WARTBURG CLAIMS TEAM DIVISION III WRESTLING CROWN
Ewing, NJ… Top-ranked Wartburg closed a record-setting 2005-06 season Saturday, March 4, at The College of New Jersey’s Student Recreation Center.
The Knights added the program’s fifth team national title since 1996 to an already-full closet of accolades that included the 2006 Cliff Keen/National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III National Duals and the 14th consecutive Iowa Conference championship. Wartburg concluded
the tourney with a 145.5-106 win over UW-La Crosse for the team top spot.
“Any time you can go out and win a national championship, it feels great,” head coach Jim Miller said. “I am very proud of how our guys carried themselves on and off the mat at the meet. They deserved this
national championship after a year of hard work and dedication.”
Senior 125-pounder Tyler Hubbard of Blue Springs, Mo., and senior 141-pounder Dustin Hinschberger of Belle Plaine added the program’s 22nd and 23rd individual crowns during the finals’ round. The Knights were close to three others as senior 174-pounder Scott Kauffman, senior 184-pounder Akeem Carter and junior Blake Gillis each pushed their opponents to the wire, ending up with national runner-up honors in each case. Sophomore Jacob Naig, appearing in his first national final match, also took second.
Mike Lopez of Luther College reeled in a national title at 133 pounds with Jacob Larsen of UW-La Crosse taking top honors at 149 .
Fourth-seeded Joe Pflug of Heidleberg College claimed the crown at 157 with top-seeded Derek Sikora of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire winning the next title at 165.
SUNY Cortland’s Stephon Sair scored in the final seconds to earn a national crown at 174 before Duane Bastress from York capped his standout season winning at 184. Bastress earned MOW for his efforts at the championships.
Delaware Valley’s Jamall Johnson made the most of his time on the mat in the finals as he won by fall in 1:26. Ray Allen of Wisconsin-La Crosse concluded the two-day event in exciting fashion with a 4-2 win in overtime to win the heavyweight title. Johnson had the tournament's fastest pin in 0:26, while adding the most falls as well with three.
Wartburg opened up an insurmountable lead after a remarkable Saturday morning session where they finished 10-1 in the championship and consolation brackets. Behind the roll, Wartburg increased its team lead to 39-and-a-half points over second-place UW-La Crosse. After decision wins by Hubbard and Hinschberger in the semifinals, Kauffman and Carter put the team-point lead safely in the Orange and Black’s hands. Kauffman gained a first-period takedown to upend La Crosse’s Josh Chelf 3-2, while Carter turned in a nearfall move in the second period en route to an 8-3 win over the Eagles’ Jason Lulloff, reversing an early-season loss to the nation’s second-ranked wrestler. Gillis completed the semifinal championship round sweep, defeating Lycoming’s Tom Snyder 2-0.
