally ranked Division III teams and two ranked Division II teams.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville wrestling team competed at the 20th annual Concordia Open on Saturday, which featured eight nationally ranked Division III teams and two ranked Division II teams.
The Pioneers showed their youth with 12 of the 16 grapplers being underclassmen. Sophomore Bryant Etherton recorded UW-Platteville's only winning record at 3-2 at 197. The Bolingbrook, Ill. native, won his opening match against Isaac Hopkins from Ellswork CC, 9-7. He then faced off with top seeded Davion Willis from Division II Parkside and lost 12-3. Etherton went on to win his next two matches in the wrestleback, beating Adam Lehnus (5-2) and Zach Smith (3-1). Third seeded Caleb Staub ended Etherton's day in a 7-2 match.
Senior Abe Granziano started his day by dropping is opening match to Elmhurst's Jon Nelson before defeating Augastana's Matt Regnier, 3-2, at 197. Graziano beat Wheaton's Kyle Patton, 3-0, before falling to seventh-seed Mario Palmisano, 15-6, from Chicago.
Sixth-seed Mack Drees dropped his first match to Ellsworth CC's Eric Franklin at 133. The sophomore bounced back quick pinning Chicago's Adam Wyeth and dominating Dubuque's Andrew Burr 12-0. In a match between a pair of seeded competitors and chance to place, ninth-seed Nick Miceli defeated Drees, 11-7.
The young Pioneers showed some promise at the 149 weight-class as freshmen Brad Blechschmidt and Matt Ellis went 2-2. Freshmen Aaron Bonnell and Gunnar Melstrand each earned a win at 149, while fellow freshman Randy Wade (165 wt.), sophomore Robbie Kerr (157 wt.) and junior Nathan Schmitz (174 wt.) each grabbed a victory.
UW-Platteville welcomes No. 6 UW-La Crosse in a WIAC duel on Nov. 29 in Williams Fieldhouse.