UW-Platteville's Brian Olson capped a brilliant wrestling career with a fifth-place finish at NCAA Division III All-America honors at the national championships Friday and Saturday at Waterloo, Iowa.

Olson, a senior from Wausau (D.C. Everest High School), went 5-2 at 125 pounds at nationals.

"He wrestled really well," UWP Coach Chris Walter said. "He won the close matches by wrestling smart. Brian had the toughest draw because he had to face guys who were ranked all year."

Olson, seeded fourth, beat two top-10 wrestlers in the opening rounds. He overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat Mitchell Marks on Kings College 9-4 and edged Luther's Zach Audetat 3-2, his second one-point win over Audetat this year. Fifth-seeded Carlos Restrepo scored a takedown late in the match for a 3-2 victory in the quarterfinals, forcing Olson to come back in the consolation bracket.

With all-America honors at stake, Olson upset the nation's second-ranked wrestler, Delaware Valley's Mike Jones 8-2 in a well-wrestled match. Olson picked up a victory over another all-American, Westerna Maryland's Vinny Pedalino by a 7-2 count, before falling 5-4 to Buena Vista's Jamie Taxted 5-4. He rebounded to win the fifth-place match over SUNY-Brockport's Mike Shaw by a 5-1 count.

Olson concludes his career with an 82-36 record. He was a two-time all-American, placing fourth in 1999 and fifth in 2001. He did not compete last year as he had an engineering internship.

Both Olson and John Schimming (Sr., Canton, Minn./Harmony High School) were named to the Division III Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-America team.

Olson's five wins gave UWP enough team points to finish 30th, the second-highest finish by a WIAC team. UW-La Crosse was second overall, behind national champion Augsburg.

In other developments from wrestling nationals, Peter Wang was inducted into the Division III Hall of Fame. He is a former two-time national champion from the University of Chicago and the son of UWP professors Yuan-Ling Wang and Judy Wang.

Three UW-Platteville wrestlers were named second team all-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

They are Brian Olson, Sr., Wausau, at 125; Adam Anderson, So., Pewaukee, at 141; and Ryan Nash, Sr., Sheboygan, at 157.

The Pioneers attained their all-conference status at the WIAC wrestling meet.

UW-Platteville's Brian Olson will compete in the NCAA Division III national championships this weekend in Waverly, Iowa. To track his progress through the 125-pound bracket, click on the link below. A complete recap will appear here Monday.

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Platteville's John Schimming has been named the 2001 Max Sparger Wrestling Scholar-Athlete, it was announced by WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner.

Schimming, a senior from Canton, Minn. (Harmony HS), is majoring in elementary/middle school education with a minor in mathematics and natural science with a 3.50 grade point average. He is a member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll, and has been named to the Dean's List, Chancellor's List and Gabe Miller Honor Roll at UW-Platteville.

Schimming is a two-time place winner at the WIAC Championships and has been a team captain for two seasons. He has received UW-Platteville's Most Improved Wrestler award and has also been voted Most Dedicated Wrestler by his teammates.

Schimming is a member of the WIAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and served as the committee's chair during the 1999-2000 academic year. In addition, he has volunteered as a math tutor at a Platteville area middle school.

Prior to attending college, Schimming served four years in the United States Navy, earning both the Navy's Good Conduct Medal and Navy Achievement Award.

Schimming is the fourth Pioneer, and first since Tom McMillen in 1989-90, to win the wrestling the Scholar-Athlete Award.

Other student-athletes nominated for the award included: UW-La Crosse's James Carlson and Pat Kearns and UW-Whitewater's Ryan Toshner.

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is sponsored by Verizon Communications. In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average, be in their last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years.

The UW-Platteville wrestling team placed fifth at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meet Sunday at UW-Stevens Point, where senior Brian Olson also earned a trip to the NCAA Division III national championships.

Olson finished second in the 125-pound weight class, then was voted one of three wild-card entries into the NCAA III tournament by the WIAC coaches. Each weight-class champion advances to nationals, and three more runners-up were selected to the national meet, which is March 2-3 in Waterloo, Iowa. Olson lost a close 10-7 decision in the championship to UW-Eau Claire's Davey Starks, the defending champion, then defeated UW-La Crosse's Nick Mueller 10-7 in the wrestlebacks. He will take a 23-2 record into the DIII championships.

Also placing second were Adam Anderson and Ryan Nash. Anderson fell to UW-La Crosse's Brady Cudd 7-3 in the 141-pound title match, then came back to beat UW-Eau Claire's Jacob Lawrence 6-3 in the wrestlebacks. Nash won the wrestleback match at 157 pounds, beating UW-La Crosse's Josh Ernst 9-6. (Note: A wrestleback occurs when a wrestler is defeated in the semifinals, then has that opponent win the championship. The one who loses in the semifinal challenges the championship match loser for a true second-place finish.)

UW-La Crosse won its fourth straight WIAC team title with 156 points, while the host Pointers scored 98, UW-Eau Claire 95.5, UW-Oshkosh 87, UW-Platteville 85, UW-Whitewater 80 and UW-River Falls 51.5

UW-Platteville won the final four matches to defeat UW-Whitewater 25-14 in wrestling action Wednesday in Williams Fieldhouse.

Adam Anderson began the Pioneer comeback with a 6-4 overtime win at 141 pounds. Mike Kelley also won a close match, scoring a takedown with 20 seconds remaining, then using the riding time to prevail 5-4 at 149 and give the Pioneers a 15-14 lead. Senior Ryan Nash then scored a quick near-fall and went on for a 12-2 victory, pushing the score to 19-14. Ben Hunter finished off the night with a pin in 6:16 at 165 pounds.

Tony Austin scored a 5-0 win at 184 pounds early in the match, which started with the 174-pound weight class. Senior Brian Olson earned his 75th career win with a forfeit at 125 pounds.

The Pioneers, ranked 23rd in NCAA III, are now 9-8 overall, while the 28th-ranked Warhawks fell to 7-6-2.

Saturday's scheduled matches with St. John's and Concordia, Minn. have been cancelled.

The UW-Platteville wrestling team has cancelled its scheduled Saturday meet after one of the three scheduled teams pulled out of the competition.

The Pioneers and UW-La Crosse were scheduled to face St. John's and Concordia, Minn., in separate duals, then switch opponents. The Eagles, however, were forced to withdraw after discovering a scheduling conflict. The two Minnesota schools, then, declined to make the long trip for single matches against the Pioneers.

That makes this Thursday's match against rival UW-Whitewater the last home meet of the season. The Pioneers and Warhawks tangle Thursday at 7 p.m. in Williams Fieldhouse.

UW-Platteville wrestled with some of the top teams in NCAA Division III and placed fifth at the 39th annual all-Lutheran Wrestling Tournament at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa.

Number one ranked Augsburg won the team title with 157.5 points. The Pioneers scored 69.

Jim Hamilton (174) and Tony Austin (184) recorded the top individual finishes by placing third in their weight-classes. John Schimming (133) and Adam Anderson (141) were each fourth.

The Pioneers return to action Thursday in Williams Fieldhouse against UW-Whitewater at 7 p.m. Complete results of Luther Meet

Seventh-ranked Loras College won the last eight matches and defeated UW-Platteville 36-5 in wrestling Thursday in Williams Fieldhouse.

Brian Olson and John Schimming began the match with victories for the Pioneers. Olson raised his record to 20-1 with a 13-8 victory over Ricky Gaitan at 125. Schimming followed with an exciting 6-4 overtime win against Sal Zepeda at 133. Schimming improved to 22-7 on the year.

The Duhawks improved to 11-5 overall, while the 26th-ranked Pioneers fell to 8-8.

UWP will split its squad Saturday, with some wrestlers competing in the Luther Invitationa, and the others at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational. The Pioneers' next home meet is Thursday, Feb. 8 vs. UW-Whitewater.

Behind four champions, including the tournament's MVP, the UW-Platteville wrestlers captured the 20th Elmhurst College "Al Hanke" Invitational team title Saturday.

The Pioneers won the 13-team meet with 131 points, easily outdistancing second-place Augustana, who had 95.

Brian Olson captured the Most Outstanding Wrestler award after winning the 125-pound title. The senior from Wausau (D.C. Everest) won all three of his matches, one by a pin, to improve to 19-1 on the year.

Ben Hunter, a freshman from Oshkosh (North), won the 165-pound title with two pins and a technical fall. Local products Jim Hamilton (Rewey/Iowa-Grant) and Tony Austin (Belmont) won championships at 1174 and 184, respectively, for the Pioneers. Hamilton recorded two pins and a technical fall, while Austin had one pin among his wins.

Shane Gulden (141) and Charlie Droessler (149) both advanced to the title matches in their respective weights, but lost in the finals to finish second.

Placing third for the Pioneers were John Schimming (Canton, Minn./Harmony) at 133, Mike Kelley (Fennimore) at 141 and Ryan Nash (Sheboygan/North) at 157.

The Pioneers face Loras in Williams Fieldhouse Thursday at 7 p.m.

UW-Platteville won the first match and the last, but in between it was all UW-La Crosse, as the second-ranked Eagles beat the 25th-rated Pioneers 32-7 Thursday in Williams Fieldhouse.

John Schimming started the match with a 14-0 victory over Chris Passe at 133 pounds. Schimming improved to 18-6 on the year. The Eagles then captured the next eight weight classes, including pins by Tade Kemnitz at 165 and Jason Ott at 285.

The Pioneers' Brian Olson closed the dual with a 9-4 victory over Nick Mueller at 125. Olson, the nation's fourth-ranked wrestler at 125, improved to 16-1.

UW-La Crosse is now 21-1 overall, including 3-0 vs. Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams. UW-Platteville fell to 8-7, 3-2.

UW-Platteville won the last four individual matches to beat host UW-Eau Claire 21-12 Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers also beat UW-River Falls 36-12, raising their overall record to 8-6.

The matches started with the 157 matches. Ben Hunter (165), Jim Hamilton (174) and Tony Austin (197) winning decisions. With four matches left, the score was tied at 12-12.

Brian Olson, the nation's fourth-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds, started the streak with a win, and was followed by John Schimming (133), Mike Kelly (141) and Mark Shea (149) to clinch the victory.

The Pioneers won all but two matches in the nightcap vs. UWRF. Olson improved to 15-1 on the year, while Hamilton earned his team-high 20th victory, and Schimming won his 17th match.

UWP makes its 2001 home debut Thursday when UW-La Crosse comes to Williams Fieldhouse for a 7 p.m. match.

UW-Platteville, seeded 11th, beat sixth-seeded Ohio Northern 21-12 in the opening round of 2001 Budd Whitehill National Dual Wrestling Championships Friday at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa.

The Pioneers then lost to the host school, Lycoming, 36-3, in the quarterfinals and to Muskingum 21-16 in the consolation round Saturday. UWP also dropped a close challenge match to Springfield, 24-15.

The Pioneers, now 6-6 on the season, had several outstanding individual performances during the weekend. Tony Austin won all four of his matches at 184 pounds, including a pin and a majority decision. He raised his overall record to 14-7 on the year.

The 141-pound tandem of Adam Anderson and Mike Kelley was undefeated. Anderson won three matches, raising his record to 16-6, while Kelley won his lone match to reach double digits in victories at 10-5.

Jim Hamilton was 3-1 at 174 pounds, earning his team-leading 18th win against six losses. Jon Shimming notched wins 14 and 15, splitting his matches at 133 pounds.

Brian Olson, ranked fourth in the nation at 125 pounds, finally suffered his first defeat. He was 1-1 on Friday, making his record 13-1. He could not compete in Saturday's matches due to a family commitment.

The Pioneers wrestled at UW-Eau Claire (and also against UW-River Falls) next Saturday. They finally make their home debut on Thursday, Jan. 25, against UW-La Crosse, who won the national duals championship for the second straight year.

Based on their early-season performance, the UW-Platteville team surged to 23rd in the NCAA Division III poll, released Tuesday. It marks the first time this year the Pioneers have cracked the top 25, and the fourth time in Coach Chris Walters' fourth years the team has been nationally ranked.

The Pioneers are 5-3 in dual meets this year. Individually, Brian Olson is ranked fourth at 125 pounds. The senior is 12-0 on the season.

Click here for the complete poll.

UW-Platteville won all three of its matches at the Central (Iowa) College Duals Saturday, improving to 5-3 on the season.

The Pioneers beat Central 21-14, Simpson 22-20 and Elmhurst 38-13 in the six-team duals. UW-La Crosse was also 3-0 on the day.

Three Pioneers won all three of their matches Saturday, including Brian Olson. The 125-pound all-American ran his record to a perfect 12-0 on the season with a pin and two decisions.

Ryan Nash (157) and Nick Maleck (197) also were undefeated on the day, with Maleck taking an exciting 8-6 win against Central in overtime.

Winning twice were Jim Hamilton, who earned his team-high 15th win at 174, and John Schimming (133) and Adam Anderson (149), who each raised their records to 13-6.

The Pioneers, who lost 30-9 at UW-Stevens Point Thursday, improved to 5-3 in dual meets. They are now off until Jan. 12-13, when they wrestle in the Budd Whitehill National Duals at Lycoming, Pa.

Behind three individual champions, UW-Platteville placed second in the six-team Lawrence University Invitational in Appleton Saturday.

The host Vikings, ranked 12th in NCAA III, won the meet with 92.5 points. UWP was second with 58, followed by Wheaton with 56, UW-Oshkosh 44, Lakeland 38 and Marantha Baptist 7.5.

John Schimming won the 133-pound title, defeating teammate Shane Gulden in the title match. Adam Anderson won three decisions, including one majority decision, to take the 141-pound title. Ryan Nash won a pair of decisions to take the 157-pound crown.

Mike Kelley (141), Mark Shea (149) and Tony Austin (174) placed third in their respective weight classes.

UW-Platteville beat UW-Oshkosh 30-12, but lost to 12th-ranked Lawrence University 27-10 Friday at the Lawrence Duals in Appleton, Wis.

The Pioneers, now 2-2, scored in both matches at the three lowest weights. Brian Olson remained undefeated at 125 pounds with a pair of victories, while John Schimming (133) and Adam Anderson (141) each won twice. Charlie Droessler (157), Tony Austin (174), Jim Hamilton (197) and Wade Bucknell (285) won their individual matches against the Titans.

UW-Platteville opened its dual-meet portion of its wrestling schedule by splitting a pair of matches in Mount Vernon, Iowa, Thursday.

The Pioneers routed host Cornell College 31-16 and lost to seventh-ranked Luther College 21-19. The matches were contested simultaneously , meaning that one Pioneer could be wrestling on one mat against a Cornell wrestler, with another on a different mat against a Luther athlete.

Three Pioneeers were 2-0 on the night. Jim Hamilton pinned his Cornell opponent in 1:58 and then won a majority decision vs. Luther at 184 pounds. He earned his team-high 11th win vs. Luther. Brian Olson and Adam Anderson (141 pounds) each received forfeits against Cornell, then earned decisions against Luther. Olson, ranked fourth in NCAA Division III at 125 pounds, improved to 6-0. Heavyweight Zac Bowgren earned his first collegiate victory with a 41-second pin vs. Cornell.

Thursday's matches kick off a busy weekend for the Pioneers. They take to the road this afternoon and wrestle at UW-Oshkosh tonight at 6 p.m. Tomorrow, they take the short trip down Hwy. 41 from Oshkosh to Appleton, where they will wrestle at the Lawrence Invitational, beginning at 9 a.m.

Brian Olson, a senior from Wausau (D.C. Everest High School), was the WIAC wrestler of the week. Olson, an All-American in 1999, returned to the mat after taking last year off for an engineering internship. He won the 125-pound weight class at the Concordia Open, a 15-team meet in Mequon Saturday. Olson was 4-0 on the afternoon.

Three UW-Platteville wrestlers won their respective weight classes at the Concordia Open Saturday in Mequon, Wis.

Brian Olson (Sr., Wausau, Wis.) saw his first action in more than a year. He earned all-America honors in 1999, then had an engineering internship last year. He won the 125-pound weight class with a perfect 4-0 mark. Tony Austin (Jr., Belmont) was 4-0 and the champion at 174 pounds, and Nick Maleck (Jr., Beaver Dam) won the 184-pound title with a 3-0 mark.

Shane Gulden (Fr., New Ulm, Minn.) took second place at 133 pounds with a 3-1 record. Ben Hunter (Fr., Oshkosh/North), at 165 pounds, and Jim Hamilton (So., Rewey/Iowa-Grant), at 174, were both third-place finishers with 5-1 marks. John Schimming (Sr., Canton, Minn./Harmon) was fourth at 133 with a 3-2 mark.

Adam Anderson (So., Pewaukee) had 4 wins at 141 to place fifth, while Mike Kelley (Fr., Fennimore) and Andy Kundinger (So., Auburndale) each earned a pair of wins at 141 and 184 pounds, respectively.

The Pioneers have their first dual-meet action of the year on Nov. 30 during a triangular with Cornell and Luther in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.

The final results are now officially in, and the winner is .... Ben Hunter.

The UW-Platteville freshman won the Silver Division's 165-pound weight class at the UW-Stevens Point Golden Eagle open last Saturday. He was a perfect 4-0 in the meet, whose results were just released. More than 20 teams and hundreds of wrestlers competed in the season-opening competition.

Shane Gulden took third place at 133 in the Silver Division at 4-1, and John Schimming, placed fourth in that same weight in the Gold Division at 3-2. Jim Hamilton was also fourth in the 174-pound Gold Division with a 4-2 record. Mike Kelly won four matches at 141 to place fifth in the Silver Division.

The Pioneers' match with Lakeland College for tonight (Thursday) in Mineral Point was cancelled after the Muskies could not field a varsity team this season. The clinic at Mineral Point High School still will be run as scheduled.

The UW-Platteville wrestling staff will hold a free clinic for junior high and high school wrestlers on Nov. 16 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Mineral Point High School.

Following the clinic, the Pioneers will open their 2000-2001 season at Mineral Point vs. Lakeland College. Admission to the match is $4.

UW-Platteville's wrestling program received commitments from two more high school standouts, Pioneer Head Coach Chris Walter announced Monday.

Attending the school in the fall will be Ben Hunter of Oshkosh North and Cody Rudsell of Stillman Valley, Ill.

Hunter was a three-time state qualifier for North, placing fifth as a senior. He had a 120-30 career record that included two conference championships. Hunter was 39-1 last year with 22 pins. He is the son of Mike and Sandy Hunter and is expected to wrestle at 125 pounds.

Rudsell was 99-9 over his three-year career at Stillman Valley, including a perfect 33-0 senior year that culminated in a state championship. He was 33-4 and second in state as a sophomore and 33-5 and third in state as a junior. He is the son of Rusty and Shelly Rudsell, Davis Junction Ill. He will wrestle in the upper weights at UW-Platteville.

Hunter and Rudsell are the fifth and sixth recruits to commit to the Pioneers. They join Mark Shea and Eric Kieler from Platteville; state champion Mike Kelly from Fennimore; and Shane Gulden from New Ulm, Minn.

They join a Pioneer team that was nationally ranked throughout the year in NCAA Division III. Walter has completed three years as the head coach and has already earned NCAA Rookie Coach of the Year and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Coach of the Year awards in his career.

University of Wisconsin-Platteville wrestling coach Chris Walter is pleased to announce his first four recruits for the 2000-01 school year.

Two of the recruits are co-captains from Platteville High School. Mark Shea was a SWAL champion his senior year and placed second and regionals and third in the sectionals. As a junior, he placed sixth in state at 135 pounds. He is the son of John and LuAnn Shea. Eric Kieler had a two-year conference record of 12-5 and placed second in the league as a junior. He was voted the co-Most Improved Wrestler for the Hillmen this year. He is the son of Louis and Ann Kieler.

Another area wrestler with an early commitment is Fennimore's standout Mike Kelley. He compiled a four-year record of 115-28 and capped his career with a state championship. Kelley was 36-3 as a senior and 30-10 as a junior, when he placed third at state. He is the son of Mike and Janice Kelley.

One of Minnesota's top wrestlers will cross the border and wrestle for the Pioneers. Shane Gulden compiled a 126-28 record with 46 pins in four years at New Ulm High School. He earned all-conference honors all four years and three times qualified for the state tournament. He placed third in state at 130 pounds as a senior and fifth at 125 as a junior. Gulden, the son of Bruce Gulden, helped New Ulm to a conference championship in 1999 and the South Central Conference Tournament championship in 2000. This year's team was 22-2 overall.

These four will join a Pioneer team that was nationally ranked throughout the year in NCAA Division III. Walter has completed three years as the head coach and has already earned NCAA Rookie Coach of the Year and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Coach of the Year awards in his career.