Stevens Point 2017 Preview
Team: University of Wisconsin Stevens Point
Head Coach: Johnny Johnson
Years at School as Head Coach: 19
Career Record at Current School: 177-167
Assistant Coaches: Jake Wozniak, Dustin Wozniak, Logan Hermsen-Student Asst, Jake Calhoun
2016-2017 Dual Meet Record: 2-12
2017 NCAA Qualifiers: Logan Hermsen (165, 1st), Dylan Diebitz (197), Donny Ralston (285, 6th)
Returning NCAA Qualifiers: Diebitz, Ben Vosters (125, 2016)
Top Returning Starters: Diebitz(Q 197), Vosters(Q 125), Joe Crook (149), Boone Roycraft (157), both Crook and Roycraft seniors with season ending injuries last season
125 Ben Vosters, 2016 NCAA Qualifier
149 Joe Crook
157 Boone Roycraft
197 Dylan Diebitz, NCAA Qualifier
Top Incoming Wrestlers:
Pointers Wrestling welcomes 12 new faces to the program for the 2017-18 season. The 12 wrestlers combine for 14 trips to their respective state tournaments and 5 trips to the podium.
Two recruits come to UWSP from the Wisconsin Valley Conference, Berkley Corvino (D.C. Everest, 285) and Anthony Kanable (Marshfield, 141). Corvino, who will join the team after finishing his season with UWSP Football, finished 6th at the state tournament at 220 this past season. Kanable finished with a 131-34 career record for the Tigers.
Luke Smiley (Plainfield North, 149) and Nick Pretto (Wilmington, 165) head north from Illinois to join the Pointers. Smiley was a two-time Illinois state qualifier, while Pretto qualified three times and placed 6th as a senior.
Two transfers join the team, Logan Newton (Spring Valley, 149) and Bobby Uttecht (Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 133). Newton spent last year playing football at UW-Stout after finishing 4th at state his senior season. Uttecht has spent the last three years wrestling at UW-Parkside and was also a state place winner in HS, finishing 6th.
Other state qualifiers in the recruiting class include Matt Berlin (Oak Creek, 125), Ben Kasten (Brillion, 157), and Eric Peters (Luxemburg-Casco, 149). Berlin was a three-time state qualifier and finished with a 120-26 HS record. Kasten was also at the state tournament this past season, as well as his sophomore year. Peters has been on campus for a year, but was unable to wrestle last season as he recovered from injury. He finished 4th in the state his senior season.
Other incoming wrestlers include Kevin Jankowski (Cudahy/St. Francis/Saint Thomas More, 174), Drosianos Louvaris (Kimberly, 141), and Alex McNall (Janesville Craig, 197). All were sectional qualifiers last season, with Louvaris missing qualifying for the state tournament by a match. Jankowski won matches at the WWF Freestyle and Greco Junior State Tournaments last year, as well as at Greco Junior Nationals in Fargo this summer
Season Outlook:
Led by returning national qualifiers Ben Vosters and Dylan Diebitz the Pointers have high goals for 2017-2018. The Pointers have a deep line up featuring 7 upperclassmen and many talented freshmen and transfer students making for a highly competitive atmosphere. Iron sharpens iron, and that is an adage the team hopes will result in success this season.