LA CROSSE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire wrestling team took third place at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship (presented by Culver's) on Friday, with ten Blugolds earning a spot on the podium.
Team Scores | Brackets | UWEC Individual Results | WIAC Championship Webpage
Three Blugolds led the way with second place finishes, Jake Drexler (So. - Stratford) at 149, Evan Lawrence (Jr. - Hugo, MN/Mahtomedi) at 174 and James Huntley (Jr. – Woodbury, MN/Stillwater) at 197.
After a first round bye, Drexler won by decision (3-1) over Brandon Lenczer of UW-Oshkosh in the quarterfinal and advanced to the championship after a semifinal forfeit. In his final bout, Drexler fell in a sudden victory (SV-1 5-3).
Lawrence also received a first round bye and moved to the semifinal after a disqualification. In the semifinal, Lawrence pinned Platteville's Nick Dado (2:25). In the championship, he lost by fall to Whitewater's Jarrit Shinhoster (3:52).
After a bye, Huntley won by major decision over Max Schmitz of Platteville (MD 16-6) and recorded a 2-1 decision over Whitewater's Nick Sundberg. In the championship bout, he fell by major decision (15-2) to La Crosse's Isaac Lahr.
Thomas Severson (So. - Marathon/D.C. Everest) also had a strong day for the Blugolds, placing third at 133. After a bye, the sophomore tallied a decision over Platteville's Caleb Radke (5-0) but fell in the semifinal. In the consolation semifinal, Severson earned another 5-0 decision, this time over Brandon Murphy of La Crosse. In the third place match, he recorded a 7-2 decision over Platteville's Luke Pradel.
Also placing third was Mason Hawkins (Jr. – Farmington, MN) at 197. Hawkins fell in the first round, but bounced back with two pins, the first over Patrick Reilly (Oshkosh) and the second over Max Schmitz (Platteville). In his next bout, Hawkins recorded a sudden victory over Colten Cashmore of Oshkosh (SV-1 3-1). In the third place match, the junior won by decision (5-3) over Jerry Lipke of Stevens Point.
Also placing for the Blugolds was Jack Marley (So. – Trempealeau/GET) who was fourth at 125, Chase Melton (Fr. - Spooner, WI) who placed fourth at 184 and Noah Carter (So. -Rochester, MN/Mayo) was fourth at 285.
Blaze Beltran also earned a podium spot with a fifth place finish at 285 while Chase Schmidt (Jr. – Rice Lake) placed sixth at 185.
In addition, Gary Garvin was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.
The Blugolds will now prepare for the NCAA Regional Tournament which will be hosted by Augsburg University February 28-29.
