After a successful regular season, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wrestling team competed at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships hosted by UW-Eau Claire, crowning three individual champions while several others placed in their respective weight classes.
Whitewater’s strongest performances came in the middle weights. Junior Luke Swan captured the 157-pound title, senior and No. 3 ranked 149-pound wrestler Dom Mallinder took first place, and senior Justin Fortugno earned the championship at 141 pounds. In addition, junior Brayden Peet finished second at 165 pounds, while freshman Callen Kirchner placed fourth in the 165-pound bracket.
With their success in the middle weights, the Warhawks looked to carry similar momentum into the regional tournament. The stakes, however, were higher because national tournament qualifications were on the line.
While no wrestlers took home an individual regional championship, five runner-up finishes was enough to rocket the Warhawks to a first-place team finish. The five wrestlers who took second qualified for the national tournament: Fortugno, Mallinder, Swan, Peet, and junior 174-pound wrestler Jermaine Butler.
Head coach Matt Zwaschka said both experience and recent momentum will be critical factors for the team as it prepares for the next stage.
“Experience will help the individual,” Zwaschka said. “Momentum is contagious. Getting the team on a roll is a huge advantage.”
Swan entered the regional tournament ranked second in his bracket and No. 14 nationally after winning the WIAC title. He said the conference tournament performance strengthened his confidence heading into competition in Cleveland.
“The WIAC is known for being an elite wrestling conference in the NCAA,” Swan said. “We see national champions and All-Americans coming out of the WIAC every single season. Being able to run the gauntlet and win it all has boosted my confidence greatly. The goal is to carry the effort and discipline from the WIAC tournament into this weekend.”
Like Swan, the rest of the roster hopes to build off its regional performances and position multiple wrestlers to become All-Americans at the national tournament.
From a preparation standpoint, Zwaschka said the team has not made major adjustments to its routine, instead focusing on refinement as the postseason progresses.
“We have been steady with our training, just tapering a little bit,” Zwaschka said. “Ultimately, we’re working on getting to our best scoring positions, wrestling the full seven minutes, attacking our opponents and believing in ourselves.”
Both Zwaschka and Swan emphasized the importance of converting those rankings into national qualifications while also maximizing bonus-point opportunities for team scoring.
“[Qualifying for nationals] is a goal of mine and it is already engraved into my mind that it is achievable,” Swan said. “As for the team, we are looking to dominate the points scoring and take home a team trophy. Bonus point victories are going to play a huge role in getting that done. We believe in ourselves individually and as a team, so there’s no doubt this group of guys can finish the season on top.”
The Warhawks will travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the national tournament March 13-14.
