No. 23 Pioneers thrill in Throwdown in the Theatre

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The No. 23 nationally ranked University of Wisconsin-Platteville wrestling team (4-2, 3-2 WIAC) defeated UW Oshkosh (4-10, 1-4 WIAC) 28-9 in a thrilling production of Throwdown in the Theatre in the Center for the Arts. The Pioneers won seven of the matches which included two pins, a major decision, and six straight victories to close out the dual. 

After the contest, head coach Mike DeRoehn said, "I'm incredibly proud of the team as a whole. I think the event represents the amount of support we have here on campus for the wrestling program. There's a ton of extra work by a lot of different people that goes into making this event go so well and we are incredibly grateful to them." DeRoehn went on to say, "The kids put on a show for the fans and it made it all worthwhile."

The night started at 184 pounds and after the first five matches, the Pioneers trailed 9-6, but junior Chase Katzenmeyer turned up the energy at 141 pounds when he quickly pinned Eli Mondrella (Fall 1:23) and the momentum carried the Pioneers through the remaining four bouts. 

No. 4 ranked heavyweight, junior Lucius Rinehart was the first wrestler to put the Pioneers on the board after trailing 6-0 after two bouts. Rinehart defeated Jordan Lemcke with by a 5-2 decision.  

Denis Murphy defeated sophomore Isaac Wiegel by a narrow 6-5 decision at 125 pounds, but junior Luke Pradel defeated AJ Schoenfuss by a 5-2 decsion at 133 pounds to narrow the Titan's lead to 9-6.

Katzenmeyer's pin at 1:23 was just the spark the Pioneers needed to close out the dual in thrilling fashion. 

The next two Pioneers battled until the end of the following two bouts to add to the Pioneers's 12-9 lead. Sophomoe Garrett Ruckdashel defeated Shane Dziadosz by a 2-1 decsion at 149 pounds followed by sophomore Alexander Strueder's 5-4 decision at 157 pounds.

The Pioneers lead 18-9 with two bouts remaining as freshman Nathan Wynsma jumped onto the stage for the 165 pounds contest and pinned Oscar Ramos (Fall 3:45) to extend the lead to 24-9. 

Junior Nick Dado closed out the night at 174 pounds and stacked up a 16-4 major decision over AJ Stengel to give UW-Platteville the 28-9 win in the final dual of the 2019-20 WIAC schedule.  

The Pioneers are 2-3 in the history of Throwdown in the Theatre. Friday's victory over UW Oshkosh is joined by a 23-19 win over Cornell College in 2018 and a 23-21 defeat against Augustana College in 2017. 

Prior to the start of the dual, the Pioneers recognized the 2019-20 senior class which consists of Tyler Pasker and Kyle Wolf.

To watch the Throwdown in the Theater on demand, click here. 

The Pioneers will return to action next week at the WIAC Tournament hosted by UW-La Crosse.