On Saturday, Dec. 6, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s wrestling team had a tournament in Mitchell Hall where they competed against Augustana, Central College (Iowa), and University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. UWL swept the competition earning wins against all three teams increasing UWL’s record to 7-0 so far this season.
The Eagles earned a score of 46-0 against Augustana, 24-17 against Central College (Iowa), and 52-0 against UW-Oshkosh.
In wrestling, matches can end in a few different ways. A fall, better known as a pin, is the quickest and most decisive victory, happening when a wrestler holds both of an opponent’s shoulders to the mat, ending the match instantly. A technical fall occurs when a wrestler builds a 15-point lead. Because the margin is so large, the match is automatically stopped. A major decision is a win by eight to 14 points. The match goes the full length, but the scoring gap is big enough to count as a more dominant victory than a regular decision. A regular decision is a win by anything less than eight points.
This past weekend, four Eagles won by major decisions against Augustana; Grant Madl (125 lbs), Kolt Knaack (157 lbs), Noah Leisgang (174 lbs) and Tyler Dormanen (197 lbs). Followed by two more of their teammates who won by fall; Wyatt Magolski (133 lbs) and Tate Flege (184 lbs). Meanwhile Talan Schutte (141 lbs), Aidan Baum (149 lbs) and Tanner Gerber (165 lbs) earned their victories by technical fall. Lastly, only one Eagle won by regular decision and that was Asher Sheldon (285 lbs).
In the Eagles second match against Central College (Iowa) Noah Leisgang (174 lbs) won by fall. Three Eagles won by technical fall; Quintin Wolbert (125 lbs), Tanner Gerber (165 lbs) and Tate Flege (184 lbs). Finally, Tyler Dormanen (197 lbs) won by regular decision.
In their final match against UW-Oshkosh four Eagles won by fall; Cole Gentsch (125 lbs), Ryland Schneider (165 lbs), Carter Lueck (197 lbs) and Henry VanderHeiden (285 lbs). Followed by two wins by major decision secured by Teague Holzer (133 lbs) and Zane AlObaidi (157 lbs). Lastly there were four victories by technical fall from Marcus McInyre (141 lbs), Joe Penchi (149 lbs), Eddie Simes (174 lbs) and Sedeeq AlObaidi (184 lbs).
In addition to these wins, the Eagles earned themselves two shutouts on the weekend during their victories over Augustana and UW-Oshkosh. The victory against UW-Oshkosh was the team’s second conference win.
When asked about how the season was going so far, Coach David Malecek said, “I really appreciate this team as we have 6 new starters out of 10 spots, and they have showed maturity and consistency as first time starters. They have also represented UWL wrestling in the way and fashion we want which is hard nose wrestling, effort and attitude.”
For fans looking to support the wrestling team, the Eagles will return to their home mat Dec. 10 against The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
