John Carroll hires Hawald

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April 15, 2015

John Carroll University has announced former Case Western Reserve and Mount Union coach Mark Hawald as the the successor to longtime coach Kerry Volkmann. Hawald was a 2004 NCAA All-American for John Carroll, a four time NCAA qualifier, and the school record holder for career wins. He was the head coach at Case for three years and Mount Union for five years before that. In 2011, he was named the d3wrestle.com Coach of the Year. Read on for the release from John Carroll

Mark F. Hawald Tabbed As Head Coach For John Carroll University Wrestling Program

A man with unique ties to its glorious past has been charged with leading the John Carroll University wrestling program toward a promising future.

Mark Hawald, a 2005 graduate of John Carroll University, has been named head coach of the school’s intercollegiate wrestling program after an extensive national search.

“We are excited that Mark has agreed to continue the strong legacy of John Carroll wrestling as our new head coach,” said Laurie Massa, Director Varsity Athletics and Recreation at John Carroll. “He has led two programs in exemplary fashion since he left John Carroll, with successful recruiting and student athlete development. I am happy to welcome him back to lead our wrestling program to even greater levels of achievement competitively, academically, and as a viable part of our community.”

Hawald arrives at John Carroll after three seasons as head coach at nearby Case Western Reserve and five seasons holding the same position at the University of Mount Union.

In his three seasons at Case Reserve, Hawald forged a 12-31 dual meet record in a rebuilding effort. The Spartans had lost 24 consecutive dual meets prior to his arrival. He coached two NWCA Scholar Teams and two NWCA National Scholar Athletes.

In the five years he coached at Mount Union, Hawald guided the Purple Raiders to a pair of top 20 finishes at the NCAA Divison III national championships, including an 8th place showing in 2011. Among his charges were 14 NCAA Division III National Qualifiers and seven NCAA Division III All-Americans.

In dual meets, Hawald’s teams posted a 42-25 record as the Purple Raiders mentor, including 24-4 over the last two seasons. His teams captured two Ohio Athletic Conference titles, and he was a three-time OAC Coach of the Year. 10549Hawald and his charges also enjoyed success academically, with two designated NWCA Scholar Teams and 12 NWCA National Scholar Athletes

In 2011, he was named d3wrestle.com National Coach of the Year.

“I have legends to follow in Coach Tony DeCarlo and Coach Kerry Volkmann,” said Hawald, who becomes just the third head coach in the 51-year history of the program. “Over the careers of these two men, John Carroll wrestling has won an NCAA Championship, celebrated over 100 individual All-Americans, and has turned hundreds of young men into successful members of our society. I want to continue and build upon this tradition and that means I have to get to work immediately.”

Hawald returns to his alma mater, where he spent four seasons (2002-2005) as a student-athlete. As a four-year letterwinner in wrestling, Hawald was a 2004 NCAA Division III All-American (3rd place at 174 pounds), a four-time NCAA Division III national qualifier, and a four-time OAC Champion. He graduated as the program’s all-time leader in victories with 122 – a record he shares with Joe Schmidt.

His undergraduate success was not limited to the wrestling mat, as he was a three-time NWCA National Scholar Athlete, a 2005 OAC Clyde A. Lamb Award winner (highest honor a student-athlete can receive from the conference), and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Winner

“When I arrived on this campus 15 years ago, my goal was to win an individual NCAA championship,” said Hawald, who received his BSBA in 2005 in Accountancy and his Master’s in Business Administration in 2007 from John Carroll. “Every decision I made in my everyday life was guided by this goal. Today, my goal is mostly the same. I want to win a NCAA team title and all my time and energy will be focused to get me to this goal”

The program Hawald takes over has a hallowed history at John Carroll. The lone Division III national championship won by any sport at the school was claimed by the wrestling team in 1975 – a squad that included his father, Mark J. Hawald.

“I am taking over a program that has a storied history and I am proud that my family has been and continues to be a part of it,” said Hawald. “My father had a successful career here in the 1970s and coached here in the 1980s. I have been to matches and practices since I was a baby and even was part of the team’s annual trip to Florida when I was just one year old. I wrestled here and I hope someday my own children will also be Blue Streak wrestlers.”

d3wrestle.com Named NWMA Website of the Year

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AV

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April 9, 2015

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d3wrestle.com was named the 2015 National Wrestling Media Association Website of the Year. The award winners were announced at the NCAA Division I Championships in St. Louis, and the press release came out yesterday. Click below to read about all of the winners.

National Wrestling Media Association announces annual journalism award winners

Award Winners
Broadcaster of the Year: Anthony Robles, ESPN/Pac-12 Network
Journalist of the Year: Brad Wilson, Easton Express-Times
Website of the Year: d3wrestle.com
Publication of the Year: Cedar Rapids Gazette
Photographer of the Year: John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com
New Media Specialist: Jason Bryant, Mat Talk Online
Division I SID of the Year: Taylor Miller, Oklahoma State
Small College SID of the Year: Jackie Paquette, Indianapolis
Jay Hammond Memorial Service Award: Mike Finn, W.I.N. Magazine & Pat Tocci, NWCA

Moulsoff and Valek drop interim tags at Augsburg

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March 31, 2015

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Augsburg College announced last week that interim Head Coach Jim Moulsoff and interim Associate Head Coach Tony Valek will drop the interim designation and remain in their current positions in future seasons. Moulsoff has been at Augsburg since 2008 and became the head coach when Mark Matzek resigned after last season. Valek, a 2012 Augsburg graduate and 3x All-American, stepped into the role vacated by Moulsoff at the same time.

Moulsoff and Valek led Augsburg to the 2015 NCAA Championship and a 13th straight regional title. Moulsoff was named NWCA Division III Coach of the Year and Rookie Coach of the Year, while Valek was named NWCA Assistant Coach of the Year. Read on for the Augsburg release.

Moulsoff, Valek earn Augsburg wrestling coaching roles

Final NCAA Season Long Awards Standings

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AV

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March 30, 2015

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Final standings released; awards handed out at championships

With the conclusion of the NCAA Division I Championships, the NCAA closed the books on the season long awards for falls, tech falls, and Most Dominant Wrestler. These awards only count matches within the division. For example, Cody Lovejoy led the standings for falls by racking up 24 falls against other Division III opponents, even though he amassed 27 total falls this season.

Lovejoy of Ohio Northern was 42-3 on the year and was the top seed at the NCAA Championships. He had back to back 40+ win seasons and is a two time winner of the Elite 89 Award given to the NCAA qualifier with the highest GPA. Lovejoy placed 7th at the 2014 NCAA Championships. He led the Division III standins with 24 in-division falls in a total time of 61:26.

Nathaniel Giorgio of Coast Guard led the tech fall standings with 13 tech falls in a combined 46:27. Giorgio finished as a four time NCAA qualifier and three time All-American. He was the 2012 d3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year and was named the 2015 Pilgrim League Wrestler of the Year and NEWA Most Dominant.

Riley Levever of Wabash was named the Most Dominant wrestler in Division III, scoring 5.22 team points per match against in-division opponents. The scoring system calculates an average dual team points with positive entries used for wins and negative entries for losses. Lefever won his second NCAA Championship as a sophomore 184 and has yet to lose to a Division III opponent in his career. He was also the 2014 d3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year.

All three Division III winners led the entire NCAA in their respective categories.

NCAA STAT LEADERS — FALLS

Division III
Rank	Name	School	Weight	Falls	Time
1	Cody Lovejoy	Ohio Northern	285	24	61:26
2	James Bethel	SUNY Oneonta	285	23	65:12
3	Jose ‘Luis’ Hernandez	Milwaukee Engineering	285	20	74:26
4	Shane Siefert	Wisconsin-Whitewater	197	19	45:15
5	DJ Tirelli	Johnson & Wales (R.I.)	133	19	46:30
6	Christoper Chorzepa	Williams	184	19	66:41
7	Riley Lefever	Wabash	184	18	40:04
8	Isaiah Shipman	Messiah	285	17	33:24
9	CJ Caserta	Stevens Tech	165	17	61:18
10	Terrance Jean-Jacques	Rhode Island College	285	16	22:23

NCAA STAT LEADERS — TECH FALLS

Division III
Rank	Name	School	Weight	TFs	Time
1	Nathaniel Giorgio	Coast Guard	133	13	46:27
2	Michael Polizzi	Stevens Tech	157	12	68:44
3	Jake Savoca	Williams	149	9	55:45
4	Alex Kramer	Ursinus	141	8	46:42
5	Nathan Pike	New York University	141	7	35:03
6	Collin Lesko	Alma	125	7	35:16
7	Zach Joseph	Springfield	149	7	37:13
8	Cary Palmer	Hunter	141	7	47:06
9	Jesse Bader	Hunter	165	7	47:21
10	Edward Pierce	Wesleyan (Conn.)	149	6	19:54

NCAA STAT LEADERS — MOST DOMINANT

Division III
Rank	Name	School	Weight	Points
1	Riley Lefever	Wabash	184	5.22
2	Donald Longendyke	Augsburg	285	4.9
3	AJ Kowal	Stevens Tech	174	4.7
4	Cody Lovejoy	Ohio Northern	285	4.7
5	Conner Lefever	Wabash	174	4.59
6	Terrance Jean-Jacques	Rhode Island College	285	4.56
7	Shane Siefert	Wisconsin-Whitewater	197	4.56
8	Kaleb Loht	Messiah	141	4.53
8	Mike Fuenffinger	Augsburg	125	4.46
10	Nathaniel Giorgio	Coast Guard	133	4.4

2015 Picks Game Winner

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March 30, 2015

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The winner of the 2015 NCAA Picks Game is Stamina. The team entered earned 162 points, easily outpacing the competition. Stamina picked nine All-Americans, seven finalists, and two champions. See the winning team below

Stamina

125 – #1 seed, Mike Fuenffinger, Augsburg, 24 points, NCAA Champion
133 – unseeded, Chad Bartschenfeld, Augsburg, 15 points, 2nd place
141 – unseeded, Ben Henle, St. John’s, 0 points
149 – #4 seed, Kenny Martin, Wartburg, 19 points, NCAA Champion
157 – #5 seed, Steven DeWitt, Loras, 14.5 points, 4th place
165 – #6 seed, Nolan Barger, Lycoming, 17.5 points, 3rd place
174 – #3 seed, Zach Zotollo, TCNJ, 19 points, 2nd place
184 – #7 seed, Devin Peterson, Wartburg, 16 points, 2nd place
197 – #2 seed, Shane Siefert, Whitewater, 19 points, 2nd place
258 – #8 seed, Terrance Jean-Jacques, Rhode Island, 18 points, 2nd place

Total – 162 points

2015 Wrestler of the Year

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AV

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March 27, 2015

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The 2015 d3wrestle.com Wrestler of the Year is Mike Fuenffinger of Augsburg. Fuenffinger won his second consecutive NCAA Championship at 125 lbs., going wire to wire as the top ranked wrestler at his weight. He finished the season 34-1, going undefeated against Division III competition and winning 15-2 in the NCAA finals. He opened the tournament with 8-0, 6-2, and 10-3 wins before winning by fall in the semifinals. His finals matchup was a rematch of the 2014 NCAA finals against Lucas Malmberg of Messiah. He won by major decision in 2014 and matched that in 2015 to close out his career as a three time All-American an helped Augsburg win a 12th NCAA team championship while winning the Outstanding Wrestler award at the tournament.

An accounting and math major from Hibbing, Minnesota, Fuenffinger won the Husky Open, Citrus Invitational, and West Regional on his way to the NCAA title, and he was the runner-up in the Auggie-Adidas open to a Division II All-American. Fuenffinger finished his career with a 110-21 record with 25 pins, 11 tech falls, 26 major decisions, and a 31 match winning streak.

Fuenffinger has also made his mark in Greco-Roman wrestling on the national scene. He has placed in the both the University and Senior level national championships and is a two time member of the FILA Junior World Team. Congratulations to Mike Fuenffinger, the 2015 d3wrestle.com Wrestler of the Year.

Previous Winners
2014 – Nazar Kulchytskyy, Oshkosh
2013 – Nazar Kulchytskyy, Oshkosh
2012 – Byron Tate, Wartburg
2011 – Minga Batsukh, St. John’s
2010 – Clayton Rush, Coe

2015 Coach of the Year

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AV

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March 26, 2015

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The 2015 d3wrestle.com Coach of the Year is Eric Keller of Wartburg. Coming off a string of four straight NCAA Championships, Keller was tasked with building a competitive team from a group that returned just 3 of the 103.5 points the Knights scored at the 2014 NCAA Championships. The team began the season unranked for the first time in recent memory, but quickly climbed the rankings as the season progressed. It took time for Wartburg to assert itself as a top team, and the Knights dropped an early season dual to La Crosse. That would be the last loss for Wartburg this season, as the new starting lineup began to perform, and the team finished with an 18-1 record, running their conference dual meet winning streak to 181.

By the end of the season, the Wartburg lineup consisted of one returning starter from 2014, one freshman, two transfers, and six wrestlers who were backups the year before. This group included Andrew Steiert, the #1 seed at 165 at the NCAA Championships, and Brandon Welter, the #4 seed at 174 at the NCAA Championships. Both were starters for the first time this year, and both had wrestled 149 in 2014. The current 149, the only NCAA Champion for the Knights, is Kenny Martin, a junior college transfer who did not place in the 2014 NJCAA Championships.

Wartburg began the postseason with a 40 point win in the Central Region and brought nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, all of whom were seeded. Only 133 lbs. starter Connor Campo was a starter the year before, and he had gone 0-2 at the Championships. The team entered the tournament ranked #1 but finished second following an unexpected championship run from Augsburg. Wartburg had eight All-Americans and a pair of finalists. Coach Keller took a lineup with zero returning NCAA points to a runner-up finish, and he is the 2015 d3wrestle.com Coach of the Year.

Previous Winners
2014 – Tim Fader, Whitewater
2013 – Steve Marianetti, Elmhurst
2012 – Jim Miller & Eric Keller, Wartburg
2011 – Mark Hawald, Mount Union
2010 – Dave Malecek, La Crosse

2015 All-Freshmen Team & Freshman of the Year

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AV

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March 25, 2015

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Update – An earlier version of this post had a weight class error that has now been corrected

The 2015 d3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year is Matthew Grossmann of Wilkes University. Grossmann won the 133 lbs. weight class at the 2015 NCAA Championships in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Grossmann picked up falls in both of his opening matches, including a victory over #4 seed Connor Campo of Wartburg. He defeated the top seed Nate Giorgio of Coast Guard in the semifinals before dispatching unseeded Chad Bartschenfeld of Augsburg 4-3 in the championship bout.

The Lancaster, Pennsylvania, native had six losses on the year and was in a fight to even own the starting spot at Wilkes, but his improvement throughout the season culminated in the national title. After taking a loss at the MAC Championships on January 24th, Grossmann had his hand raised in every subsequent match, including the finals of the East Region and in a 5-1 dual win over 2014 NCAA runner-up Alex Gomez of Ithaca. He was 2nd in the Monarch Invitational, 2nd at Petrofes, 2nd at the Wilkes Open, 1st at the Will Abele Invitational, and 2nd in the MAC.

In high school, Grossmann was a two time Pennsylvania AAA placewinner with a career record of 136-31 for Manheim Township High School. Read on for the full d3wrestle.com All-Freshmen Team.

2015 d3wrestle.com All-Freshmen Team (records are taken from Trackwrestling)

125 – Jakob Stageberg, Concordia-Moorhead, NCAA Qualifier, 27-13
133 – Matthew Grossmann, Wilkes, NCAA Champion, 36-6
141 – Kaz Onoo, Wartburg, 4th Central Region, 23-10
141 – Nashid Barrow, Buena Vista, NCAA Qualifier, 25-9
149 – Josh Evans, Wilkes, NCAA Qualifier, 21-14
157 – Gable Frandsen, Augsburg, NCAA Qualifier, 18-14
165 – Nick Velez, Ithaca, NCAA Qualifier, 33-11
174 – AJ Kowal, Stevens, 4th East Region, 30-4
184 – Ben Swarr, Messiah, NCAA Qualifier, 18-3
197 – Kyle Koser, Messiah, 5th Mideast Region, 37-14
285 – James Bethel, Oneonta, 4th NCAA, 39-6

2015 Results for the 2014 All-Freshmen Team

125 – Lucas Malmberg, Messiah – NCAA Runner-Up, Mideast champion
133 – Dustin Weinmann, La Crosse – 19-8, WIAC Runner-Up
141 – Charlie Banaszak, Chicago – did not wrestle
149 – Nick Drendel, Dubuque – did not wrestle
157 – Larry Cannon, Messiah – 4th Mideast Region
165 – Stephen Aiello, Wheaton – NCAA Qualifier
174 – Carlos Toribio, Ithaca – 5th Northeast Region at 184
184 – Riley Lefever, Wabash – NCAA Champion, Midwest champion
197 – Hunter Ayen, Springfield – NCAA Qualifier
285 – Zachery Roseberry, Delaware Valley – NCAA 3rd, East champion

2015 Picks Game Results Post

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AV

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March 19, 2015

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Please post your team results as a comment to this post. In order to help you calculate your score, the link below will take you to a list of the team points scored by every wrestler who scored in the tournament. If a wrestler is not on the list, he scored zero team points at the tournament. List your team results using the format below, using the same name and email address as in your initial entry. I made picks before the tournament as well, so the example team below is my team.

2015 NCAA Team Points

IF YOU DO NOT PRECISELY FOLLOW THE FORMAT SHOWN BELOW YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. Once a sufficient time has passed, the winner will be verified and contacted to receive the prize.

The format is as follows: weight, seed, last name, team, points

125, US, Stageberg, Concordia-Moorehead, 0.5
133, US, Bartschenfeld, Augsburg, 15
141, 1, Loht, Messiah, 15.5
149, 3, Fava, Delaware Valley, 16
157, 5, DeWitt, Loras, 14.5
165, 8, Velez, Ithaca, 1
174, 4, Welter, Wartburg, 2.5
184, 7, Peterson, Wartburg, 16
197, 6, Roman, Wartburg, 9
285, 2, Longendyke, Augsburg, 24.5
Total 114.5

Photos from the 2015 NCAA Championships

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March 18, 2015

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Click below for all of the d3wrestle.com photos from the 2015 NCAA Championships. There is a gallery for podium photos, and then there is a gallery for each of the ten weight classes. All of the semifinals and finals are in the galleries, as are many other matches. Each photo is identified with the weight class and the names and schools of each wrestler.

2015 d3wrestle.com Championships Gallery

2015 Academic Awards

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March 17, 2015

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Daniel Del Gallo of Southern Maine is the 2015 Elite 89 Award winner

2015 NWCA Scholar All-Americans | 2015 NWCA Top 30 Scholar Teams

To qualify as an NWCA Scholar All-American, a wrestler must be in at least his second semester at a school. His GPA must be at least 3.2 and he must meet at least one of the following wrestling criteria:

1. 2015 NCAA Qualifier with a record above .500
2. Regional top 6 AND greater than .500 record AND competed in 50% or greater of a teams’s schedule
3. Record above 0.670 AND competed in 50% or greater of a team’s schedule

The team GPA is calculated as an average of the top ten students on each team. At least six of the ten athletes chosen must have competed in the NCAA qualifying tournament, and the other athletes must have competed in at least 50% of the team’s scheduled contests.

In order to be eligible for any academic awards, the school and coach must be active NWCA members in good standing with current membership dues.

Lastly, the NCAA also presents the Elite 89 Award at each of its 89 championship events. The Elite 89 Award is given to the athlete with the highest GPA competing at the final championship site in each sport. The 2015 Elite 89 Award winner for Division III Wrestling is sophomore Daniel Del Gallo of the University of Southern Maine.

NWCA Announces All-Academic Teams and Individuals for 2014-2015 Season
by Jon McGovern (President of the NCAA III National Wrestling Coaches Association)
March 22nd, 2015

Hershey, PA – The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has announced its annual NCAA Division III All-Academic Top 30 Teams and Individual Academic All-Americans for the 2014-2015 wrestling season during the NCAA III Championships in Hershey PA.

Kings College was honored as the nation’s top academic wrestling program with a 3.59 team GPA. The runner-up in this year’s team competition was Olivet College. Following their top team finish last season with a 3.64 team GPA and #1 NWCA Academic Scholar Team finish in 2014, Olivet Head Coach Brandon Brissette’s squad once again delivered a strong performance with a 3.58 team GPA in 2015.

Rounding out the Top 10 Academic Scholar teams was the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point (3.54) in 3rd, Alma College (3.52) in 4th, Wabash College (3.51) in 5th, Concordia-Moorhead (3.5) in 6th, University of Chicago (3.49) in 7th, Norwich University (3.48) in 8th, Luther College (3.46) in 9th, and St. Johns (3.45) in 10th.

There were 159 NCAA III Wrestlers that earned NWCA Academic All-American honors. Alma College had the most individuals on the list as eight of their student-athletes earned NWCA Academic All-American honors. Wabash College and UW Whitewater finished second in totals with 6 student-athletes each earning NWCA Academic Scholar honors.

The student-athletes earning the highest GPA were Reed Van Anrooy from Luther College with a 4.0 GPA majoring in Biology and Daniel Del Gallo from Southern Maine with a 4.0 GPA majoring in Philosophy and Sociology. Cody Lovejoy from Ohio Northern finished with the 3rd highest GPA with a 3.99 GPA in Pharmacy. Dan Del Gallo of Southern Maine was also selected as the 2015 Elite 89 Award winner.

“The NWCA All-Academic Team and Individual Team is one of the best acknowledgements that we can give to our coaches and athletes at the end of a physically grueling season” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “These young men have proved that they are not only talented competitors but are leaders in the classroom as well. The NWCA Board of Directors and staff look forward to watching these student-athletes continue their success at the collegiate level and eventually as the leaders of the future once they earn their college degrees.

For a list of the Top 30 teams, click here: https://www.d3wrestle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2015-NWCA-Top-30-Scholar-Teams.pdf

For a list of the individual Academic All-Americans click here: https://www.d3wrestle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015-NWCA-Scholar-All-Americans.pdf

About the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)
The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: coaching development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling.

2015 Championship Data

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March 16, 2015

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Region Performance

Region	All-Americans	Team Points	Champions
Central	18	217	2
East	15	203	2
Midwest	15	205.5	2
Mideast	14	185.5	1
Northeast	11	147	1
West	7	121.5	2

Three Year Totals 2013-2015 (since the regional system was in place)

Region	All-Americans	% of total AA	Team Points	% of total Points
Central	46	19.167	611.5	19.106
East	41	17.083	542.5	16.950
Midwest	50	20.833	675	21.090
Mideast	40	16.667	503.5	15.732
Northeast	39	16.250	489	15.279
West	24	10.000	379	11.842

2015 All-Americans (unseeded in italics; 23 total)

	125			165
1	Fuenffinger	Augsburg	1	Sewera	Coe
2	Malmberg	Messiah	2	Schneider	La Crosse
3	Bewak	Johns Hopkins	3	Barger	Lycoming
4	Gunter	Baldwin Wallace	4	Guidi	Waynesburg
5	Agnitsch	Wartburg	5	Hensel	Augsburg
6	Rea	Wilkes	6	Steiert	Wartburg
7	Page	Central	7	Farmer	Wabash
8	Amato	WPI	8	Bader	Hunter
	133			174
1	Grossman	Wilkes	1	Lefever	Wabash
2	Bartschenfeld	Augsburg	2	Zotollo	TCNJ
3	Obert	Luther	3	Thomson	Messiah
4	Gomez	Ithaca	4	Harrington	Coe
5	Giorgio	Coast Guard	5	Cain	RIT
6	Pike	NYU	6	Gardner	Concordia-Moorhead
7	Haynes	Delaware Valley	7	Chase	Baldwin Wallace
8	Campo	Wartburg	8	Newman	Whitewater
	141			184
1	Palmer	Hunter	1	Lefever	Wabash
2	Van Anrooy	Luther	2	Peterson	Wartburg
3	Loht	Messiah	3	Olsen	Wheaton
4	Jones	NYU	4	Chorzepa	Williams
5	Steger	Loras	5	Dowdley	Heidelberg
6	Binion	North Central	6	Carlson	La Crosse
7	Adcock	Whitewater	7	Sheehan	NYU
8	Ferinde	Johnson & Wales	8	Beckwith	Cortland
	149			197
1	Martin	Wartburg	1	Giaramita	Cortland
2	Fava	Delaware Valley	2	Siefert	Whitewater
3	Mayville	RIT	3	Twohey	La Crosse
4	Arnold	Ursinus	4	Karns	Delaware Valley
5	Perkin	Whitewater	5	Horner	Coe
6	Mirman	John Carroll	6	Roman	Wartburg
7	Keeter	Augsburg	7	Hechsel	Augsburg
8	Lohr	Waynesburg	8	Seabold	Central
	157			285
1	Carr	Washington & Jefferson	1	Longendyke	Augsburg
2	Lefever	Wabash	2	Jean-Jacques	Rhode Island
3	Lopez	Williams	3	Roseberry	Delaware Valley
4	DeWitt	Loras	4	Bethel	Oneonta
5	Wagenhoffer	Wartburg	5	Nagle	Wartburg
6	Collins	Ithaca	6	Maresh	Alma
7	Garrison	Mount Union	7	Edgren	Whitewater
8	Mancella	TCNJ	8	Herman	Luther

Class listing of 2015 NCAA Qualifiers (thanks to Caleb Williams for compiling)

2015 Finals Recap

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March 15, 2015

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Podium Photos for Download | Final Brackets

125 – Mike Fuenffinger (Augsburg) major decision Lucas Malmberg (Messiah) 15-2

It was a rematch of the 2014 finals that everyone expected. Coming in as the top two seeds, neither wrestler had lost in Division III this season. Fuenffinger opened up the scoring with an ankle pick off an underhook. He scored several times with that attack in last year’s finals and got a couple in 2015 as well. He proceeded to get a tight waist tilt for two and opened up an early lead. Fuenffinger has tremendous pressure on top that made it hard for Malmberg to get to his feet. Malmberg was able to get some escapes, but Fuenffinger was just too much, scoring on several counter shots and even turning a double into some back points late in the match to add a 15-2 win to the major decision he had in last year’s final.

133 – Matthew Grossman (Wilkes) decision Chad Bartschenfeld (Augsburg) 4-3

Freshman Matthew Grossman took on unseeded Chad Bartschenfeld in a surprise final. Each had knocked off a top two seed to get here. Grossman went to high school just 30 miles from the Giant Center and had a big crowd cheering him on. Bartschenfeld struck first with a single that started low but ended up with a body lock for the takedown. Grossman escaped immediately to end the scoring in the first. Bartschenfeld was in on a number of left handed single leg shots, but was unable to finish after the first takedown. Near the end of the second period, Grossman countered a shot with an underhook ankle pick and rode the Auggie out to finish the period and take a 4-2 lead. Grossman rode tough in the third, but Bartschenfeld escaped just soon enough to avoid giving up riding time, but he could not score late, giving Grossman and Wilkes head coach Jon Laudenslager their first NCAA Championships.

141 – CJ Palmer (Hunter) decision Drew Van Anrooy (Luther) 4-2 SV2

Palmer and Van Anrooy met early last season while Palmer was at Clackamas Community College and Van Anrooy was at Oregon State. Van Anrooy took that match, but Palmer prevailed here. The first period was uneventful, save for Palmer taking several blood timeouts. Things picked up in the second with Palmer on the bottom. Van Anrooy delivered a series of hard mat returns, with one or two delivered maybe a bit after the whistle. Palmer nearly took injury time but soldiered on and got a very late escape to take the lead. Palmer showed his mat return skills in the third and rode off the riding time before Van Anrooy could escape and send it to a scoreless sudden victory. Van Anrooy rode Palmer out in his half but picked up his third caution when Palmer was on top. In the second sudden victory period, Palmer hit a slide by to a single leg shot that resulted in a big scramble. Palmer was awarded the takedown, Luther challenged, but the call was upheld.

149 – Kenny Martin (Wartburg) decision Vinny Fava (Delaware Valley) 8-3

Martin started off with a quick reattack shot that dropped Fava to a hip, but the Aggie popped right up to his feet. Two was awarded and challenged, but the call held up. As a result of the challenge, Fava had to get his first escape twice, which he did with no trouble. Martin did a great job turning Fava’s shots into his points, countering several shots for takedowns, including a second score in the first to end the period up 4-1. After a single escape in the second period, Martin scored his third takedown in a similar manner to the second. Fava escaped this time, but the clock wound down, and Martin got a riding time point for the final margin, giving Wartburg their sole 2015 champion.

157 – Nick Carr (Washington & Jefferson) decision Reece Lefever (Wabash) 6-2

Carr was a finalist at 165 last year and came into the finals undefeated on the season. Lefever was a three time All-American and the #2 seed. Lefever countered a big double from Carr to stay neutral in the first, but he could only hold him off for so long in this match. Lefever nearly slipped behind Carr while defending a hi-c, but Carr recovered his angle and finished with a lift for the first takedown. His second score came on a similar shot but a cleaner finish near the edge. Lefever expertly stopped a third takedown with a split on the boundary line. Carr was visibly tired heading into the third, but he parried Lefever’s attempts and even made a few of his own to finish out a win in his second trip to the finals.

165 – Farai Sewera (Coe) decision Tyler Schneider (La Crosse) 9-4

Sewera started the tournament wearing a mask, but was not wearing it at all on Saturday. Schneider reached the final with a sudden victory win over the top seed in the semifinals. Sewera got the scoring started with an underhook single to the right side. Schneider had a lot of trouble penetrating Sewera’s defense in a match contested almost entirely on the feet. Sewera got two other takedowns countering hi-c attempts from Schneider. The last in particular was shot across Sewera’s body, giving him a good angle for a counterattack when Schneider did not get the leg. A final desperation attempt from Schneider set up Sewera’s final double leg to give the final margin of 9-4.

174 – Conner Lefever (Wabash) decision Zach Zotollo (The College of New Jersey) 5-4

It was a matchup of the #1 and #3 seeds as the second Lefever finalist took the mat against the three time All-American Zotollo. Lefever started the scoring with a single leg that he finished on the edge. Lefever was able to get consistent penetration with that shot throughout the match. Zotollo did a good job stringing his attacks together and was able to chase the ankle of a turned-around Lefever and ride out the period to take a lead into the third period. After some back and forth action, Lefever scored again with the single to go up by one with short time left. The referee started a five second count a couple of times but never got all the way there. The match ended with Zotollo throwing Lefever toward his back with a crotch lift, and the final whistle sounded with Lefever upside down holding a leg. TCNJ challenged for a stall call that would send it to overtime, but the no-call was upheld.

184 – Riley Lefever (Wabash) decision Devin Peterson (Wartburg) 5-3

Lefever was a freshman NCAA Champion last year, while Peterson was once the top recruit at his weight class in the country. The first two periods were mainly Peterson in on a few shots and Lefever showing great hips to stop some tough double legs. As the second half of the final period approached, it was looking like we were headed to overtime, but Peterson struck first with a takedown to get the lead and put Lefever’s repeat hopes in jeopardy. After a quick escape, it was Lefever’s turn to commit to an attack and secure his second title in as many years.

197 – Joe Giaramita (Cortland) decision Shane Siefert (Whitewater) 6-4 SV

Siefert was expected to be here after a runner-up finish last year and his #2 seed. Giaramita was the #4 seed who pinned the top seed off a reversal in the semifinals. Siefert had a lot of trouble dealing with Giaramita’s left handed shots throughout the match. A wild scramble was all for naught early in the first, and the period ended scoreless. Siefert hit a tight waist tilt for two at the beginning of the second period to take a 2-1 lead into the final period. Giaramita hit another lefty hi-c off the whistle and stopped Siefert’s chin whip attempt to knot things up. The match almost ended in regulation when Siefert drove through a front headlock cross ankle pick, but the initial takedown call was both waved off and confirmed by a review as no points. Overtime saw one more left handed shot from Giaramita followed by a stifled roll through attempt to make the Cortland wrestler a national champion.

285 – Donny Longendyke (Augsburg) decision Terrance Jean-Jacques (Rhode Island) 1-0

These wrestlers met for the first time in the 2011 Dapper Dan Classic with Jean-Jacques representing Pennsylvania and Longendyke representing the USA. Longendyke won that matchup and would do so again here in Hershey. Jean-Jacques was the aggressor, getting in on some good doubles. Longendyke was able to stuff every shot in this match. Neither wrestler was able to solve the defense of the other on the feet, so it was decided on the mat. Longendyke escaped early, but Jean-Jaccques chose neutral, leaving him in need of a takedown in the third period to win or force overtime. He was unable to do either and finished the match extended on a single as Augsburg got its second champ to go along with an unexpected team championship.

NCAA Day 2 Results/Video Links

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March 14, 2015

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2015 NCAA Championships Live Results | d3wrestle.com 2015 NCAA Championships Home Page

Saturday Live Stream

Saturday Schedule
Saturday March 14th – 10:00am – Session III – Semifinals, consolation quarterfinals, consolation semifinals, 3rd, 5th, 7th place matches

Saturday March 14th – 6:30pm – Parade of All-Amerians
Saturday March 14th– 7:00pm– Championship Finals

Semifinals Matchups
125 – Fuenffinger (Augsburg) vs. Rea (Wilkes); Malmberg (Messiah) vs. Gunter (Baldwin Wallace)
133 – Giorgia (Coast Guard) vs. Grossman (Wilkes); Bartschenfeld (Augsburg) vs. Obert (Luther)
141 – Loht (Messiah) vs. Palmer (Hunter); Van Anrooy (Luther) vs. Steger (Loras)
149 – Mirman (John Carroll) vs. Martin (Wartburg); Arnold (Ursinus) vs. Fava (Delaware Valley)
157 – Carr (Washington & Jefferson) vs. DeWitt (Loras); Lefever (Wabash) vs. Lopez (Williams)
165 – Steiert (Wartburg) vs. Schneider (La Crosse); Sewera (Coe) vs. Guidi (Waynesburg)
174 – Lefever (Wabash) vs. Gardner (Concordia-Moorhead); Harrington (Coe) vs. Zotollo (TCNJ)
184 – Lefever (Wabash) vs. Dowdley (Heidelberg); Peterson (Wartburg) vs. Carlson (La Crosse)
197 – Twohey (La Crosse) vs. Giaramita (Cortland); Siefert (Whitewater) vs. Horner (Coe)
285 – Jean-Jacques (Rhode Island) vs. Nagle (Wartburg); Longendyke (Augsburg) vs. Bethel (Oneonta)

Team Scores After Day 1

Place	Team	Points	All-Americans
1.	Wartburg	58	8
2.	Augsburg	56.5	6
3.	Wisconsin-Whitewater	41	5
4.	Wabash	36.5	4
5.	Delaware Valley	29.5	4
6.	Wisconsin-La Crosse	28.5	3
7.	Luther	26	3
8.	Coe	25	3
9.	Messiah	24.5	3
10.	Wilkes	21.5	2

All-Americans by Region
Central 18
East 15
Midwest 15
Mideast 14
Northeast 11
West 7

NCAA Championships Live Results/Video Link

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March 13, 2015

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2015 NCAA Championships Live Results | Pre-Tournament Brackets

d3wrestle.com 2015 NCAA Championships Home Page | Digital Program from the NCAA

Weight Class Previews
125 | 133 | 141 | 149 | 157
165 | 174 | 184 | 197 | 285

Tournament Schedule
Friday March 13th – 11:00am – Session I
Friday March 13th – 6:00pm – Session II
Saturday March 14th – 10:00am – Session III
Saturday March 14th – 7:00pm – Session IV – Championship Finals

Friday Live Stream | Saturday Live Stream

2015 NCAA Preview: 285 lbs.

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March 12, 2015

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Cody Lovejoy is one of two undefeated wrestlers in the 285 bracket

2014 Champion: James Buss, Loras

2015 Field (with rankings)

West 1	(2) Longendyke	Augsburg
West 2	Davis	Concordia-Moorhead
West 3	Karkula	Eau Claire
Central 1	(4) Nagle	Wartburg
Central 2	Seaman	Augustana
Central 3	Herman	Luther
Midwest 1	(3) Green	Trine
Midwest 2	(8) Edgren	Whitewater
Midwest 3	Maresh	Alma
Mideast 1	(1) Lovejoy	Ohio Northern
Mideast 2	(9) Tristram	Brockport
Mideast 3	(10) Majoy	Heidelberg
East 1	(5) Roseberry	Delaware Valley
East 2	Florek	Stevens
East 3	Peleg	Ursinus
Northeast 1	(6) Bethel	Oneonta
Northeast 2	(7) Jean-Jacques	Rhode Island
Northeast 3	Foster	Roger Williams

Cody Lovejoy improved from 0-2 in 2013 to 7th place last year to a number one ranking in 2015. This year, he is 42-0 with 26 falls and wins over previous All-Americans Mack Green of Trine and Anthony Edgren of Whitewater. He has also won the NCAA’s Elite 89 Award each of the past two seasons for having the highest GPA of all NCAA Qualifiers. With only one other returning All-American from 2014 in the bracket (Green), Lovejoy could be in position to bring home a title for the Polar Bears. It will not be easy, especially with Augsburg’s Donny Longendyke on the other side of the bracket. Longendyke is a tranfer from Nebraska who is also undefeated as a member of the Auggies. He was once the top ranked 285 lbs. high school recruit and has been dominant this semester, including a major decision over #4 Nagle of Wartburg.

Another Division I transfer is Terrance Jean-Jacques of Rhode Island College. Jean-Jacques wrestled for Iowa before making his way closer to home in New England. He has been in the NCAA Most Dominant standing for much of the season, though his schedule has not matched the other top contenders in difficulty. His only loss this year came in the regional final to Oneonta freshman James Bethel. Zach Roseberry of Delaware Valley was 4th last season, Matan Peleg is a two time qualifier for Ursinus, and Conner Herman of Luther last appeared in the tournament in 2012 before returning this season.

2015 NCAA Preview: 197 lbs.

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March 12, 2015

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Action Photo — Eric Twohey is having great success after moving up from 184 this year

2014 Champion: Alex Coolidge, Cornell

2015 Field (with rankings)

West 1	(9) Hechsel	Augsburg
West 2	(10) Michaelis	St. John’s
West 3	Pike	Concordia-Moorhead
Central 1	(6) Roman	Wartburg
Central 2	(7) Seabold	Central
Central 3	(8) Horner	Coe
Midwest 1	(1) Twohey	La Crosse
Midwest 2	(2) Siefert	Whitewater
Midwest 3	Groeneveld	Alma
Mideast 1	Secor	Lycoming
Mideast 2	Gaydosh	John Carroll
Mideast 3	Olson	Mount Union
East 1	(3) Karns	Delaware Valley
East 2	Fisher	USMMA
East 3	Leer	TCNJ
Northeast 1	(4) Giaramita	Cortland
Northeast 2	(5) Welch	Roger Williams
Northeast 3	Ayen	Springfield

As February began, it looked like everything was going according to the preseason script. Returning runner-up Shane Siefert of Whitewater had rolled through the rest of Division III, including an 8-3 victory in January over Eric Twohey of La Crosse. Then, at the WIAC tournament, Twohey turned that result around with an overtime takedown to defeat Siefert. Two weeks later, he defeated Siefert again, cementing his hold on the top spot in the rankings. Twohey only has that one loss to Siefert this season, and is poised to be much higher on the podium this year than his 8th place finish at 184 last season. Siefert will have to come through the bottom half of the bracket to get a fourth match with Twohey, but he has shown the ability to put points on the board in bunches. Karns of Delaware Valley, and Giaramita of Cortland were both All-Americans last season, and will not be easy outs for either of the top two seeds. Neither has lost in Division III this season.

Roman from Wartburg has been wrestling as well as anyone lately. He had early losses to Horner of Coe and Watson of Loras, but came back to beat both later on. He has not lost since an early December dual meet against Twohey. Maybe he will have a chance to avenge that loss as well. Other previous All-Americans in the bracket include Horner, who beat Giaramita for 5th last season, Welch, who beat Twohey for 7th last year, and Hechsel, who was 7th in 2013. Finally, only one of the top three seeds qualified out of the Mideast region.

2015 NCAA Preview: 184 lbs.

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March 11, 2015

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Riley Lefever is one of three defending NCAA Champions in this tournament

2014 Champion: Riley Lefever, Wabash

2015 Field (with rankings)

West 1	Teigen	Augsburg
West 2	Cole	Platteville
West 3	Rieckhoff	Eau Claire
Central 1	(5) Peterson	Wartburg
Central 2	Sheldon	Coe
Central 3	(7) DeVilbiss	Luther
Midwest 1	(1) Lefever	Wabash
Midwest 2	(10) Olsen	Wheaton
Midwest 3	Carlson	La Crosse
Mideast 1	(6) Swarr	Messiah
Mideast 2	(8) Palmeri	Brockport
Mideast 3	(9) Dowdley	Heidelberg
East 1	Sheehan	NYU
East 2	Manganaro	Ursinus
East 3	Gabriel	Delaware Valley
Northeast 1	(2) Deupree	Southern Maine
Northeast 2	(3) Beckwith	Cortland
Northeast 3	(4) Chorzepa	Williams

Riley Lefever stormed through Division III last year, putting together an undefeated freshman season. Two years in, he still has not lost to a Division III opponent and comes into the tournament as a heavy favorite to repeat. Just two DIII wrestlers, Olsen from Wheaton and Peterson from Wartburg, have managed to hold Lefever to a decision this season. With over 20 falls this year, Lefever is the class of this weight. Everyone else has been beating up on each other, with a trio of Northeast region wrestlers taking the next three spots in the rankings. Chorzepa of Williams was 3rd here last season after entering the tournament unseeded. His only DIII loss this year is to Beckwith, who in turn dropped the regional final to two time qualifier Deupree. One to watch for, however, is Devin Peterson of Wartburg. The one time #1 ranked 195 lbs. recruit in the country found his way to Wartburg for the second semester. He won the Central region and has the talent to perform here.

Ben Swarr of Messiah missed the first half of the season with an injury, but he has come back strong to win the Mideast. He has just one loss to Olsen at the Wheaton semifinals and has wins over Dowdley, Palmeri, and Gabriel. If he gets on the podium, Messiah will have had a freshman All-American three years in a row (Thomson and Malmberg are the others). There are six returning qualifiers at this weight, plus three others who qualified here last year but are at other weights in 2015. Teigen of Augsburg, DeVilbiss of Luther, and Sheldon of Coe are the three yet to be mentioned who qualified in 2o14. Sheldon was an All-American, while the others are seeking their first award. Olsen and Sheehan of NYU were in the tournament in 2013, with Olsen placing 7th. Carlson was the U.S. representative at last summer’s FILA Junior World Greco-Roman Championships.

2015 NCAA Preview: 174 lbs.

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March 11, 2015

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Conner Lefever hopes to become the third Lefever to stand on the podium this weekend

2014 Champion: Landon Williams, Wartburg

2015 Field (with rankings)

West 1	(10) Martin	Augsburg
West 2	Gardner	Concordia-Moorhead
West 3	Mergener	Concordia Wisconsin
Central 1	(6) Hamm	Cornell
Central 2	(4) Welter	Wartburg
Central 3	(8) Harrington	Coe
Midwest 1	(1) Lefever	Wabash
Midwest 2	(5) Newman	Whitewater
Midwest 3	(9) Allen	Olivet
Mideast 1	(2) Thomson	Messiah
Mideast 2	(7) Chase	Baldwin Wallace
Mideast 3	Cain	RIT
East 1	(3) Zotollo	TCNJ
East 2	Sibblies	Centenary
East 3	Diesel	Wilkes
Northeast 1	Ressler	Roger Williams
Northeast 2	Shermot	Coast Guard
Northeast 3	Sblendorio	Wesleyan

Conner Lefever joins brothers Reece and Riley in the tournament for the second year in a row. The other two have been All-Americans, and Conner enters the tournament as the top seed hoping to not only get on the podium for the first time, but become a national champion in his own right. He has not lost to a Division III opponent this season and has wins over the ranked Welter, Newman, and Allen. Sorting out the bracket after that is a chore, as nobody has made it through unscathed. Two time All-Amerian Josh Thomson of Messiah won the Mideast regional, getting his third win in a row over Chase of Baldwin Wallace after losing to him early in the season. He dropped a wild 14-13 match to Whitewater’s Newman at Wheaton, but defeated fellow two time All-American Zach Zotollo of TCNJ in a dual meet late in the year. The loss to Thomson is Zotollo’s only blemish in a short season where he only has wrestled 21 times.

Jordan Newman of Whitewater and Brandon Welter of Wartburg could challenge for a spot in the finals as well. Newman has the win over Thomson, but he has injury defaulted during the finals of both the WIAC tournament and the Midwest Regional. Welter defeated Newman and has split with both Gardner and Hamm, losing to Hamm in the Central final. Hamm has had a bit of an uneven season, but comes in on a nine match winning streak with wins over Welter and Harrington in the last month. Augsburg’s Martin only got in the lineup when Hensel dropped to 165, but went on to win the West region. Sibblies of Centenary dropped to 174 for the second semester and turned an early season 10-3 loss to Kowal from Stevens into an overtime decision win to qualify for the second year in a row.

Final NWCA Team Rankings

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March 10, 2015

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NWCA Team Ranking #10 – March 9, 2015

d3wrestle.com

John Carroll hires Hawald

d3wrestle.com Named NWMA Website of the Year

Moulsoff and Valek drop interim tags at Augsburg

Final NCAA Season Long Awards Standings

2015 Picks Game Winner

2015 Wrestler of the Year

2015 Coach of the Year

2015 All-Freshmen Team & Freshman of the Year

2015 Picks Game Results Post

Photos from the 2015 NCAA Championships

2015 Academic Awards

2015 Championship Data

2015 Finals Recap

NCAA Day 2 Results/Video Links

NCAA Championships Live Results/Video Link

2015 NCAA Preview: 285 lbs.

2015 NCAA Preview: 197 lbs.

2015 NCAA Preview: 184 lbs.

2015 NCAA Preview: 174 lbs.

Final NWCA Team Rankings

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