The UW-Whitewater wrestling team finished in third place this weekend at the NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Regional Tournament, hosted by Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Warhawks finished behind Augsburg (147 points) and UW-La Crosse (128.0 points), but managed to produce a few notable individual contributions to their 93 team points.

Senior Jordan Newman finished the tournament with a flawless 4-0 record in the 184-pound bracket en route to the team’s only first place finish. Newman ended his first two matches quickly with a pair of pins (the first in 1:35 and the second in just 0:58) before closing out the tournament with back-to-back major decision victories (12-2 in his third match and 11-0 in the championship).

Sophomore Mike Tortorice and junior Nicholas Bonomo both finished in third place at 125 pounds and 165 pounds, respectively. Tortorice finished the weekend with a 4-1 record, securing his third place victory with one of his two pins from the weekend. Bonomo started off with two major decision victories (the first 10-2, and second 15-6) before losing by a 2-3 decision to fall into the loser’s bracket, where he won out (third match 6-4, and fourth 9-0), also finishing with a 4-1 record.

“I’m pretty excited because its my first time making the tournament,” Bonomo said. “The past two years i wrestled in the Regional Tournament and haven’t had great showings. Finally getting over that hump and making the tournament felt really good.”

Being that the top-3 finishers from each of the ten weight classes will advance to the NCAA Division III National Championships, Jordan Newman, Mike Tortorice and Nicholas Bonomo will all be advancing to the next stage of competition.

“Jordan Newman looked spectacular,” head coach Ned Shuck said. “He was incredibly dominating and exciting to watch. Nick Bonomo and Mikey Tortorice showed some incredible courage with some come-from-behind wins against some tough opponents. I’m fired up for these guys to compete in Cleveland in two weeks.”

Sophomore Devin Tortorice and junior Nick Stencel ended up just outside the top-3, both finishing in fourth at the 141 and 174 pound divisions, respectively. Sophomore Hazen Rice finished in fifth in the 133 pound bracket.

“At the same time, I’m heartbroken for our guys who fell short and for Austin Quartullo, who didn’t get a chance to compete as a senior due to not clearing medical (skin) checks,” Shuck said. “Wrestling is a tough sport with a tremendous amount of adversity. Our resilience will be tested in how we respond to the outcomes. I have faith and confidence that our men will be men of character and take the right course of action to grow in the future.”​

Jordan Newman, Mike Tortorice, and Nicholas Bonomo will advance to represent UW-Whitewater at the NCAA Division III National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Cleveland Public Auditorium. The National Championships are scheduled for March 9-10.