|
| Jesse Milks won the WIAC 157-pound title |
UW-Platteville sophomore Jesse Milks won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 157-pound championship Sunday, while teammate Ryan Higgins also earned a return trip to the NCAA III national championships.
The Pioneer duo led the Pioneers to a fourth-place finish in the conference tournament at Appleton West High School. UW-La Crosse won its 11th straight title with 147.5 points, followed by UW-Stevens Point at 131.5, UW-Whitewater 111.5, UWP 86, UW-Eau Claire 82.5, host Lawrence 43.5 and UW-Oshkosh 42.5.
Milks, ranked fifth in the country at 157, beat UW-Whitewater's Thomas Trieloff by a 15-5 majority decision in the semifinals then edged UW-La Crosse's Jay Milz 4-3 to claim the championship, beating Milz for the second time this season by the same score. The sophomore from Rock City, Ill. improved to 29-4 on the year.
Higgins reached a WIAC championship match for the third straight season. The junior from Oconomowoc pinned UW-Oshkosh's John Dangles in 6:22, beat UW-Eau Claire's Andrew Johnson 15-5 then lost to UW-La Crosse's Matt Mauseth 3-2 in the finals. Higgins had to defeat Lawrence's Tony Norton in a wrestleback for true second place, and he won in a 9-0 rout. The league coaches then voted Higgins (26-7) one of the nine at-large berths to the national championships, set for March 7-8 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Milks, who was runner-up in last year's WIAC tournament, and Higgins, who earned all-American status last year, are making return trips to nationals. Higgins is making his third appearance in the championships.
Freshman Vinny Alber placed third at 141 pounds. He rebounded from a semifinal loss to UW-Stevens Point's Chase DeCleene to beat UW-Oshkosh's Alex Mueller by injury default, then pinned UW-La Crosse's Kevin Barber in 2:30 to claim third.
Both Cory Zuberbier (174) and Brad Zellner (184) were fourth in their respective weight classes for Coach Chris Walter, who has led the Pioneers to fourth place or better in nine of his 11 years.
Team Scores UW-La Crosse 147.5 UW-Stevens Point 131.5 UW-Whitewater 111.5 UW-Platteville 86 UW-Eau Claire 82.5 Lawrence University 43.5 UW-Oshkosh 42.5 Champions (automatic NCAA Championships qualifiers) 125 -- Brandon Music, La Crosse 133 -- Jordan Kolinski, La Crosse 141 -- Austin Bautista, Whitewater 149 -- Matt Mauseth, La Crosse 157 -- Jesse Milks, Platteville 165 -- Tim Palmer, La Crosse 174 -- Josh Chelf, La Crosse 184 -- Josh Zabel, La Crosse 197 -- Craig Bollig, Stevens Point 285 -- Dan Laurent, La Crosse Additional National Qualifiers 125 -- Jacob Calhoun, Stevens Point 141 -- Chase DeCleene, Stevens Point 149 -- Ryan Higgins, Platteville 157 -- Jay Milz, La Crosse 165 -- Pat Nagel, Whitewater 165 -- Jason Wozniak, Stevens Point 174 -- Eric Bath, Stevens Point 184 -- Ben Engelland, Stevens Point 197 -- Josh Holforty, Eau Claire
Related Links