2004-05 WIAC Wrestling Headlines

UW-La Crosse's Allen Earns Second Straight WIAC Wrestler of the Year Honor

RELEASED: Friday, March 11, 2005

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Ryan Allen has been named the 2005 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Wrestler of the Year for the second straight season based on a vote of the league coaches.

Allen, a junior from Livingston, Wis. (Iowa-Grant H.S.), recently captured the 285-pound national championship for the second consecutive year. He is the first wrestler in school history to win two national titles. Allen has secured All-America honors three straight seasons after finishing second at the 2003 national meet.

Allen also won the 285-pound crown at the WIAC championships for the third straight season and finished the 2005 campaign with a 46-5 overall record. He is 120-9 in his three-year career, ranking second in school history in victories.

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Conference Wrestlers Claim NWCA Scholar All-America Honors

RELEASED: Thursday, March 10, 2005

Madison, Wis.--Eight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) wrestling student-athletes have been named to the 2005 NCAA Division III National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-America Team.

Individuals receiving recognition included: Lawrence's John Budi (165 pounds), UW-La Crosse's Adam Kuchnia (141) and Ross Needham (157), UW-Oshkosh's Sean Fortman (174), UW-Platteville's Ned Lease (184) and Tom Venner (197), UW-Stevens Point's Mike Hayes (285) and UW-Whitewater's Nick Karls (141).

UW-La Crosse was one of 20 teams to receive the Scholar Team Award from the NWCA after achieving a 3.276 grade point average as a team. Milwaukee School of Engineering achieved the highest mark with a 3.603 grade point average.

The NCAA Division III Wrestling Coaches Association requires each student-athlete to compile a 3.20 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) over the two most recent semesters (spring 2004, fall 2005), make significant contributions to his team and receive a letter of recommendation from the coach.

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Northfield, Minn.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse finished fourth and UW-Stevens Point 10th following completion of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, which were held at St. Olaf College (Minn.) on March 4-5.

The Eagles totaled 72 team points and the Pointers 26.50, while UW-Whitewater tied for 24th with 12 points, UW-Eau Claire tied for 29th with 10 points and Lawrence tied for 44th with .5 point.

Augsburg (Minn.) won the national title with 162 points. Two-time defending champion Wartburg (Iowa) finished second with 104.50, followed by Luther (Iowa) with 100, UW-La Crosse with 72 and SUNY-Brockport with 48.50.

UW-La Crosse recorded its 11th top-10 finish in school history, while UW-Stevens Point notched its third consecutive top-10 standing.

UW-La Crosse had a school record seven individuals claim All-America status, led by Ryan Allen who captured his second straight 285-pound national title. Allen defeated Blake Gillis of Wartburg (Iowa), 7-2, in the championship match after defeating Mark Simmonds of Augsburg (Minn.), 5-3, in the semifinals. Allen is the first wrestler in school history to win two national championships and finished the season with a 46-5 overall record.

Jordan Kolinski finished seventh at 125 pounds with a 12-7 decision over Ty Klofta of Ohio Northern and completed the year with a 27-7 record, while Mike Rohowetz placed eighth at 133 pounds after falling 4-2 to Matt Sganga of SUNY-Cortland in the seventh-place match and finished the season 27-17.

The Eagles' Jake Larsen placed fourth at 149 pounds after falling 8-3 to Jason Roush of Mt. St. Joseph (Ohio) in the third-place match and finished the year at 29-17.

Nick Ammerman and Josh Chelf each secured sixth-place finishes at the national meet. Ammerman lost to UW-Eau Claire's Derek Sikora, 4-0, in the fifth-place match at 165 pounds and completed the season with an 11-3 record. Chelf lost 6-1 to Tony Howard of McDaniel (Md.) in the fifth-place match and finished 38-12 during the 2005 season.

Jim Swanson finished fifth at 197 pounds with a 9-6 victory over Justin Sorensen of Augsburg (Minn.) and completed the year with a 38-12 record.

UW-Stevens Point had three individuals secure All-America honors at the national meet for the second straight season. Mike Hayes won the fifth-place match at 285 pounds with a victory over Brett Christensen of Simpson (Iowa) to finish the season 23-9.

The Pointers' Cody Koenig secured his third All-America accolade after finishing seventh at 174 pounds with a decision over Jason Shivak of Delaware Valley (Pa.). Koenig placed fourth at last year's national championship after winning the national title in 2003. He finished the year 29-4 and completed his career second in school history with 118 wins.

Al Stacilauskas also finished seventh in his weight class with a victory over Mike Troutman of Ursinus (Pa.) at 184 pounds to conclude the season with a 10-4 mark.

UW-Eau Claire's Derek Sikora secured All-America honors for the second consecutive year after placing fifth at 165 pounds. He defeated UW-La Crosse's Nick Ammerman, 4-0, in the fifth-place match and finished the season 30-6. Sikora becomes only the fourth Blugold to become a two-time All-American.

UW-Whitewater's Nick Karls finished fifth at 141 pounds to earn All-America honors for the second straight year after placing fourth a season ago. He defeated Tenkoran Agyeman of SUNY-Oswego, 14-12, in the fifth-place match and finished the 2005 season with a 38-7 record and ranks ninth in the school record book with a 102-25 career mark.

Also representing the conference at the national meet were: UW-La Crosse's Ross Needham (157 pounds), UW-Stevens Point's Joel Burdick (141 pounds), UW-Whitewater's Ross Babcock (149 pounds) and Lawrence's Ben Dictus (184 pounds).

WIAC All-Americans:
125 pounds--Jordan Kolinski (UW-La Crosse-7th)
133 pounds--Mike Rohowetz (UW-La Crosse-8th)
141 pounds--Nick Karls (UW-Whitewater-5th)
149 pounds--Jake Larsen (UW-La Crosse-4th)
165 pounds--Derek Sikora (UW-Eau Claire-5th), Nick Ammerman (UW-La Crosse-6th)
174 pounds--Josh Chelf (UW-La Crosse-6th), Cody Koenig (UW-Stevens Point-7th)
184 pounds--Al Stacilauskas (UW-Stevens Point-7th)
197 pounds--Jim Swanson (UW-La Crosse-5th)
285 pounds--Ryan Allen (UW-La Crosse-Champion), Mike Hayes (UW-Stevens Point-5th)

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UW-Whitewater's Karls Named Wrestling Scholar-Athlete

RELEASED: Monday, February 21, 2005

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's Nick Karls has been named the 2005 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Max Sparger Wrestling Scholar-Athlete, it was announced recently by WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner.

Karls, a senior from Dane, Wis. (Lodi H.S.), is majoring in elementary education with a minor in health education and maintains a 3.65 grade point average. He is a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American and a three-time selection on the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll. Karls has also been recognized on UW-Whitewater's Dean's List and Honor Roll and has received the Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award.

Karls, a team captain the last two years, finished fourth at last season's NCAA Division III Championship to secure All-America honors. He claimed the 141-pound title at the 2004 WIAC Championship and was named the team's MVP.

Karls is a member of UW-Whitewater's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Golden Key National Honor Society. He has also participated in the Reading with the Warhawks program.

Karls becomes the fifth UW-Whitewater wrestling student-athlete to claim the conference award joining: Phil Klamm (2000), Mario Trafficante, Jr. (1998), Brent Davenport (1995) and Rich Straub (1992).

UW-Oshkosh's Sean Fortmann was also nominated for this year's scholar-athlete award.

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is sponsored by Culver's. In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average, be in their last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years.

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Appleton, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse claimed its eighth straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) wrestling championship at Alexander Gymnasium on the campus of Lawrence University on February 20.

The eight consecutive league titles is the longest streak in conference history, surpassing UW-Whitewater's string of seven crowns from 1974-80. UW-La Crosse has now won nine WIAC championships (2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1994).

The Eagles totaled 142.50 team points to surpass second-place UW-Stevens Point, which finished with 100.50 points. The Pointers were followed by UW-Platteville (95.50), UW-Whitewater (87), UW-Oshkosh (71), UW-Eau Claire (67) and Lawrence (45).

UW-La Crosse won seven individual titles en route to the title. Ryan Allen defeated UW-Stevens Point's Mike Hayes, 8-3, at 285 pounds to become a three-time league champion.

Jordan Kolinski won the 125-pound title via a 12-6 decision over defending conference champion John Rombca of UW-Whitewater. Mike Rohowetz secured the 133-pound crown with 4-2 decision over UW-Stevens Point's Jake Calhoun.

UW-La Crosse's Jake Larsen upended defending league champion Ross Babcock of UW-Whitewater, 3-2, to claim the 149-pound title. Ross Needham claimed the 157-pound crown with a 2-0 decision over UW-Oshkosh's Justin Lancaster.

The Eagles' Nick Ammerman beat returning conference champion Derek Sikora of UW-Eau Claire, 5-4, to win the 165-pound championship. Jim Swanson captured the 197-pound title with an 8-7 decision over UW-Eau Claire's Josh Holforty.

UW-Stevens Point's Cody Koenig became a three-time league champion at 174 pounds with a 4-3 decision over UW-La Crosse's Josh Chelf. The Pointers' Joel Burdick won the 141-pound crown with a 3-2 decision over UW-La Crosse's Adam Kuchnia. Burdick was named the John Peterson Wrestler of the Meet for his efforts.

Lawrence's Ben Dictus won the 184-pound title with a 5-3 decision in overtime over UW-Stevens Point's Al Stacilauskas.

UW-La Crosse head coach Nate Skaar was voted the Coach of the Year by the league coaches.

All of the league champions, along with six at-large qualifiers advance to the NCAA Division III Championships, which will be held March 4-5 at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. Individuals receiving at-large bids based on voting by the conference coaches included: UW-Eau Claire's Derek Sikora (165 pounds), UW-La Crosse's Josh Chelf (174 pounds), UW-Stevens Point's Mike Hayes (285 pounds) and Al Stacilauskas (184 pounds) and UW-Whitewater's Ross Babcock (149 pounds) and Nick Karls (141 pounds).

The league also voted on four alternates for the national meet including: UW-Eau Claire's Josh Holforty (197 pounds), UW-Oshkosh's Justin Lancaster (157 pounds), UW-Platteville's Corey Binger (125 pounds) and UW-Whitewater's John Rombca (125 pounds).

Team Scores:
1. UW-La Crosse 142.50
2. UW-Stevens Point 100.50
3. UW-Platteville 95.50
4. UW-Whitewater 87
5. UW-Oshkosh 71
6. UW-Eau Claire 67
7. Lawrence 45

*Kuchnia finished third, Whitewater's Nick Karls placed second
#Holforty finished third, Platteville's Tom Venner placed second

John Peterson Wrestler of the Meet: Joel Burdick of UW-Stevens Point
Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete: Nick Karls of UW-Whitewater
Mertz Mortorelli Coach of the Year: Nate Skaar of UW-La Crosse

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Gymnasium To Be Dedicated In Honor of UW-Whitewater's Myers

RELEASED: Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Whitewater, Wis.--Willie Myers, a teacher, coach and administrator at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for thirty-six years prior to his retirement last summer, will be honored in a special ceremony dedicating the wrestling area in Williams Center as the Willie Myers Family Wrestling Gymnasium. The dedication will take place at 7:00 Saturday, January 29 in the upper lobby (near the entrance to Kachel Gym, gym 2 and gym 3) of Williams Center on campus.

"The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is honored to name it wrestling facility after Dr. Willie Myers and his family," UW-W director of athletics Dr. Paul Plinske said. "For 36 years Willie and his family taught the values of discipline, integrity and dedication. More importantly, the Myers' exemplified a standard of excellence in all they did. The legacy of the Myers family will live on forever in the halls of Williams Center."

Myers, wrestling coach at UW-W for thirty-six years, directed UW-Whitewater teams to more conference championships than any coach, men's or women's sports, in school history. The Warhawks won twelve Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title under Myers. He also directed UW-W to seventeen top twenty finishes in national championships, including thirteenth place in the 2004 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III tournament. Myers' coached 64 conference champions, wrestlers earned All-American honors 53 times under his direction, and 30 athletes were named NCAA III Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-Americans. Three individuals won four NCAA III championships in that time.

Following the conclusion of the 2003-2004 season, Myers was named Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wrestling Coach of the Year, Wisconsin College Coach of the Year by the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association, and added Wisconsin State Coach of the Year from the WWCA (including high school coaches) in May. In July 2003 Myers received the Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and in November 2003 he was recognized for forty years of service to the sport of wrestling by the WWCA.

Myers has been inducted into the George Martin (Wisconsin wrestling) Hall of Fame (1982), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1986, and the Eastern Illinois University, his alma mater, Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996.

Respect among his peers led Myers to numerous positions in the NAIA Wrestling Coaches Association and, when UW-W joined the NCAA in 1980, in the NCAA wrestling community. He served as president of both coaching groups, in the NAIA and in Division III of the NCAA. In the early 70's Myers was chosen to lead a NAIA all-star team on a tour of Japan and Korea, he coached the United States freestyle team in the 1977 World University Games, and served as wrestling team administrator for the U.S. 1979 World University Games wrestling team.

In addition to his years as wrestling coach, Myers' served the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in a number of other capacities. He came to UW-W as a hall director in the residence life office, assistant football coach, campus facilities planner, and chairman of the Department of Coaching (an academic unit now part of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Coaching), and as director of athletics-men, a position he held for 15 years (1983-98). When he retired in July he also gave up his position as a tenured professor in the HPERC department.

Myers graduated with a bachelor's degree in industrial arts from Eastern Illinois University in 1964, and he earned a master's degree in guidance and counseling from EIU in 1966. He received a doctorate in education administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1977. After graduating from Eastern Illinois, Myers taught and coached in the Arlington Heights (IL) school district.

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Skaar Named UW-La Crosse Wrestling Coach

RELEASED: Friday, August 27, 2004

La Crosse, Wis.--The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has named Nate Skaar (pronounced score) as its head wrestling coach, according to athletic director Joe Baker. Skaar’s position is a one-year interim appointment and he begins his duties immediately. He replaces Tim Fader, who was named head coach at UW-Whitewater in July.

“I’m very excited about coming to UW-La Crosse,” said Skaar. “The wrestling program has a rich tradition and I’m looking forward to continuing the success.”

He will also serve as the Director of UW-L’s Outdoor Adventure Program and the Director of the Climbing Wall in the Recreational Eagle Center.

“We are very pleased that Nate will be joining us as our new wrestling coach,” said Baker. “Nate has a great wrestling background, and we feel he has the ability to relate to and teach our wrestlers the skills needed to remain successful.”

Skaar has served as the head assistant wrestling coach at Upper Iowa University since 2000. The Peacocks finished ninth at the 2003 NCAA III Championships, second in 2002 and 11th in 2001. He also served as the director of the McCready Open Wrestling Tournament since 2000 and worked as the Outdoor Pursuits Coordinator at Upper Iowa.

A native of Hayward, Minnesota, Skaar wrestled at Albert Lea (Minn.) High School, finishing third at the 1992 state championships. He was a four-time Minnesota High School National Freestyle Team Member and three-time Northern Plains Regional Finalist.

He earned his bachelor of arts degree in English and philosophy from Luther College (Iowa) in 1992 and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in organizational management from Upper Iowa.

Skaar earned NCAA III All-America honors at Luther in 1995 and was named an NCAA Academic All-American in 1997. A three-time national tournament qualifier, Skaar was also a three-time Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference finalist, winning a conference championship in 1993.

After graduating from Luther, Skaar served as head wrestling coach at Estancia High School in Costa Mesa, California from 1997 to 2000.

UW-L won its seventh consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crown last season and finished seventh at the NCAA III Championships. The Eagles have 10 top-10 finishes in school history at the NCAA III Championships.

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UW-Stevens Point assistant wrestling coach Dennis Hall won his first match, but lost in his second contest, failing to advance out of pool play at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Hall was competing in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 55-kilogram weight class (121 pounds).

Hall defeated Petr Svehla of Czech Republic 3-2 and then lost to Oleksiy Vakulenko of Ukraine 3-0 in the second round. Vakulenko beat Svehla 4-0 in overtime in the other pool play match and advanced to the quarterfinals. Svehla finished fourth at last year's world championships and Vakulenko was 10th.

Against Vehla, the wrestlers grappled to a scoreless first period and moved into the clinch position (pictured, Hall in blue). Hall was forced to escape from the clinch within a minute and scored a three-point headlock on Svehla 53 seconds into the clinch. Svehla had a quick reversal to recover one point and scored about a minute later with another one-point turn. However, despite being down for most of the second period, Hall was able to hold off Svehla for the first round win.

Hall's loss to Vakulenko was a virtual opposite of his earlier victory. The first period was again scoreless and Vakulenko scored a three-point throw two seconds into the clinch position. Hall was unable to recover and was eliminated.

The 33-year old Hall attended Hartford High School and UW-Stevens Point. He was the 1995 Greco-Roman world champion and has been on the Pointers’ coaching staff the past four years. This was his third Olympic appearance, having captured the silver medal in 1996 at Atlanta and competed in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. (photo courtesy The Mat.com)

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Fader Named Head Wrestling Coach At UW-Whitewater

RELEASED: Thursday, July 8, 2004

Whitewater, Wis.--Tim Fader has been named head wrestling coach at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

"Tim's a proven leader in building a Division III wrestling program that has strong academic and athletic accomplishments," UW-W director of athletics Dr. Paul Plinske said. "His wealth of conference and national success will inspire a program rich in tradition. UW-Whitewater athletics is excited to have Fader follow in the footsteps of hall of famer Dr. Willie Myers."

Fader has been the head wrestling coach at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for the past six seasons. He directed the Eagles to top twenty finishes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III championship every season. UW-L tied for fourteenth in 1999, Fader's first season; moved up to sixth in 2000 and second in the 2001 tournament. Since then UW-L added a fourth place in 2002, eighth in 2003, and seventh in 2004 in the NCAA III championship.

The NCAA Wrestling Coaches Association named Fader Division III Rookie Coach of the Year in 1999 and NCAA III Coach of the Year for the 2000-2001 season.

Athletes have earned All-American honors seventeen times in Fader's six years at UW-L. Four Eagle grapplers earned the distinction at the 2004 NCAA III championship, including heavyweight champion Ryan Allen. Allen, Jason Ott (hwt, 2002) and Jeremy Miller (184 lbs, 2000) all earned national titles under Fader's tutelage.

Fader's UW-L squads also ruled the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, winning six consecutive league titles (adding one the year before when Fader was an assistant to make the current UW-L streak seven straight). Fader was named WIAC Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1999, 2001, and 2002.

That run of WIAC success includes two wrestlers named Peterson Outstanding Wrestler of the WIAC Tournament (Rob Anderson in 1999, Jason Ott in 2000), and three Max Sparger Scholar Athletes for Wrestling (Andrew Melton in 2000 shared with Whitewater's Phill Klamm, Josh Habeck in 2002, Troy Fabry in 2004).

The La Crosse wrestling program went 18-5 overall in dual meets (with two of those losses coming to Big Ten schools and three to top ten finishers in the NCAA III championship) during the 2003-2004 season, including a 5-1 mark against WIAC competition.

Prior to assuming the head job at La Crosse, Fader served as a UW-L assistant for three seasons (1995-98), was an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota-Morris (1994-95), assistant coach at Oregon (IL) High School (1993-94), and assistant coach at his alma mater, Augustana College (IL) after graduating in 1991. While a collegian Fader was a two-time NCAA Division III All-American and was twice named Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Fader earned his undergraduate degree in finance, and earned a master's degree in sports administration from UW-La Crosse in 1997. In addition to his coaching duties at UW-L, Fader also directed the Eagle wrestling camps, was a part-time instructor in the exercise and sport science department, and coordinated the adventure program used by the university and the La Crosse community.

In addition to his wrestling responsibilities at UW-W Fader will also teach in the health, physical education, recreation and coaching department.

Fader will assume the position which opened with the retirement of Dr. Willie Myers, a coach, administrator and teacher at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater since 1968. Myers, head coach of the UW-Whitewater wrestling team for thirty-six years, directed UW-Whitewater teams to more conference championships than any coach, of any sport, male or female, in school history. The Warhawks won twelve Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles under Myers, including seven in a row (1974-80). He also directed UW-W to seventeen top twenty finishes in national championships.

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Indianapolis, Ind.--University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point assistant wrestling coach Dennis Hall will represent the United States at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece after winning a dramatic match over Brandon Paulson in the Greco-Roman title match at 55 kg (121 pounds) on Sunday, May 23 at the U.S. Team Trials in Indianapolis.

Hall scored a takedown at the 16:54 mark of the match to win 4-3 and earn a return trip to the Olympics, where he won a silver medal in 1996. It was one of the longest matches in U.S. wrestling history after Paulson had tied the match with an escape with 30 seconds left in regulation. After an overtime period, the match was still tied with all criteria equal and went into an unlimited sudden death period.

“Overtime just kept going on and on,” Hall said. “We were both working hard. Finally, I was able to slide by to reach around and chase him and land on top. I wasn’t sure if they were going to give it to me (the point), but my coaches said they did and I thought, ‘thank goodness it’s over.’”

UW-Stevens Point head coach Johnny Johnson was in the corner during Hall’s matches, which included three victories to reach the best-of-three finals against Paulson. Hall won the first match before Paulson posted a victory to set up the dramatic third match. Hall and Paulson are regular training partners and wrestled at different weights in Atlanta in 1996, but Hall dropped down to 121 pounds for this year’s trials.

“I went overseas and found my body couldn’t handle being at that weight and I needed to drop,” Hall said. “I feel like I can win a gold medal at this size. If I didn’t think I could win the gold medal, then I wouldn’t have dropped.”

The 33-year old Hall attended Hartford High School and UW-Stevens Point. He was the 1995 Greco-Roman world champion and has been on the Pointers’ coaching staff the past four years.

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