STEVENS POINT, Wis. (blugolds.com) — Jared Stricker (So. - Ashland, Wis.) and Chase Melton (Sr. - Spooner, Wis.) both won conference titles at the WIAC Wrestling Championships on Saturday. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire tied for second place in the team standings with 125 points, sharing second with UW-Whitewater. Stricker was the 174-pound champion and Melton prevailed at 285 pounds.
Stricker and Melton won the 19th and 20th conference titles in program history. Stricker is a two-time champion and successfully defended his title from last year. Melton earned his first conference title in his senior year.
Stricker's road to the title began with a 16-0 technical fall in the second round over Josh Huess of UW-Stevens Point. The win booked his place in the semifinals, and he moved on to the championship match with a fall over UW-La Crosse's Leo Draveling. He clinched the title when his opponent in the finals withdrew with a medical forfeit.
Melton won his opening match with a 4-0 decision over UW-Stevens Point's Ben Gunderson. He won his second-round match against UW-La Crosse's Spencer Brewton by 8-0 major decision, and advanced through the semifinals by defeating UW-Whitewater's Shelby Jones in a 3-1 decision. He secured his conference title with a 3-2 decision over UW-La Crosse's Michael Douglas in the finals.
The Blugolds also had two conference runners-up. Tyler Fleetwood (Jr. - Fulton, Ill.) took second at 133 pounds and Niall Schoenfelder (So. - Antioch, Ill.) took second at 184 pounds. Fleetwood had a first-round bye and defeated UW-Platteville's Alex Schmacht by 16-0 techincal fall in the second round. He beat UW-Whitewater's Tyler Fortugno by 5-4 decision in the semifinals, but fell to UW-Whitewater's Dominik Mallinder in a third-period fall in the finals.
Schoenfelder advanced through the first round with a bye and won in the second by 6-3 decision over UW-Platteville's Evan Frisque. He booked his place in the finals with a 7-4 victory over UW-La Crosse's Nolan Paar. He finished second after falling in the finals to UW-Whitewater's Jaritt Shinhoster in a 22-4 technical fall.
Zach Sato (So. - Oswego, Ill.) finished third at 149 pounds. He won his opening match 10-2 over UW-Whitewater's Lucio Morgan. He fell in a 9-2 decision in the semifinals, but rebounded with a 9-2 decision in the consolation bracket. He won the third-place match with a 14-5 major decision over UW-La Crosse's Parker Kratochvill.
Tristan Massie (Jr. - Hillsdale, Wis./Barron) secured a fourth-place finish at 165 pounds. He had a first-round bye and advanced to the semifinals with a 14-2 major decision. He fell in a narrow 2-1 decision but advanced to the third-place match via forfeit. He fell in a 6-4 decision in his final match of the day.
Zach Schnieder (Jr. - Houston, Minn.) placed fourth at 157 pounds. He earned a spot in the semifinals with a fall in the first round and an 8-0 major decision in the second round. He fell in a 5-1 decision in the semis, advanced to the third-place match with a 7-6 decision victory and wrapped up the day with a 13-5 defeat.
Drew Kested (Fr. - Sterling, Ill.) finished fourth at 141 pounds. He reached the semifinals with a 2-1 tiebreaker victory, but fell in a 5-3 decision in the semis. He won a consolation match 12-0 to reach the third-place match, where he fell in a 5-3 decision.
Colton Sund (So. - Prior Lake, Minn.) and Jon Harvey (Fr. - Lake City, Minn./Lincoln) both placed fifth for the Blugolds. Sund, wrestling at 157 pounds, dropped his opening match but earned a placement through the consolation bracket. He took his second match in a 12-2 major decision and took the next in an 11-3 major decision. He advanced to the third-place match with a 7-6 decision, but fell 13-5. He bounced back in the fifth-place match, beating UW-Platteville's David Cushman in a 13-2 major decision.
Harvey earned fifth place at 165 pounds. He recovered from dropping his opening match by winning twice by decision in the consolation bracket. He forfeited to Massie in the consolation semifinals, but won the fifth-place match by 10-3 decision over UW-Oshkosh's Nate Stokhaug.
Preston Carlisle (Fr. - Red Wing, Minn./Cannon Falls) placed sixth at 174 pounds. He reached the semifinals with a pin in the quarterfinals but fell in a 6-4 decision in the semis. He forfeited his final two matches to take sixth.
Sam Melton (Sr. - Spooner, Wis.) placed sixth at 197. He won his opening match with a 13-5 major decision. He fell in a sudden victory in the quarterfinals, but bounced back with a 16-3 major decision in the consolation bracket. He fell 3-2 in the consolation semis and 6-4 in a sudden victory in the fifth-place match.
The Blugolds will continue the postseason with the NCAA Upper Midwest Regional, which begins Friday, Feb. 24 at Concordia (Wis.)
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